Over one hundred years after his death, author, translator and educator Lafcadio Hearn remains one of the best-known Westerners ever to make Japan his home. His prolific writings on things Japanese helped shape Western views on Japan well into the twentieth century.

This masterful anthology compiled by Donald Richie is organized into two parts.

Part One, "The Land", chronicles Hearn's early years, when he wrote primarily about the appearance of his new home.
Part Two, "The People", records the author's later years, when he came to terms with the Japanese themselves.