What do you think?
Rate this book
Inaka: Portraits of Life in Rural Japan
Inaka: Portraits of Life in Rural Japan is an affectionate but unsentimental taste of authentic rural living: inconvenient superstitions, the tough realities of training to be a Buddhist monk, the mystery of an abandoned shrine, an ancient pilgrimage given new life, fishermen’s tales, cycling adventures, examples of rural revitalization in tea farm tourism and the indigo dyeing industry, hypothermia-inducing housing, and friendly neighbors sharing old customs and local histories.
The Japanese word for the countryside, inaka, carries a slightly pejorative meaning of “the sticks,” of being far from culture and amenities; and inaka is applied not only to truly rural areas but also to small towns and cities away from metropolitan areas. Likewise, Inaka: Portraits of Life in Rural Japan includes a look at small-town life and areas in the urban–rural zone of interaction rather than only purely remote settings; a messy mix of city and country is much more representative than hermits hiding in the wilderness.
A combination of brilliant, experienced writers and fresh young talent makes Inaka a delight to read, and an absolute must for anyone interested in life outside the crowded Japanese cities.
The Japanese word for the countryside, inaka, carries a slightly pejorative meaning of “the sticks,” of being far from culture and amenities; and inaka is applied not only to truly rural areas but also to small towns and cities away from metropolitan areas. Likewise, Inaka: Portraits of Life in Rural Japan includes a look at small-town life and areas in the urban–rural zone of interaction rather than only purely remote settings; a messy mix of city and country is much more representative than hermits hiding in the wilderness.
A combination of brilliant, experienced writers and fresh young talent makes Inaka a delight to read, and an absolute must for anyone interested in life outside the crowded Japanese cities.
- GenresJapanNonfiction
335 pages, Kindle Edition
Published August 11, 2020
122 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
November 18, 2020
Eighteen essays on the Japanese countryside (inaka) from various gaijin, most of them Brits and Americans. The anthology is ordered by location, moving from the Ryukyu Islands to Hokkaido. Quality varies, topics are diverse: becoming a Zen priest, the Shikoku pilgrimage, Inland Sea fishing techniques, abandoned shrines, changing mores and gender roles, superstition, and cycling along the coast of Hokkaido.
Recurring themes are the population drain to the big cities and the decline of agriculture and traditional craftsmanship. It’s the latter theme that provides the most engaging stories.
One of them portrays Paul Lorimer, an uncompromisingly self-sufficient Kiwi potter on Okinawa who builds his own kilns, sources his own typhoon-bent waste timber, and digs his own clay (a dangerous affair when done close to one of the many US military installations dotted around the island). Lorimer creates a type of pottery called keshiki (‘scenery’), which refers to the irregular surfaces, ash deposits, stains, and cracks caused by the intense heat and pressure of the kilns. The whole process is so labour-intensive that contemporary potters often lack the stamina for it - kilns take days to fire up, and pottery wheels are human-powered rather than electric. The results, though, are stunning.
In ‘A Dyeing Tradition’, Suzanne Kamata discusses the centuries-old indigo industry on Shikoku. Indigo can be found in the curtains hung at shop entrances (noren), in hundred-year-old fishermen’s coats, and the uniforms of Japan’s national soccer team. Demand for dyed fabrics is increasing, but its producers are struggling to keep the dyeing tradition alive (this pun is in the text and I refuse take the blame for it). Its more purist adherents are strongly opposed to machinery, and as a result the production and dyeing process is, according to one its practitioners, ‘unbelievably hard work.’ Revitalization efforts by the national government notwithstanding, it remains to be seen whether or how this tradition will survive.
Recurring themes are the population drain to the big cities and the decline of agriculture and traditional craftsmanship. It’s the latter theme that provides the most engaging stories.
One of them portrays Paul Lorimer, an uncompromisingly self-sufficient Kiwi potter on Okinawa who builds his own kilns, sources his own typhoon-bent waste timber, and digs his own clay (a dangerous affair when done close to one of the many US military installations dotted around the island). Lorimer creates a type of pottery called keshiki (‘scenery’), which refers to the irregular surfaces, ash deposits, stains, and cracks caused by the intense heat and pressure of the kilns. The whole process is so labour-intensive that contemporary potters often lack the stamina for it - kilns take days to fire up, and pottery wheels are human-powered rather than electric. The results, though, are stunning.
In ‘A Dyeing Tradition’, Suzanne Kamata discusses the centuries-old indigo industry on Shikoku. Indigo can be found in the curtains hung at shop entrances (noren), in hundred-year-old fishermen’s coats, and the uniforms of Japan’s national soccer team. Demand for dyed fabrics is increasing, but its producers are struggling to keep the dyeing tradition alive (this pun is in the text and I refuse take the blame for it). Its more purist adherents are strongly opposed to machinery, and as a result the production and dyeing process is, according to one its practitioners, ‘unbelievably hard work.’ Revitalization efforts by the national government notwithstanding, it remains to be seen whether or how this tradition will survive.
December 29, 2021
I think it is important to be able to see the forest for the weeds. My review on my site and Writers in Kyoto: https://chadkohalyk.com/2021/05/07/re...
September 28, 2022
This was a wonderful collection of stories that gives you a much broader picture of Japan than simply just Tokyo
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews