This classic travel book details Isabella Bird's 1878 trip, where she set out alone to explore the interior of Japan -- a rarity not only because of Bird's sex but because the country was virtually unknown to Westerners. The Japan she describes is not the sentimental world of Madame Butterfly but a vibrant land of real people with a complex culture and hardscrabble lives.
Unbeaten Tracks in Japan
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Bird (1831-1904), a clergyman's daughter, gained a reputation as one of the most adventurous woman travelers of her day and was the first woman to become a fellow of the Royal Geographical Society. At a time when proper ladies were expected to stay home, Bird travelled 19th Century America, Hawaii, Japan, Malay, Tibet, Korea, China, Turkey, and Morocco.
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"EIGHTEEN days of unintermitted rolling over ""desolate rainy seas"" brought the ""City of Tokio"" early yesterday morning to Cape King, and by noon we were steaming up the Gulp of Yedo, quite near the shore." Read the first page
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"EIGHTEEN days of unintermitted rolling over ""desolate rainy seas"" brought the ""City of Tokio"" early yesterday morning to Cape King, and by noon we were steaming up the Gulp of Yedo, quite near the shore." Read the first page
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9 of 9 people found the following review helpful
By maryleopard
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
This book would be enjoyed by anyone interested in Japan,in travel literature, or in anthropology. Isabella Bird, an intrepid late Victorian, travelled alone, apart from her translator/guide, into parts of Japan rarely, if ever, visited by a foreigner let alone a woman, at a time when the country was beginning to 'modernise'.
The book is composed of chapters formed from her long letters home. While the descriptions of the discomforts -endless rain, soaked clothes, dirt, insect-ridden inns and uncongenial food might pall (even if understandable), her evocations of the countryside are lyrical and deeply felt and her analyses of the characteristics and habits both of the Japanese and the Aino tribal people of the far north shrewd and entertaining. If you have visited modern Japan, it is fascinating to see both how much has changed (Japan is the most comfortable and hygenic country you could hope to visit!) and how much remained the same - the courtesy, the industriousness, the discipline. Of course,Isabella Bird writes from a Victorian perspective, and, not being affected by modern political correctness, is not afraid to use terms like 'savages' or comment on the 'ugliness' of most Japanese men. But there is no sense that European society is in all respects superior - several times, she comments on how we might learn from the Japanese.
The literary style of the book is a delight - easy to read, with a lucid use of language. IT SHOULD NOT BE MODERNISED!!! Perfect bedside reading - you can skip the longeurs. I shall read her other books.
The book is composed of chapters formed from her long letters home. While the descriptions of the discomforts -endless rain, soaked clothes, dirt, insect-ridden inns and uncongenial food might pall (even if understandable), her evocations of the countryside are lyrical and deeply felt and her analyses of the characteristics and habits both of the Japanese and the Aino tribal people of the far north shrewd and entertaining. If you have visited modern Japan, it is fascinating to see both how much has changed (Japan is the most comfortable and hygenic country you could hope to visit!) and how much remained the same - the courtesy, the industriousness, the discipline. Of course,Isabella Bird writes from a Victorian perspective, and, not being affected by modern political correctness, is not afraid to use terms like 'savages' or comment on the 'ugliness' of most Japanese men. But there is no sense that European society is in all respects superior - several times, she comments on how we might learn from the Japanese.
The literary style of the book is a delight - easy to read, with a lucid use of language. IT SHOULD NOT BE MODERNISED!!! Perfect bedside reading - you can skip the longeurs. I shall read her other books.
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Very interesting account of the authors travels in Japan in the late C19. She intentionally went into areas that hadn't been exposed to foreigners and gives great insights into the attitudes of rural Japanese and the changes the country was going through at the time.
Sometimes the writing is hard to follow as it hasn't been updated to modern usage but the book is well worth any effort in reading it.
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
4.2 out of 5 stars
5 reviews
25 of 25 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Isabella Bird, Woman of Great Courage
17 May 2003
By Robert A Johnson
- Published on Amazon.com
Format:Paperback
This is one of the great travel books of all time. First of all it is an adventure. This English woman decided, for some strange reason of health, in 1878 to go to Japan and travel from Tokyo to the island of Hokkaido, roughly 500 miles as the crow flys but much longer by her route. She went "off the beaten track" where Westerners, men or women had never been before. Japan had been opened up to the West only 10 years before her journey. Word of her coming to a village (on horseback) caused such excitement that people that wanted a better view caused the roof of a building to collapse. Changing into night clothes was an ordeal because people would poke holes in the screens to watch her every move. Then there was the bugs and the rain storms and the rivers, etc., etc. It was well written and a joy to read.
20 of 20 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars
Fascinating 19th Century Woman
25 Feb 2002
By Lilly
- Published on Amazon.com
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
This book is actually a series of letters written in the 1870's by Isabella Bird, an intrepid Scotswoman,to her sister. Japan had "opened" to the west only some 10 years earlier and she was determined to visit the "untoured" areas of inland Japan, off the beaten track. I wondered to myself how many hordes of Western tourists had there already been to Japan at that time? What makes this book so interesting is twofold. First of all she describes peasant and village life in areas which were quite poor and did not conform to the picture of Japanese life in the cities of Tokyo or Kyoto at that time or now. As was true for Europe at the same period, there were huge differences in the standards of living between the different classes and between town and village. Her descriptions of the Ainu were especially vivid and interesting. The other aspect is Isabella Bird herself. She traveled by pack horse, cow, rickshaw and on foot via mountain tracks and fording countless rivers. She slept in flea infested Ryokan and endured being stared at endlessly. For weeks at a time she could speak only to her servant/interpreter since she did not know Japanese. Recommended for those with an interest in Japan or good travel writing.
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars
unexpected japan
4 July 2006
By Phyllis A. Eaton
- Published on Amazon.com
Format:Paperback
Bird provides a view of Japan that was unknown to outsiders in that day, and is little known to us today. The scenes she descibes of the interior of Japan would scarecly entice today's traveler; which makes her adventures all the more intriguing. Her extensive knowledge of history and botany enhances the drama; however, had she incuded a glossary of terms, as well as the common names of flora it would have sped my reading as I had to repeatedly refer to dictionaries and botanic references. Her ethnocentrism is revealed as she describes the natives of the area; a pracctice that would be frowned upon today. Never-the-less I look forward to reading more of her works.
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4.2 out of 5 stars
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