Memories of Silk and Straw: A Self-Portrait of Small-Town Japan

Wonderful wonderful wonderful! It's basically an oral history project, transcribed and with the interviewer's questions removed so that it creates a seamless memory. As a budding oral historian I would have loved to see the questions that prompted the given responses, but oh well. There are also lovely little line drawings in the margins, done by the author's father.

This is a fantastic book that I was lucky enough to pick up in a used bookstore in Glendale. What has struck me most while reading the book is that most of the interviewees are shocked at how much the world has changed over the course of their lifetime. One can only wonder at how much the world will change over the next 80 years.

The descriptions of family life, school, apprenticeship, play and work and an indispensable look into the lifestyle of pre-war Japan. It is precisely this era that brought about the hard-working ethic that is associated with the Japanese now and has helped bring them out of poverty and into the first world. I found particularly interesting the descriptions of traditional Japanese trades -- carting, show more tree-cutting, making charcoal, fishing, silkworms, joinery, farming, mid-wife. I only wish that this book could have had even more interviews in it. show less

Excellent and fascinating collection of memories of common folk of pre-WWII Japan. From fishermen to geisha these simply told stories tell of extremely difficult lives in the old culture of Japan. A treasure-trove of history.

It's been over 20 years since I read this collection of stories, yet it is still highly recommendable for its recording of pre-WWII Japan from the oral histories of people aged 65-80 living in the area around Tsuchiura village. A good social history.

De ces enregistrements patiemment recueillis pendant dix-sept ans au cours de ses tournées, l'auteur, médecin de campagne, recrée pour nous la vie intime d'une petite ville japonaise d'avant-guerre. On entend dans ce livre le bruit des pas, des outils, des fêtes, les rires des enfants, les clochettes des enterrements, les sabots des chevaux, ou le grincement des roues des charrettes. Ici, ancienne geisha, ganster, bouchère, teinturier, fermier, servante, sage-femme, écolière, pêcheur, professeur viennent ingénument nous raconter leurs souvenirs. Dans ces chroniques, on entend des histoires de patience, de joies, de chagrins qui font peu à peu comprendre les mécanismes profonds qui rythment cette vie japonaise chargée de show more traditions et de culture. show less