Modern Japanese Diaries is a collection of journals written by Japanese
who journeyed to America, Europe, and China between 1860 and 1920. It
begins with entries by the first Japanese to be sent abroad when the
country was opened after more than two hundred years of isolation. They
had little idea of what they would encounter, and their impressions of
the West possess a fresh innocence that can never be recaptured in
today's interconnected world. Faithfully kept, the diaries record
personal yet overarching views of the countries and their cultures, and
sentiments that range from delight to disillusionment. These narratives
provide insight into Japanese society through the diarists' reactions to
alien customs, their distaste of the "barbarian music" played in Europe,
their admiration for American democracy, and their curiosity about the
philosophy of Christianity. Even those who never left Japan were
affected by the Western influences infiltrating their country, changing
the attitudes of the nation and opening a new era in Japanese history.
The diaries are written by a range of individuals, including samurai and
other government officials, several novelists and poets, a pioneer in
education for women, a painter, and an anarchist who recorded his
impressions of the San Francisco earthquake of 1906. Any of the diaries
can be read independently, but various themes link them and impart a
unity to these personal accounts by men and women who wrote under
strikingly different circumstances. Donald Keene treats each voice
intimately, inviting the reader to partake of the memories of the
diarists while experiencing the world in which they lived.
