Hidden Japan: An Astonishing World of Thatched Villages, Ancient Shrines and Primeval Forests

著者 : Alex Kerr アレックス・カー

• チャールズ・イー・タトル出版 (2023年6月30日発売)

作品紹介・あらすじ

Originally published in Japanese as a call to preserve disappearing facets of Japan's rich and ancient culture, Hidden Japan records Kerr's travels to various remote and lesser-known places where pockets of traditional culture can still be found. Some are faraway--like Aogashima Island, 200 miles south of Tokyo--while others are easy to reach, such as Mii-dera temple just east of Kyoto. The ten engaging essays in this book describe surprising remnants of Japan's fragile physical and cultural environment, including:

・Avant-garde Butoh dancing in the remote village of Tashiro in Akita Prefecture
・How shochu liquor is distilled from tropical ferns on the Pacific island of Aogashima
・An austere but delicious kaiseki meal in rural Tottori Prefecture composed of local herbs and meats
・Anecdotes relating to Kerr's childhood growing up in Japan and his passion for restoring old houses
・The damage caused by governmental infrastructure and reforestation policies, as well as by tourism
Plus many other topics!

ニッポン巡礼 (集英社新書) 書き下ろし英語版

東洋文化研究家のアレックス・カーが2017年から2019年にかけて、新たな発見を求めて未踏の地を訪れる日本紀行文。『ニッポン巡礼』（集英社新書）を欧米の読者向けにアレックス・カーが書き下ろした英語版。

著者プロフィール

Alex Kerr is an environmentalist, travel writer and restorer of old Japanese houses. Born in Bethesda, Maryland, he came to Japan with his family as a child and has been based in Kameoka, near Kyoto, since 1977. He studied Japanese at Yale University, Chinese as a Rhodes Scholar at Oxford University, and has also travelled extensively and written about Southeast Asia.

「2023年 『Hidden Japan』 で使われていた紹介文から引用しています。」