Description: Japanese author Nagai Kafu (1879-1959) came of age as a writer while enjoying the newfound freedoms of newly "modernized" Japan, and beginning in 1903, spent several years visiting America, making stops in Michigan, New York City and Washington State. His collection of American Stories was originally published in Japan in 1908 and is now being published in an English translation (by Mitsuko Iriye) for the first time. Kafu makes colorful observations about early 20th century life, especially in lively New York City scenes, set in brothels, Central Park, Columbia University and Fifth Avenue. Old-fashioned ideas about the differences between Eastern and Western culture mingle with insights about the appropriate attributes and attitudes of men and women to provide a unique perspective on America.

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