Rare days in Japan

A series of episodic travel sketches and personal recollections from multiple visits combines vivid description with reflective commentary. The author depicts urban and rural landscapes, river journeys and mountain climbs, a coastal summer school, visits to the national legislature and court functions, garden parties and theatrical performances including the Nō, and excursions to temples, pilgrimage sites, and provincial towns. Emphasis falls on scenery, rituals, hospitality, and everyday customs, with attention to continuity and change in social manners and institutions. The tone blends descriptive reportage, anecdote, and cultural observation to convey the aesthetic and social textures encountered.