SCENES IN RAIN AND SUNSHINE
“What it is
That dwelleth here
I know not;
Yet my heart is full of gratitude,
And the tears trickle down.”
Saigio.
“Japanese Literature,”
by W. G. Aston.
About This Book
A collection of travel sketches and essays portraying Japan's sacred sites, rituals, artistic crafts, seasonal landscapes, and domestic customs. The author moves among Buddhist and Shinto shrines, mausoleums, and village altars, describing temple architecture, ceremonies, and the atmosphere of pilgrimage; travels around a famous volcanic peak and coastal bays; and observes crafts such as cloisonné and flower arranging. Interwoven are portraits of festivals, theatrical performance, and private moments that reveal popular beliefs, everyday piety, and aesthetic sensibilities, with lyrical scene-setting and reflective passages about continuity, impermanence, and the visual arts.