A Diplomat in Japan The inner history of the critical years in the evolution of Japan when the ports were opened and the monarchy restored, recorded by a diplomatist who took an active part in the events of the time, with an account of his personal experiences during that period

A seasoned British diplomat recounts his years in Japan during the tumultuous decades when the nation opened its ports to foreign trade and the ancient imperial line was restored. Drawing from a meticulous diary kept from his arrival in 1862, he offers a vivid picture of the shifting political landscape, the clash of tradition and modernity, and the everyday life of Yokohama’s bustling foreign community.

Through personal anecdotes and diplomatic dispatches, the narrative reveals the delicate negotiations that accompanied the Treaty revisions, the rising anti‑foreign sentiment, and the dramatic events surrounding the murder of foreign residents. The author’s keen eye for cultural detail brings the streets of Edo—renamed Tokyo—and the court’s ceremonies to life, while his reflections on the challenges of translation and protocol give listeners a front‑row seat to history in the making.