author
J. (John) (Writer on Japan) Morris
A British observer of prewar Japan, he wrote with warmth and curiosity about everyday life in Tokyo as the country moved toward World War II. His best-known books blend travel writing, memoir, and close attention to Japanese society.
1 Audiobook
Makers of Japan
by J. (John) (Writer on Japan) Morris
About the author
After military service and study at King’s College, Cambridge, John Morris went on to teach in Japan in the 1930s and early 1940s. Sources describe him as a lecturer in Tokyo and at Keio University, and as an adviser on English to Japan’s Foreign Office during that period.
He is best remembered for Traveller from Tokyo (first published in 1943), a memoir of life in Japan from October 1939 to December 1941. Publishers and library sources describe the book as a lively, self-effacing account of teaching, travel, and daily encounters with Japanese customs and institutions on the eve of war.
Morris also wrote The Phoenix Cup (1947), continuing his reflections on Japan after the war years. His work remains valuable for readers interested in firsthand English-language portraits of Japan during a tense and transformative moment in the twentieth century.