author
Sakae Shioya
b. 1873
A Japanese writer, translator, and scholar who brought everyday life in Meiji-era Japan vividly to English-speaking readers. His work blends personal memory with a thoughtful eye for a country changing fast.
1 Audiobook
When I Was a Boy in Japan
by Sakae Shioya
About the author
Born in Japan in 1873, Sakae Shioya is best known for When I Was a Boy in Japan, a lively account of childhood and daily life during the Meiji period. He studied at Tokyo's First Imperial College and later came to the United States in 1901.
Shioya continued his education in America, earning an M.A. from the University of Chicago in 1903 and a Ph.D. from Yale University in 1906, both in English. Along with his own writing, he helped introduce Japanese literature to English-language readers through translations of contemporary Japanese authors including Rohan Koda and Kenjiro Tokutomi.
His writing remains appealing because it is both informative and personal. Rather than giving a dry history lesson, he shows Japan through the eyes of someone who lived through a time of major change, making his work especially engaging for readers interested in culture, childhood, and everyday life.