Unbeaten Tracks in Japan

In the late 1870s a determined Englishwoman set out for Japan, hoping the climate would aid her health but finding instead a country that offered endless fascination. She abandoned the well‑trodden coastal routes, venturing north from Nikkō into the remote interior of Honshū and the island of Hokkaidō, where she was often the only European she met. Presented as a series of letters home, the narrative places the listener directly in her carriage, sharing the hardships, unexpected comforts, and quiet moments of discovery.

Her observations give a rare glimpse of the Ainu people, whose customs and beliefs she records after living among them and working through an interpreter. The letters also reveal the stark realities of rural Japanese life, from struggling peasants to the slow pace of villages untouched by Western influence. Listeners will appreciate the blend of vivid description and unvarnished honesty that paints a picture of a Japan on the brink of transformation.