Burritt Sabin was born in New York City and came to Japan as a naval officer in 1975. His professional career in Japan started as a journalist, and he quickly moved into writing and historical research. The first book we’re going to discuss today is about Yokohama,  one of the first Japanese ports to open to foreign trade in the 1850s. A Historical Guide to Yokohama: Sketches of the Twice-Risen Phoenix is a window into a time when Japan was rapidly opening up to the world. (The book is in English, despite what the Amazon listing says.)

The other book we’ll talk about is Kamakura: A Contemplative Guide,which highlights the first samurai capital in the 12th century. Shogun Minamoto no Yoritomo chose this city for the seat of his military government, ushering in the Kamakura Period in 1185.

Subjects covered in the podcast:

1. Townsend Harris and the opening of Japan (Yokohama)
2. The meeting of Sun Yat-sen and Miyazaki Toten in Yokohama
3. The Hotel New Grand in Yokohama

4. The Great Buddha of Kamakura
5. Natsume Soseki's and Suzuki Daisetz's sojourn at Kigen-in, Kamakura
6. The Kamakura bunshi

Sabin also discusses his three favorite books on Japan:

1. The Death of Old Yokohama in the Earthquake of 1923 by Otis Manchester Poole
A gripping account in real time of a man navigating the post-quake hellscape in an attempt to reach his family.

2. Aru Shisei no To: Koshikata wa kanashiku mono kiroku (A Waif of the Streets: Record of a Sad Passage) by Hasegawa Shin
Hasegawa Shin (1884~1963) recounts growing up in poverty in late-19th century Yokohama, teaching himself to read and write and later becoming a leading popular playwright.

3. Sugao Kamakura (The True Face of Kamakura) ed. by Osaragi Jiro
An insightful collection of essays on Kamakura by writers who have made the city home.

Be sure to check out Burritt Sabin's books A Historical Guide to Yokohama: Sketches of the Twice-Risen Phoenix (2002) and Kamakura: A Contemplative Guide (2021), available on Amazon or at your favorite bookstore.

The Books on Asia Podcast is sponsored by Stone Bridge Press. Check out their books on Japan at the publisher's website.

Amy Chavez, podcast host, is author of Amy's Guide to Best Behavior in Japan and The Widow, the Priest, and the Octopus Hunter: Discovering a Lost Way of Life on a Secluded Japanese Island.

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