Author Janice Nimura joins us on todays episode of Modern Notion Daily to talk about her latest book, Daughters of the Samurai: A Journey from East to West and Back (W. W. Norton andamp; Co., May 2015). In the 1870s, Japan was in the midst of the Meiji Era—a time of great change, when the country opened its physical and cultural borders to the rest of the world. As part of this movement, the government sponsored three Japanese girls to go to America for ten years, living with American host families and learning western ways. Nimura chronicles this story in her book. Later in the hour, contributing editor Erin Blakemore tells us the story of Princess Caraboo, whose false story in some ways parallels the three Japanese girls of Nimuras book.

Music this hour:

“Soldiertype (militarised)” by Ketsa, from the album What’s Without’s Within

Kajiyadefu Bushi

Takai-Yama