A Journal of the Voyage West

Inoue Enryō’s second journey west takes him from Japan through India and the Himalayas to Europe, then across the United States and home over the Pacific. Schools, churches, factories, museums, and mountain views all enter his crowded notebook.

The philosopher and educator writes with curiosity, humor, and a forceful national purpose. Serious Chinese poems alternate with playful Japanese verses, while visits to Kant’s grave, Yorkshire households, and Harvard’s degree ceremony reveal his hopes for Japan’s future.

This complete new English translation preserves the forty-eight sections and separately renders the Chinese poems and their accompanying Japanese explanations. Concise notes explain historical allusions, wordplay, uncertain names, and inconsistencies in the source.