Chieko is a demure young woman who was abandoned as a baby, but raised in a loving home by an upscale fabric wholesaler and his wife in the kimono district of Kyoto. She meets a childhood friend to view the cherry blossoms, she discovers a woman who looks exactly like her while viewing the cedar forest of Kitayama, and she has a beautiful obi woven for her by a young man. Everything that happens is elegant, quiet, and slow.

But Chieko's story is almost a sidebar to the city of Kyoto itself. The author lovingly depicts the natural beauties of the former capital in each season, as well as the shrine festivals which mark the passing of the seasons. Someone more familiar with Japanese culture than I would understand the references better, but even I had a sense of the understated love of tradition and nature that Kawabata expresses. Although I did not find the writing as inspired as in his earlier novel Snow Country, I found it relaxing to spend a couple of hours immersed in this world. ( )

It's been some time since I read this, and I don't recall any details. ( )

Japanese fiction translated into English; love letter to a fading Kyoto post WWII, in terms of the loss of traditional art forms and the influence of Westerners and outsiders.

I liked the descriptions of the gardens and plants-- folks used to go for walks in gardens a lot! -- there is also the bones of a storyline surrounding a young woman with multiple would-be suitors who discovers she was not "kidnapped" as her adopted parents have said, but a "foundling," one of two twins -- she was abandoned at a doorstep, whereas the other twin was kept (presumably because of a superstition or prejudice, it doesn't say). There is also a theme of loneliness throughout, which is said to be something the author suffered with on a personal level.

a short novel in an interesting, beautifully described setting. ( )

> La revue de presse : Kyoto - (Le Temps) - Publié le vendredi 5 décembre 2014
«Kyôto»sur les traces de Kawabata
Des vénérables boutiques où l’on fait glisser la soie sous les ceintures de kimono jusqu’aux forêts de cryptomères dont les bois sont essentiels à la construction dans la tradition du thé, voyage à travers l’ancienne capitale sur les traces du romancier Yasunari Kawabata, entre splendeurs de l’artisanat, nostalgie éperdue et intransigeance de la nature. … ; (en ligne),
URL : https://www.letemps.ch/lifestyle/kyotosur-traces-kawabata

> Critiques Libres : http://www.critiqueslibres.com/i.php/vcrit/4277

La revue de presse : Jean Montenot - (L'Express) - Publié le 01/05/2011
Premier Asiatique à recevoir le prix Nobel de littérature, écrivain subtil et inventeur de formes nouvelles, Kawabata Yasunari fut un des maîtres de l'école littéraire des "sensations nouvelles". Il incarne le Japon du XXe siècle, à la fois ouvert sur la modernité et soucieux de préserver son art de vivre et ses traditions. … ; (en ligne),
URL : https://www-lexpress-fr.cdn.ampproject.org/c/s/www.lexpress.fr/culture/livre/kaw...

Excessive but interesting and a great time capsule. ( )