The Road Through Miyama

Rating:
Summary: Very insightful
Review: Very clearly illustrates some important aspects of Japanese culture through the eyes of a Gaijin. Made me fall in love with pottery and life in Japan all over again.

Rating:
Summary: A literary and lyrical suggestion of a different way of life
Review: When a blond, blue-eyed American spends 2 yrs as a potter in a small Japanese village, a good story is bound to result. The Road Through Miyama is full of the history and personalities of this small town originally settled by Korean potters brought to Japan at the beginning of the 17th century. In her walks about the village, American Leila Philip comes to learn about art and life in this country. Through lyrical and spellbinding prose, Philip takes her readers on a tour of a world most of us can't even imagine. Far more than a travelogue or a discussion of the ancient art of pottery, The Road Through Miyama gently shows us how to lead a different life.