Donald Richie’s The Inland Sea was originally published in 1971, but according to an article in the Japan Times, was based on trips Richie took to the islands starting in 1962. To this day, Richie’s travelogue remains the classic text on the Seto Inland Sea (also called the Setouchi or Setonaikai), an inland body of water that touches the shores of three of Japan’s main islands: Honshu, Kyushu, and Shikoku.

“An elegiac prose celebration . . . a classic in its genre.”—Publishers Weekly

“The author knows Japan better than any other Western writer. A hauntingly beautiful book.” —Oriental Economist

Book Description:

In this acclaimed travel memoir, Donald Richie paints a memorable portrait of the island-studded Inland Sea. His existential ruminations on food, culture, and love and his brilliant descriptions of life and landscape are a window into an Old Japan that has now nearly vanished. Included are the twenty black and white photographs by Yoichi Midorikawa that accompanied the original 1971 edition.

About the author:

Donald Richie (1924–2013) was an internationally recognized expert on Japanese culture and film.

About the Photographer:

Yoichi Midorikawa (1915–2001) was one of Japan’s foremost nature photographers.