With an acute eye and ear for the rhythms of country life, Brian Moeran takes us on a memorable journey through the pleasures and penalties of being "the odd man out" in a remote village in southern Japan. Frank, funny, frustrated, involved, his record of the four years he and his family spent in the Oni valley brings to vivid life the relationships that emerged between its inhabitants - and between them and the strangers in their midst. Along the way, we hear the real voices of country people: in particular, a potter, a ...
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With an acute eye and ear for the rhythms of country life, Brian Moeran takes us on a memorable journey through the pleasures and penalties of being "the odd man out" in a remote village in southern Japan. Frank, funny, frustrated, involved, his record of the four years he and his family spent in the Oni valley brings to vivid life the relationships that emerged between its inhabitants - and between them and the strangers in their midst. Along the way, we hear the real voices of country people: in particular, a potter, a postman, a farmer, and a schoolteacher; we hear their jokes and complaints; we smell the sake on their breath as they talk, gossip, and argue. Personal tragedy intrudes when Moeran's son breaks his neck in a diving accident at the local primary school. Who is to blame? In trying to deal with this situation, he becomes entangled in a web of half-truths and evasions as people try to distance themselves from the event. And when disillusionment finally sets in, he decides to leave.
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