The author, a retired officer of the United States Air Force, and a native of the Catskill Mountain area of New York State in the U.S.A., lived in Japan for about 34 years. Arriving in Matsue during a tour he took, he instantly fell in love with the city and its inhabitants! As soon as possible, he came back and stayed.
The author graduated from the University of Michigan, took his masters at the University of Indiana, and got his Ph.D. at Oregon State College. He attended Officer Candidate School in Texas and was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the United States Air Force in 1949. After serving for 20 years, he retired and returned to the land that had captured his heart and mind - Japan.
During his time in the service, he visited many countries. Some of them were Africa, India, the Philippines, Nepal, Korea, and Japan.
With a deep interest in Japan and especially the Sanin Area, he conducted research covering many fields in this enchanting part of the world.
The 400 articles in this HP are, for the most part, casual, first person type.
It will be an excellent primer on Japan for any student wanting to find out what makes the country tick.
Total time for compiling the book, research, writing and organization took over five years. The author is recognized as extremely knowledgeable concerning the ancient myths, legends, customs, and history of the country.
It is sincerely believed this HP will be of value to those studying Japan, students of English in Japan, and those with a sincere interest in a country that is unique in its development and progress.
The material herein covers holidays, customs, personal commentary, scenic situations, ancient customs such as the Art of Tea, the Three Imperial Regalia, Shiboku (the four precious plants of Japan) and a few short pieces on the religions. Anyone interested in studying Japan, must be ready to tackle religion. Without a knowledge of that subject, no one will understand this complex country, all facets of which were formed from religious practices and dogma.
The conclusions, views, translations and interpretations are those of the author and of no other person, party, group, or company.
*N.B.
Dear Reader:
The essays published here were all written by Mr. Walter J. Humphrey between 1988 and 1997. Mr. Humphrey, to our everlasting regret, passed away in May, 1999. There may be some discrepancies between the material in these essays and the world today given that some time has passed since the late Mr.Humphrey wrote these essays. We would like to ask you to take this fact into consideration and to make allowances for any such discrepancies. In addition, we would also like you to take into consideration the fact that we have not made any changes in Mr. Humphrey's essays due to his wish for them to remain as he wrote them.