{"product_id":"9784805316917","title":"The Widow, The Priest and The Octopus Hunter","description":"Author: Amy Chavez\u003cbr\u003eISBN: 9784805316917\u003cbr\u003ePublisher: Berkeley Books\u003cbr\u003eYear first published: 24 May 2022\u003cbr\u003ePages: 240\u003cbr\u003eFormat: Hardback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eGet to know the inhabitants of a tiny Japanese island - and their unusual stories and secrets - through this fascinating, intimate collection of portraits.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e When American journalist Amy Chavez moved to the tiny island of Shiraishi (population 430), she rented a house from an elderly woman named Eiko, who left many of her most cherished possessions in the house-including a portrait of Emperor Hirohito and a family altar bearing the spirit tablet of her late husband.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Why did she abandon these things? And why did her tombstone later bear the name of a daughter no one knew? These are just some of the mysteries Amy pursues as she explores the lives of Shiraishi\u0026amp;#x27;s elusive residents.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003eThe 31 revealing accounts in this book include:\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eThe story of 40-year-old fisherman Hiro, one of two octopus hunters left on the island, who moved back to his home island to fill a void left by his brother who died in a boating accident.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eA Buddhist priest, eighty-eight, who reflects on his childhood during the war years, witnessing fighter pilots hiding in bunkers on the back side of the island.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eA \u0026amp;quot;pufferfish widow,\u0026amp;quot; so named because her husband died after accidentally eating a poisonous pufferfish.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eThe ex-postmaster who talks about hiking over the mountains at night to deliver telegrams at a time when there were only 17 telephone numbers on the island.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\u003cp\u003eInterspersed with the author\u0026amp;#x27;s reflections on her own life on the island, these stories paint an evocative picture of the dramatic changes which have taken place in Japanese society across nearly a century. Fascinating insights into local superstitions and folklore, memories of the war and the bombing of nearby Hiroshima, and of Shiraishi\u0026amp;#x27;s heyday as a resort in the 1960s and 70s are interspersed with accounts of common modern-day problems like the collapse of the local economy and a rapidly-aging community which has fewer residents each year.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Ships in 10 to 15 days","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46875661861022,"sku":"ADS-9784805316917","price":29.78,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0400\/9043\/5742\/files\/9784805316917.jpg?v=1779755185","url":"https:\/\/classicbargains.com.au\/products\/9784805316917","provider":"Classic Bargains Australia","version":"1.0","type":"link"}