The Transplantable Roots of Catharine Huws Nagashima : Encounters with the Welsh in Japan

Fresh, engaging, with a strong sense of space and place, but above all, a knack for crafting a life story, this volume of documentary literature presents universal themes of work, adventure, reinvention and survival.

Foreword by Lord Gregory Mostyn.Since the first ‘ Welch’ sailor set foot on Japanese shores in the seventeenth century to the present-day presence of high-tech Japanese companies in the Valleys, Wales and Japan are two nations with deeply entwined roots. Captured in this groundbreaking book is a chorus of modern-day Welsh migrants to Japan. There is Catharine who, in 1965, followed her Japanese husband to an ‘ out of kilter’ house in the seaside town of Zushi; Jack, the ‘ capitalist ski bum’ , who guides tourists through the bear-infested wilds of snowy Hokkaido, while on a volcanic island in the Seto Inland Sea, Simon clears jungle vines to develop his vegan farm.There are also actors, writers, teachers, an ex-bouncer turned martial artist, a filmmaker, a games localiser, and many more. There are even Japanese fans who promote Welsh culture in their homeland. Together they form a polyphonic group portrait based on oral-history techniques, mixing travel writing, character study and reportage, while proving an ear for natural speech.