A pleasure to read Mieko KawakamiSubtle, precise and deft Lucy CaldwellRemarkable and devastating Senaa AhmadIchiyo Higuchi, Japans first professional female author, wrote about daily life with unprecedented intimacy and honesty. This new translation of her finest stories showcases the profound sensitivity, lyrical eye and classical elegance of a revered Japanese writer.Vividly evoking the colourful festivals and salty street banter of Tokyos turn-of-the-century red-light district, delicately eliciting its inhabitants quiet yearning and regret, Higuchi introduces us to children losing their innocence, working-class women losing their livelihoods, and teahouse courtesans losing their hearts. In her clear-eyed vision of the world, longing and memory are what save us.