A Fantasy of Far Japan

"A FANTASY OF FAR JAPAN OR SUMMER DREAM DIALOGUES" was originally published in 1905. The book "depicts Japanese ideals and notions at the turn of the century, as well as some historical facts which seemed likely to interest those of the sympathetic Western public who may be inclined to study the psychology of Japan" and was designed to counteract anti-Japanese sentiment emerging at the time in the West. Viscount Kencho Suematsu (September 30, 1855 - October 5, 1920) was a Japanese politician, intellectual and author, who lived in the Meiji and Taisho periods. He arrived in London in 1878 with the Japanese embassy and enrolled in Cambridge University in 1881. He graduated with a law degree from Cambridge (St. John's College, Cambridge) in 1884. From 1904 to 1905 he was sent by the Japanese cabinet to Europe to argue Japan's case in the Russo-Japanese War. Apart from his activity in the Japanese government as Communications Minister (1898) and Home Minister (1900-01), he also wrote several important works on Japan in English.