Full Description
A disabled foreigner in Japan, a society historically hostile to difference, Kenny Fries finds himself on a journey of profound self-discovery. As he visits gardens, experiences Noh and butoh, and meets artists and scholars, he discovers disabled gods, one-eyed samurai, blind chanting priests, and atomic bomb survivors. When he is diagnosed as HIV positive, all his assumptions about Japan, the body, and mortality are shaken, requiring him to find a way to reenter life on new terms.
Contents
Prologue: In the Province of the Gods
I. Floating
One: Genkan
Two: Fortune
Three: Barrier Free
Four: Foreign Affairs
Five: Mono no Aware
Six: Physical Facts
Seven: A Mountain of Skulls and Candlelit Graves
Eight: An Infected Throat and a Healing Tree
Nine: Borrowing the Hills
II. Away
One: Before
Two: After
III. World
One: Survivals
Two: A Pair of One-Winged Birds
Three: History Being Created, or What the Leech Child Says
Four: Rare and Uncommon Beings
Five: Bubbling Water
Six: My Japan
Seven: Before and After
Eight: Positive Effects
Nine: New Stories in an Ancient Land
Epilogue: Procession
Acknowledgments
Suggested Readings
