'Translated into English for the first time after a hugely successful 2022 reissue in Japan, this classic text, which features prominently in Wim Wenders’ film Perfect Days, takes us on a “beautiful, pensive” journey through trees in Japan.'--Caroline Sanderson, The Bookseller

A Japanese classic, Tree invites us to foster peace in our lives by connecting with trees.

Cherry blossom, hinoki, ezo spruce. Persimmon, maple, cypress. The trees of Japan are wondrous emblems of beauty that cast a spell on those who venture to its unique landscape.

As a child, Aya Kōda realized they were more than mere objects of beauty. Gifted a sapling by her father, she discovered that we depend on trees as much as they do on us. Markers of time passing, they clear the air and regenerate our earth – while we are responsible to care for their future.

Following her travels around Japan, as she witnesses landslides, lumber and forests of falling ash, Tree is a beautiful series of essays that contemplate the most distinctive and eternal features of our natural world. A modern classic translated for the first time, Kōda’s voice echoes down the generations, to remind us that trees hold a mirror to what we cherish on earth, and what we choose to leave behind.

Featured in Wim Winders’ Oscar-nominated film Perfect Days and now in English for the first time, translated from Japanese by Charlotte Goff.

About the Authors

Aya Koda (1904-1990) was an esteemed Japanese author and essayist of the twentieth century. The second daughter of Rohan Koda (1867-1947), a famous literary figure in Japan, she began writing after his death and became a prolific writer of novels, essays and short stories. Her novels Nagareru and Ototo were adapted into successful films. She was the recipient of numerous awards for her writing, including the Yomiuri Prize, the Japan Art Academy Prize, and the Order of the Sacred Treasure.

Charlotte Goff is an Edinburgh-based Japanese-English literary translator. Her translations include Nao-Cola Yamazaki’s Beautiful Distance and Aya Koda’s Tree.

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