The Greek island of Lefkada, rising from the Ionian Sea south of Corfu, is famed for its white beaches and vertical cliffs from which the poet Sappho is said to have leaped to her death. The island is also claimed as the one of the potential sites of Homer's Ithaca, home of the great wandering hero Odysseus.
In July 2014, a museum was opened on the island commemorating the life of its other wandering son: Lafcadio Hearn.
Patrick Lafcadio Hearn (1850-1904) — named after Lefkada itself, but better known in Japan by his adopted name "Yakumo Koizumi" — is regarded by many as one of the greatest Western interpreters of Japan. Indeed, his voluminous essays about the island nation and his adaptation of ghost stories ("Kwaidan") have been repeatedly translated into Japanese and have iconic status in the literary canon. Two museums — one in the town of Matsue on the Japan Sea coast and another in the town of Yaizu in Shizuoka Prefecture — are dedicated to celebrating his achievements and the 14 years he spent in Japan.
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