Hans Brinckmann: Bearing witness to Japan’s postwar transformation

When Dutch writer Hans Brinckmann arrived in Japan in 1950, he found the interactive social hubbub of Japan starkly different from the “Dutch awkwardness, gloomy winters, solid brick houses with closed doors and war-hardened people protecting their own interests” of his own country. His memoir “The Call of Japan: A Continuing Story — 1950 to the Present Day,” which is an expanded reissue of his 2005 title, “The Magatama Doodle,” recounts his personal experiences living here, first as a banker and later as a writer of poems, novels, essays and short stories.

The memoir covers the years of 1950 to 1974 and 2003 to the present, providing valuable insight into the country’s economic, political and cultural shifts during those periods.