The name usually means nothing whatsoever to the vast majority of people overseas. But in his adopted country, Lafcadio Hearn is lionized among writers in the English language with the same kind of reverence normally accorded to authors of the ilk of Melville and Shakespeare.
Hearn found his way to Japan in 1890, discovered he rather liked the place and decided he'd settle. He then began writing about the country, its folklore and its customs in a series of books for a Western readership keen to hear of this exotic land at the end of the world.
During his time in Japan, Hearn lived in various places, but the one city that is most closely identified with him is Matsue. Hearn fell in love with this city in Shimane Prefecture. And that love is not unrequited, even today.