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The Easy Life in Kamusari
The Easy Life in Kamusari | Shion Miura
25 posts | 22 read | 17 to read
From Shion Miura, the award-winning author of The Great Passage, comes a rapturous novel where the contemporary and the traditional meet amid the splendor of Japan's mountain way of life. Yuki Hirano is just out of high school when his parents enroll him, against his will, in a forestry training program in the remote mountain village of Kamusari. No phone, no internet, no shopping. Just a small, inviting community where the most common expression is "take it easy." At first, Yuki is exhausted, fumbles with the tools, asks silly questions, and feels like an outcast. Kamusari is the last place a city boy from Yokohama wants to spend a year of his life. But as resistant as he might be, the scent of the cedars and the staggering beauty of the region have a pull. Yuki learns to fell trees and plant saplings. He begins to embrace local festivals, he's mesmerized by legends of the mountain, and he might be falling in love. In learning to respect the forest on Mt. Kamusari for its majestic qualities and its inexplicable secrets, Yuki starts to appreciate Kamusari's harmony with nature and its ancient traditions. In this warm and lively coming-of-age story, Miura transports us from the trappings of city life to the trials, mysteries, and delights of a mythical mountain forest.
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rachaich
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Pickpick

Sweet tale of a young man and his first year of forestry in a mountain village.
Full ofvthe natural world, our place in it and a sense of belonging.
I'm thrilled to see there's a sequel.

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Bookworm54
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Pickpick

This was my April #Roll100 and #DoubleSpin

This is a coming of age story based in the Japanese mountains where the MC is sent to train in forestry. While it was a slow paced read, it was full of detail and i enjoyed learning about the forest industry over the course of a year.

PuddleJumper 💚💚 6mo
TheAromaofBooks Woohoo!! 6mo
45 likes2 comments
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Bookworm54
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My #Roll100 for April is the tagged book.
I got this ebook a few years ago as part of Amazon‘s world book day, so I am looking forward to giving it a go!

PuddleJumper Looks like an interesting read 7mo
rwmg Loved it. Did you get the sequel, which was one of Amazon's world book day offerings the year after? 7mo
Bookworm54 @rwmg No I missed that year! If I enjoy this one I will keep an eye out for it :) 7mo
31 likes3 comments
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mobill76

I've read a lot about urban life in Japan. This was about forestry. The story is ok. Typical stranger in a strange land type scenario. But the incredible attention to detail in their forestry practices was what moved me. So different from the rape and pillage of Kentucky forests. I love cedars and I thought I took pretty good care of them. There's a whole other level of care I was ignorant of. A very earthy, yet social, story - if you like trees.

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Readerann
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Pickpick

I seem to have found yet another Japanese author I like. Plus, I learned a lot about sustainable forestry. 🌲 🌳

sarahbarnes I love Japanese fiction! I‘ll have to check this author out. 2y
rwmg Have you read this by the same author? My favourite book about Japanese lexicographers (alright the only book I've read about Japanese lexicographers). Great characters and the translator did a really good job so even as someone with no knowledge of Japanese I could follow the characters' discussions. (edited) 2y
Readerann @sarahbarnes I learned about this one from the annual World Book Day list on Amazon. I usually love those books. 2y
Readerann @rwmg I haven‘t read that one yet, but I definitely will! 2y
19 likes4 comments
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Texreader
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#twofortuesday

1) I went to school so long ago there wasn‘t anything like “advanced placement,” but there was one English class seniors going to college could take that was seriously difficult and wonderful. So, that English class. And journalism, which prepared me for real life.
2) Tagged. The main character is enrolled by his parents in a forestry training program after high school. It‘s marvelous! A forest was his classroom!

@TheSpineView

TheSpineView Sane with me. There was no AP classes at all. So much has changed in 50 years! Thanks for playing 2y
32 likes1 comment
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Lunakay
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Pickpick

I loved it! This village of Kamusari is something else! Cute and wise coming-of-age-story, but it's generally a very intriguing tale for anyone who ever felt like they didn't belong.

🌲🌲🌲🌲/5

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MommyWantsToReadHerBook
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Pickpick

This was a fun, quick but also beautiful read on a low-capacity day. I'm looking forward to the next one! ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Aimeesue I really enjoyed this one 2y
50 likes2 stack adds1 comment
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rwmg
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Pickpick

After leaving his Yokohama high school, Yuki Hirano drifts along with no initiative or motivation until his parents enrol him in an apprenticeship programme and he is sent to Kamusari, a tiny mountain village in the back of beyond, to learn forestry. 👎

rwmg Charming tale of city boy maturing and learning skills in the countryside.. Although I don't find forestry as interesting as lexicography, I learnt a lot from this possibly romanticised view of the Japanese forestry and timber industry. I will certainly keep an eye open for the sequel, but having watched the trailer on YouTube, I will probably give the film a miss. 2y
22 likes1 comment
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rwmg
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rwmg
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Kamusari villagers are really easygoing, especially those living deep in the mountains.

#FirstLineFridays
@ShyBookOwl

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Texreader
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Pickpick

Yuki‘s parents ship him to learn forestry in Kamusari since he lacks any direction following his high school graduation. Given a brief lesson in using a chainsaw he becomes part of a forestry crew caring for and loving trees on the Kamusari mountains. I adored the descriptions of the trees and what it took to care for them, and the boy‘s story arc as well. A mostly quiet peaceful read, I highly recommend it. #Japan #foodandlit

Texreader PS: Cedar fever sounds even worse in Japan than it is here in Texas!! 2y
53 likes1 stack add1 comment
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Texreader
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46 likes1 stack add
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Texreader
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51 likes1 stack add
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Mshookquilts
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Pickpick

A quick easy read. A young man introduces us to the life of forestry in a quaint, secluded village. It‘s also about his coming to an understanding of life. You feel like he is describing this life to you in a letter.

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DeweysReadathon
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We‘re almost halfway through Dewey‘s 24-Hour Readathon! I hope you‘ve all found some great books to wallow in, eaten some tasty snacks, and hung out with some nice reading companions. My own reading buddy blessed me with a good, long snuggle earlier. —@xicanti

#readathon #deweyapril

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xicanti
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A little while back I bought some fiery nacho Pringles that taste strongly of jalapeño but not so much of cheese. My onion-free salsa con queso tastes strongly of cheese but not so much of jalapeño. I married the two and achieved balance.

I‘m about halfway through THE EASY LIFE IN KAMUSARI now, and I‘m still enjoying it but I‘m not in love. It‘s gripped me well enough that I‘ll look for more from Shion Miura, though. #deweyapril #readathon

xicanti IMPORTANT UPDATE: I ended up loving it after all. Hurray! 3y
34 likes1 comment
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xicanti
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My reading buddy finally rousted himself out of bed to join me!

THE EASY LIFE IN KAMUSARI reminds me a lot of SILVER SPOON by Hiromu Arakawa, except instead of a city kid learning about farming at school, we‘ve got a city kid learning about forestry through a first job. I‘m gonna finish the second long chapter, then take a wee break with a comic before I head back in. #readathon #deweyapril

33 likes1 stack add
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xicanti
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It‘s Readathon time!

1. Manitoba
2. I‘m pretty excited about the tagged book. It‘s off to a great start.
3. Fiery nacho Pringles dipped into salsa con queso.
4. I‘m not a morning person but I wake up stupid early every morning.
5. This is my 28th consecutive Readathon. (If I don‘t hold the Dewey‘s world record, I‘ve gotta be close to the top.) This time, I think I‘ll skip using a timer to log my reading. Keep it casual.

#readathon #deweyapril

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xicanti
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I‘ve assembled my Readathon pool! I‘ll start with the tagged book and my wee YONA OF THE DAWN stack, then move along to the rest once I finish them (or once midnight strikes and Gay May begins). Whee!

I‘ll also be over on the Readathon‘s official Litsy page this time around (@DeweysReadathon). We‘re bringing it back after a couple of fallow years.

#readathon #deweyapril

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Karisa
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Pickpick

Set in a village in a forest in Japan, this book is another cozy, fast read. It‘s a classic “fish out of water” type story (city kid in nature). I liked touches of magical realism based on the village‘s Shinto beliefs, and the descriptions of the setting are beautiful.

60 likes3 stack adds
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rwmg
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The free books I chose from Kindle's celebration of World Book Day on Saturday: https://a.co/iEjaizi