The Wonderful World of Sazae-San

Machiko Hasegawa was the author and artiste behind the most popular cartoon in modern Japanese history: Sazae-san. Her series was serialized in the Asahi Shinbun newspaper from 1949 until 1974. Kicking off in the dark and impoverished days following defeat in World War II, Sazae-san was a light and witty daily ray of sunshine for a Japan struggling to rebuild. In the course of its three decade run, it sold 62 million copies in book form; moreover, it has been made into radio programs and an animated television series. Sazae-san is an upbeat if slightly ditzy woman. She lives with her utterly ordinary family who suffer her malapropisms and silly behavior with aplomb. This is a perfect place to take a peek into a typical if idealized Japanese family and neighborhood--with one slightly odd member. The book contains the original Japanese text along with an English translation, so this is a wonderful work for those studying Japan and its everyday customs.