Obei kiyu niman-sanzenri [23,000 Miles Through American and Europe]

Tokyo: Hattori Shoten, 1908. About very good.. [2],3,6,448,50,[1]pp., plus twenty-two plates. Original publisher's cloth, decoratively stamped in gilt on front cover and spine. Some abrading to boards and spine, modest edge wear, one small chip to spine. Occasional minor foxing, hinges a bit tender, small chip to front pastedown. A Meiji-era writer travels across the United States and sails for Europe, then makes the same trip in reverse on a different route. Togawa reports on the state of the West in 1906. His "observations are clear and witty, and the reader is encouraged to seek out his work for its sheer entertainment value" - Susanna Fessler in Musashino in Tuscany: Japanese Overseas Travel Literature, 1860-1912, p.182. The work is illustrated throughout with reproductions of gorgeous illustrations by Japanese artists, including Okada Saburosuke, featuring American and European scenes. Some are tipped in; others are printed on inserted plates, including several color lithographs, and a double-page color illustration. One of the plates is a map of the world with Togawa's route traced in red, providing a striking snapshot of his monumental travel route. The book was republished in Japan in 1989 with a new introduction. The original is positively rare, with OCLC recording only the modern reprint.