Table of Contents

Foreword by HRH The Prince of Wales
Preface to the English edition by HIH Crown Prince Naruhito
Foreword to the Paperback edition by David Warren
Preface to the Japanese edition (1992)
Translator’s Note by Hugh Cortazzi
The Gakush?in
1. Ten Days in the Japanese Ambassador’s Residence:
Arrival in London
Life in the ambassador’s residence
First visit to Oxford
Excursion by the Thames
2. Life in Colonel Hall’s House:
I move to Colonel Hall’s
Studying English
Life in the Hall household
Second visit to Oxford and call at Professor Mathias’s house
Visit to Scotland
Last month at the Halls
3. Entering Oxford:
Arrival at Merton
Before matriculation
University Entrance ceremony
4. About Oxford: 32
‘Dreaming spires’
‘Town and Gown’ – A brief history of Oxford University
College system
Education at Oxford and regular activities in the University
Merton
5. Daily Life at Oxford:
In the mornings
Middle Common Room (MCR)
Shopping and the English character
Draughts and baths
Dinner
High table
Weekends
Family visits
With Oxford students
6. Cultural Life at Oxford:
Films, theatre and music
Photographs taken by HIH The Crown Prince
Enjoying chamber music
Visits to places associated with musicians: England and music
7. Sport:
Rowing
Tennis and squash
Jogging, climbing, skiing and other sporting activities
8. Life as a Research Student at Oxford:
Why I decided to do research on the Thames as a highway
Professor Mathias
Visiting record offices
Dr Highfield
Preparing my thesis
Canals past and future
9. Travels in Britain and Abroad:
Weekend drives in the countryside and around Oxford
Trips in Britain involving overnight stays
Travelling round Europe and meeting European Royal Families
10. Looking Back on My Two Years’ Stay:
The English people as I saw them
On leaving Britain
Postscript
Bibliography
Index

About the Author

Sir Hugh Cortazzi, GCMG, was British Ambassador to Japan 1980-1984 and Chairman of The Japan Society, London, 1985-1995. He has written extensively on Japan. His many books include Isles of Gold: Antique Maps of Japan (1983), The Japanese Achievement (1990) and his memoir Japan and Back and Places Elsewhere (1998). He compiled and edited seven volumes of Britain & Japan: Biographical Portraits, most recently volume X (2016).