--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Absolutely delightful, at first for its…" description: "\"Absolutely delightful, at first for its unspoiled picture of late-nineteenth-century Japan as seen through the eyes of three remarkable but very differ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d32/edwin-o-reischauer-77819_barbarians_absolutely-delightful-at-first-for-its-u_3040751.jpg" --- # Absolutely delightful, at first for its unspoiled picture… ![“Absolutely delightful, at first for its unspoiled picture of late-nineteenth-century Japan as seen through the eyes of three remarkable but very different Americans, [the missionary William Elliot Griffis [1843-1928], the scientist Edward Sylvester Morse [1838-1925], and the writer Lafcadio…” quote by Edwin O. Reischauer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d32/edwin-o-reischauer-77819_barbarians_absolutely-delightful-at-first-for-its-u_3040751.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d32/edwin-o-reischauer-77819_barbarians_absolutely-delightful-at-first-for-its-u_3040751.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d32/edwin-o-reischauer-77819_barbarians_absolutely-delightful-at-first-for-its-u_3040751.jpg) > “Absolutely delightful, at first for its unspoiled picture of late-nineteenth-century Japan as seen through the eyes of three remarkable but very different Americans, \[the missionary William Elliot Griffis \[1843-1928\], the scientist Edward Sylvester Morse \[1838-1925\], and the writer Lafcadio Hearn\], and then for the marvelous reconstruction of how Japan worked on their minds, radically changing their perceptions of the country and the whole relationship between East and West--between the barbarian and the civilized. The book is a tour de force.” Edwin O. Reischauer ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The work blends early Western observations of Japan with deeper cultural analysis, reshaping East‑West perceptions. **In simple terms:** Western eyes first see Japan, then understand it. Key Takeaway Explore cultures beyond surface impressions. Themes cultural exchange perception East‑West relations Mood thoughtful analytical Type historical cultural When to use this quote - travel writing - historical analysis - cross‑cultural education Key Concepts Postcolonial studies anthropology Questions to Reflect On - How does your perspective change with deeper study? - What biases affect your view of other cultures? A Different Perspective Western narratives may oversimplify complex societies. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Barbarians](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/barbarians/) [Book](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book/) [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Country](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/country/) [Delightful](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/delightful/) [East and west](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/east-and-west/) [Japan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/japan/) [Mind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mind/) [Missionary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/missionary/) [Nineteenth century](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nineteenth-century/) [Perception](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/perception/) [Reconstruction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reconstruction/) [Scientist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/scientist/) ## Related quotes > [“It is remarkable that different people will have different thoughts when they look at the same thing.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lemony-snicket/it-is-remarkable-that-different-people-will-have-different-thoughts/) [Lemony Snicket](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lemony-snicket/) > [“If a personality fascinates me, whatever mode of expression that personality selects is absolutely delightful to me.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/if-a-personality-fascinates-me-whatever-mode-of-expression-that/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [“I shall never forget my first sight of Mary Cavendish. 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I looked at everything, even today, through what I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-russell/baseball-shaded-my-entire-outlook-on-life-because-that-s-how-i-first/) [Kurt Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-russell/) > [Sometimes the easiest way to appreciate ourselves is by looking through the eyes of someone who loves us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tara-brach/sometimes-the-easiest-way-to-appreciate-ourselves-is-by-looking/) [Tara Brach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tara-brach/) > [Certain realities in life are only seen through eyes that are cleansed through our tears. Let us learn how to weep](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-francis/certain-realities-in-life-are-only-seen-through-eyes-that-are/) [Pope Francis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-francis/) > [ That is another theme in the book \[Dreams from My Father\]. How do we exercise more empathy in our public discourse? How do we… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/that-is-another-theme-in-the-book-dreams-from-my-father-how-do-we/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) ## More by Edwin O. Reischauer > [The real strength of democracy is that anyone who is not specifically against it must ultimately be for it, while communism suffers from the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwin-o-reischauer/the-real-strength-of-democracy-is-that-anyone-who-is-not-specifically/) Edwin O. Reischauer > [Hangeul is perhaps the most scientific system of writing in general use in any country.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwin-o-reischauer/hangeul-is-perhaps-the-most-scientific-system-of-writing-in-general/) Edwin O. Reischauer Explore all 3 Edwin O. 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I'm sure for some of the practitioners, but it's been hijacked by people who have an ideology that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeb-bush/is-islam-a-religion-of-peace-i-m-sure-for-some-of-the-practitioners/) [Jeb Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeb-bush/) > [If you go back to the Conan the Barbarian series, I really liked that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andre-braugher/if-you-go-back-to-the-conan-the-barbarian-series-i-really-liked-that/) [Andre Braugher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andre-braugher/) > [America's critics can be heard everywhere. It is too much in love with money - worshipping the god of the marketplace, the golden calf.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maurice-saatchi/america-s-critics-can-be-heard-everywhere-it-is-too-much-in-love-with/) [Maurice Saatchi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maurice-saatchi/) > [I believe that every single human being is entitled to the protection of our laws, whether they can vote or not. Whether they can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marco-rubio/i-believe-that-every-single-human-being-is-entitled-to-the-protection/) [Marco Rubio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marco-rubio/) > [The waiter brought fresh-baked bread and cheese, a bottle of sparkling water for Annabeth, and a Coke with ice for me (because I’m a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-riordan/the-waiter-brought-fresh-baked-bread-and-cheese-a-bottle-of-sparkling/) [Rick Riordan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-riordan/) > [Why is she afraid?" he asked. "She's not Anjin-san. Just a little nervous. Please excuse her. She's never seen a foreigner close to before."…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-clavell/why-is-she-afraid-he-asked-she-s-not-anjin-san-just-a-little-nervous/) [James Clavell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-clavell/) > [If all the barbarian conquerors had been annihilated in the same hour, their total destruction would not have restored the empire of the West:…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-gibbon/if-all-the-barbarian-conquerors-had-been-annihilated-in-the-same-hour/) [Edward Gibbon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-gibbon/) > [The Islamic conquest of India is probably the bloodiest story in history. 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Fail to keep them at bay, and everything burns.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-krauthammer/politics-is-the-moat-the-walls-beyond-which-lie-the-barbarians-fail/) [Charles Krauthammer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-krauthammer/) [Browse all 280 Barbarians quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/barbarians/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Absolutely delightful, at first for its unspoiled picture of late-nineteenth-century Japan as seen through the eyes of three remarkable but very different Americans, [the missionary William Elliot Griffis [1843-1928], the scientist Edward Sylvester Morse [1838-1925], and the writer Lafcadio Hearn], and then for the marvelous reconstruction of how Japan worked on their minds, radically changing their perceptions of the country and the whole relationship between East and West--between the barbarian and the civilized. 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