Summary
Originally published in 1891, Japanese Girls and Women by Alice Mabel Bacon offers a detailed portrayal of women’s roles, customs, and daily lives in late 19th-century Japan.
Drawing on her experience living and teaching in Japan, Bacon explores topics such as childhood, education, marriage, domestic life, and the position of women in society.
Written for Western readers, the book reflects both admiration and cultural biases of its time, serving as an early cross-cultural study that shaped Western perceptions of Japan.
Today, it stands as a valuable historical document, capturing how Japanese womanhood was observed—and often idealized or critiqued—through the lens of a Western woman at the turn of the century.