The Country Teacher. A Book for Reading in Japanese

Once, the abbot of the Kempo Kuji Buddhist temple passed on to his friend Tayama Katay a diary of a parishioner, a young elementary school teacher. It was on this basis that Tayama Katay created the story "The Country Teacher", which is still beloved in Japan and is considered one of the best works of modern Japanese literature.

The real prototype of the "country teacher" was named Kobayashi Hidezo. Like the hero of the future book, Hidezo moved to a provincial city and took a position at a small village school. Every day, on his way to work, he traveled six kilometers along country roads.

Today, the quiet town of Hanyu has become a center of pilgrimage, and the ordinary rural temple is the main city attraction. A room dedicated to Kobayashi Hidezo has been recreated at the temple, where every visitor can feel the atmosphere of that time and walk the path of the "country teacher". Hundreds of Japanese people walk these six kilometers every year to personally retrace the route that the young teacher took twice a day, and on this journey, to reflect on their lives and hopes...