It contains 77 poems that Brautigan wrote in 1976 during his seven-week stay in Japan, presented in a diary-like format.

He was initially interested because of his uncle, who died as a result of Japanese bombing of Midway in World War II.

[4] Caroline Bokinsky notes that here, unlike others in Brautigan's oeuvre, he is a "confessional poet, lost and alone in a strange land, unable to communicate.

"[1] Choice also commented that the author seemed lonely, "not surprisingly, since Brautigan knows no Japanese", and its "advance nostalgia contributed by the fact of a known departure date".

"[3] The Kirkus reviewer called some poems "dreadful" but "every once in a while a testament to the variety and flexibility of poetry that's very refreshing.