Recounting the hilarious misadventures of a reckless young man who rebels against 'the system'
in a country school this irresistible coming of age tale is one of Japan's most popular novels
Botchan is a modern young man from the Tokyo metropolis sent to the ultra-traditional
Matsuyama district as a Maths teacher after his the death of his parents. Cynical rebellious
and immature Botchan finds himself facing several tests from the pupils - prone to playing
tricks on their new naïve teacher the staff - vain immoral and in danger of becoming a bad
influence on Botchan and from his own as-yet-unformed nature as he finds his place in the
world. One of the most popular novels in Japan where it is considered a classic of adolescence
as seminal as The Catcher in the Rye Botchan is as funny poignant and memorable as it was
when first published over 100 years ago.
