Earlier this year, I read Kamusari Tales Told at Night and was charmed by the gentle rhythm of life in the forest. Obviously, I had to go back and read the first book in the series: The Easy Life in Kamusari.

The Easy Life in Kamusari starts with our narrator, Yuki, being packed off to the remote village of Kamusari to start a career in forestry. Leaving Yokohama was not his choice, but even as Yuki complains about the work, he quickly finds himself lulled into contentment by the gentle rhythm of the village. At least, he might be if Nao didn’t keep rejecting him.

Like the second book in the series, this is a comfortable, gentle read. Yuki might not be happy to move to Kamusari, but his unhappiness seems perfunctory, as though the book really wants to get on with the main thing: showing you the many charms of life in the village. Each chapter is loosely grouped by periods of time and contains two or more small stories. I particularly enjoyed the stories that feature the local god of the mountains, and how these beliefs are woven into the lives and thinking of the villagers. Their reverence for nature was, for me, what made Kamusari, Kamusari.

All the characters in the second book alsoo make an appearance in the firYoki and Riho, who hose Yuki, and there’s granny Shige. I did remember Granny Shige playing a bigger part in book 2, but she’s still a pretty major character here.

I would say that the biggest difference between the two books is that in Book 2, Granny Shige has found out about Yuki’s writings and is reading and commenting on them. In this book, the fourth wall is rarely broken and it reads more like a conventional narrative of life in a small forestry village. Personally, I found the style of book 2 to be more fun, but this was an enjoyable book as well.

Basically, if you’re interested in reading about life in rural Japan, definitely pick up this series! It’s really comfort reading, and I enjoyed it very much.