Ekai Kawaguchi (1866 1945) is famous for his four journeys to Nepal and two to Tibet. He was apparently the first recorded Japanese citizen to travel in either country. The first of his journeys to Tibet, the one recorded in this volume, was from 1900 to 1902. Since Tibet was at that time closed to foreigners, Kawaguchi had to first study the Tibetan language in Nepal, then sneak into the country disguised as a Tibetan. A Buddhist monk, he was searching for original Mahayana Buddhist manuscripts. Eventually his Japanese nationality was revealed and he was forced to leave. Publication of Kawaguchi's book in English was arranged by his friend, Theosophical Society President Mrs. Annie Besant. According to the Preface (p. vii), Mrs. Besant believed books by Western authors portrayed Tibet from their own Western point of view, while Kawaguchi's tale would present an Asian view of Tibet to the world. Kawaguchi's tale remains an excellent adventure tale, allowing the reader to imagine what it's like to travel to a totally foreign and forbidding country - with no safety net.
