"Absolutely fascinating and a delight to read."
- Edwin O. Reischauer

"Drawing a portrait of contemporary rural Japanese women by studying family life from the inside is Gail Bernstein's objective in this book. She has succeeded marvelously.... Bernstein presents an account that vividly portrays her subject and illuminates many issues pertinant to women's lives, the Japanese family, and Japanese rural life today.... This excellent volume deserves wide readership."

- Laurel L. Cornell, Journal of Asian Studies