Japanese Girls and Women by Alice Mabel Bacon is a sympathetic and observant account of the lives, education, and customs of women in Japan, written by an American who lived and taught there in the late nineteenth century. This revised and enlarged edition draws on Bacon’s first-hand experience and close friendships with Japanese women.
The book describes girlhood, marriage, family life, domestic duties, and the social position of women across different classes, set against the rapid changes of the Meiji era. Bacon writes with warmth and insight, seeking to convey the realities of Japanese women’s lives to Western readers while reflecting the comparative outlook of her time. The work remains a valued historical source on Japanese society and the situation of women during a period of profound national transformation.