Madame Chrysanthème

"Madame Chrysanthème" by Pierre Loti is a story set in the late 1800’s about a Frenchman's time in Japan, where he grapples with culture shock and relationships. The main character, along with a friend, sails to Japan, excited by the beauty of the land; however, the busy city of Nagasaki is where they face the realities of Japanese life. The narrator jokingly wants to marry a local woman, dreaming of exotic romance, but the odd Japanese customs and the search for a wife reveal big cultural differences. The beginning of the story shows his funny and thoughtful look at his time in a strange land.