Photo/Illutration A woman listens to an audiobook while playing with her son. (Asahi Shimbun file photo)

The diary of writer Higuchi Ichiyo (1872-1896) contains several entries about how she read from novels to her mother.

“After supper ended on a cheerful note, I read aloud to my mother a round of good novels by great authors,” she wrote.

Another went, “After sundown, I read two or three novels aloud to my mother.”

These entries are cited in “Kindai Dokusha no Seiritsu” (Establishment of modern readers) by Ai Maeda, a scholar of modern literature.

Higuchi’s mother was not able to read with ease, and I can imagine how she waited with eager anticipation for her daughter to read to her.

Higuchi penned her diary in the middle of the Meiji Era (1868-1912).

In olden days, books were commonly read aloud, contrary to a widespread assumption that such texts are meant to always be read silently.

“It appears that novels were generally considered as a source of learning and entertainment shared by a family, rather than as something for individual enjoyment,” Maeda notes.

In many homes, a family member would read from a book borrowed from a book lender, and everyone else listened.

June 19 is “Rodoku no Hi” (Day for reading aloud), which is a pun on one way of pronouncing the numbers 6 and 19 together.

Audiobooks, which can be considered the contemporary version of an adult reading books to other grown-ups, are reportedly gaining a growing following.

Users listen to stories read by professional narrators through their smartphone. A recent Asahi Shimbun article noted that non-bookworms also take pleasure from audiobooks.

Many people are said to “open” them not only when traveling but also while doing housework or exercising and before going to bed. Perhaps the longer hours people are now spending at home due to the pandemic are behind the trend.

Nowadays, we feel compelled to gather all sorts of information as quickly as possible. But one of the benefits of reading aloud lies in slowing down the pace.

I find it interesting that my expression mellows when I am reading a difficult book aloud.

And free verses, tanka and haiku all sink in naturally when I read them slowly to myself.

--The Asahi Shimbun, June 19

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Vox Populi, Vox Dei is a popular daily column that takes up a wide range of topics, including culture, arts and social trends and developments. Written by veteran Asahi Shimbun writers, the column provides useful perspectives on and insights into contemporary Japan and its culture.

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