Set at a Japanese inn along the road from Kyoto, this partly fictional account evokes life through four generations -- an impressionistic overview of traditional Japan solidly based on actual historic events. Inspired by the author's discovery of Minaguchi-ya and its proprietors during his stint as a civil servant during the American occupation of Japan, the inn and its proprietors are real even if much of the history was reconstructed and invented. It's a gracefully told, engaging story. Illustrated with 50 Japanese prints.  (JPN39, $22.00)