The Easy Life in Kamusari (Forest #1)

Holly says: "Apparently sending young men to the village is a theme in Japanese stories: the start to this delightful coming of age novel felt somewhat similar to Four Seasons in Japan, but with a very different voice. Yuki Hirano has just graduated high school with no real prospects, so his parents send him to the small mountain town of Kamusari and forcibly enroll him in a forestry training program. Yuki doesn’t want to be here and is plotting his escape from the moment he arrives. But with no choice but to stay and make the best of it, Yuki begins to learn the traditional skills of forestry. While he learns how to trim and fell trees, he also develops an appreciation for the rural lifestyle he originally disdained and forms relationships that will leave a lasting mark on his life. I can’t wait to read the sequel,  Kamusari Tales Told at Night. Translated from the Japanese by Juliet Winters Carpenter."