Two travel dairies or nikki stand out in traditional Japanese literature; both share the same literary designation, but they come from radically different periods. The first journal Tosa nikki was written in 936, the second journal Oku no hosomuchi was written starting in 1689 and finally finished in 1702. Both authors had a purpose in their writing and shared their thoughts with the Japanese people; but how different could two men from the same culture be? Ki no Tsurayuki wrote his travel journal the Tosa Nikki during the Heian period as he prepared for and traveled from Tosa Province (now Kochi Prefecture) to the capital Kyoto. This journey was towards the north and was mainly by sea; this was notable because the Japanese were legendarily poor sailors. Kyoto was the home of the emperor who, during the Heian period, was considered a descendant of the gods. Kyoto was not only the home of Ki no Tsurayuki, but also the center of the world at the time. Men and women were chased out of the city but still yearned to return. Unlike Tosa Nikki, Oku no hosomichi by Matsuo Bashō (formerly known as Matsuo Kinsaku) was written much later, during the Edo period, and was about an overland journey taken on foot. Even without the dangers of water travel, Bashō's journey had its own perils, such as bandits and poor trails. Regardless of the type of travel and time period, one of the surprising differences between the Tosa Nikki and the Oku no hosomichi was the direction in which the authors traveled. I mentioned that Ki no Tsurayuki was returning home to the center of the world at the time, Kyoto. Bashō, on the other hand, left the city of Edo (modern Tokyo) and traveled into the wilderness to visit...... middle of paper...... oss, and the other fled the city ​​after a trip. loss. These two men wrote in very different styles, with different political and social situations, but still managed to be eerily similar and traditionally Japanese in their writing. Both authors shared a mutual appreciation of the natural world around them and shared the poems of different social classes in their work to provide an overall picture of the land. Regardless of era, religious atmosphere, and mode of travel, the Tosa Nikki and the Oku no Hosomichi helped share a uniquely Japanese appreciation for beauty and depth of feeling. Fictionalized or not, these works have provided us with an invaluable window into the Heian and Edo periods. Works CitedBasho, Matsuo. Okay, no Hosomichi. sdKeene, Donald. Anthology of Japanese literature. Grove Press Inc., 1955.