Journal of Travel Literature Studies
JTLS, Vol. 1, No. 1, 2026, pp.37-64.
Print ISSN: 3135-6788; Online ISSN: 3135-6796
Journal homepage: https://www.tlsjournal.com
DOI： https://doi.org/10.64058/JTLS.26.1.03
Other Bodies: An Embodied Perspective on Two Women’s Travel Accounts of Japan (1904) [1]
Tomasz Ewertowski
Abstract: This article examines how bodily and sensory experiences shape representations of cultural otherness in early twentieth-century Polish travel writing about Japan. Focusing on travelogues by Antonina Wernicowa and Helena Witwicka, it shows that travel experience extends beyond visual observation to include a wide range of aural, tactile, olfactory, and kinaesthetic sensations. Drawing on sensory history and body studies, the analysis identifies several modes of representing bodily experience, from simple references to more elaborate, affective descriptions and reflections. Such representations lend immediacy and credibility to the narrative while constructing vivid images of foreign spaces. At the same time, embodied experiences are shaped by pre-existing discourses and social conditioning, often producing ambivalent responses that combine fascination with discomfort. Particular attention is paid to everyday practices and interpersonal encounters, which reveal how bodily interactions could both reinforce and challenge perceptions of otherness, introducing nuance into depictions of Japan as an exotic Other.
Keywords: Polish travel writing; Japan; body; sensory history; embodiment
Author Biography: Tomasz Ewertowski, Ph.D., is a lecturer at the Shanghai International Studies University. Research Interests: travel writing studies, imagology, and comparative literature. E-mail: tewert@shisu.edu.cn.
Received: 11 Feb 2026 / Revised: 12 Mar 2026 / Accepted: 20 Apr 2026 / Published online: 30 May 2026 / Print published: 30 Sep 2026.
