Interesting that after 120 years a book so grounded in social mores in rural Japan is still fun to read. I think part of its appeal is that Botchan maintains the sense of right and wrong that high school students are in the midst of establishing (one of the reasons that you should not read Thoreau's Walden when you turn 40 - you will wince at the number of accommodations you have made with the world) and he reminds us of our youthful selves.