Within traditional Japanese kiko, or travelogue, literature, there are many similarities due to being part of the same category. But, even though they may be part of the same genre, there is a large increase in differences that arise from the time period in which they are written. The two Kikos I will compare are Tosa Nikki, written by Ki no Tsurayuki. , and Oku no Hosochi, written by Matsuo Basho, both involve a journey away from the capital. In the case of Tosa Nikki, written in the Heian period, it was looked down upon for men to write about emotions, so he wrote it in the perspective of women to make it seem fictional. Oku no Hosochi, written in the Tokugawa period, a time when things that hadn't been talked about before, such as discomfort and drinking tea, were common. The paths of the two men who leave the capital are practically opposite. In Tosa Nikki it is clear that those traveling to Tosa do not want to leave the capital. For those who live in the capital it is the center of their life. Leaving it means they lose their status and have to live in a society they consider second class. Not only are they dismayed at leaving their home, but they are also in tears at leaving behind a child who had died. Their journey is full of sadness and has no source of positive thoughts and feelings. For Oku no Hosochi, it's clear that Matsuo Basho is excited to leave. This trip was what he had wanted to do for a long time but hadn't had the opportunity to do so. Leaving the grandeur and materialistic world that the capital contained was important to him as a monk. It had to follow a path where impermanence is the key and every worldly desire… middle of paper… they are both Kiko, they are as different as the stories told in completely different genres. The only major similarity between them is that they both talk about traveling far from the capital. The main themes are pretty much opposites, one positive and one negative towards their future as they progress on their journey. Most of these differences can be attributed to differences in expectations of literature in the period in which they were created. Japanese society became more open to reading the experience of a commoner than that of a nobility. Furthermore, since becoming a monk was a lucrative career choice, Basho may have written his story to show what it takes to embark on the true path of being a monk. He wanted to prove that he is faithful to the path of enlightenment and that he has no bad intentions in becoming a monk, even though he comes from a samurai family..