Sarashina Nikki

The Sarashina Diary (更級日記, Sarashina Nikki) is a memoir written by the daughter of Sugawara no Takasue, a lady-in-waiting of Heian-period Japan. Her work stands out for its descriptions of her travels and pilgrimages and is unique in the literature of the period, as well as one of the first in the genre of travel writing.

Takasue's daughter was a niece on her mother's side of Michitsuna's mother, author of another famous diary of the period, the Kagerō Nikki, whose personal name has also been lost. Other than the Sarashina Diary, she may also have authored Hamamatsu Chūnagon Monogatari, Mizukara kuyuru ('Self-reproach'), the Yoru no Nezame, and the Tale of Asakura.

This work is one of the six major literary memoirs/diaries written in the mid-Heian period, roughly from 900 to 1100. Lady Sarashina wrote her work with awareness of her distinguished lineage. She had a desire to produce something that would be worthy for her family line. This desire stemmed from her knowledge that autobiographical writing by women of her generation had achieved fame, which had assisted the writers' careers and their family lines. Her intention is evident in her text, as evidenced by careful editing.

Extracts from the work are part of Japanese high school students' classical Japanese studies.