Book Review

The other day I got a notion to read some travelogues about journeys through Japan. I  ordered up four books that fit that description. I’m into the third one right now. As a public service, I shall publicize my thoughts on each of them.

Hitching Rides With Buddha by Will Ferguson

This book was also published under the title of Hokkaido Highway Blues. It is the story of the author’s journey from the southern extremity of Japan to the northern. To make things more interesting, he decided to travel by hitchhiking, and to do so in the spring so as to follow the blooming cherry trees as they progress from one end of the archipelago to the other.

The book is highly entertaining. The jokes follow one after the other. If you have ever lived in Japan, Ferguson’s observations on the plight of the foreigner in that country will ring true.

He also did a good job of communicating the changes that the journey wrought in him. His change in attitude from the beginning to the end is clear. Anyone who has ever made a long, solo trip will recognize the weary attitude that Ferguson took on as he progressed northward. The traveller longs for a familiar face or a familiar place to lie down and rest but, none presenting itself, he trudges onward through exhaustion. Ferguson’s fatigue toward the end is palpable.

I recommend it. It is good for a laugh (lots of laughs), and definitely worth a read.

Looking For The Lost by Alan Booth

Alan Booth set the standard for English language travel writing about Japan. He was there before a large number of foreigners infiltrated the country, went to places no other foreigners approached, acquired remarkable insight into the nation and its people, and wrote brilliant prose. His insistence on walking everywhere, furthermore, both set him apart from the common traveler and brought him into contact with more people, who are the real subject of his writing.

Looking For The Lost chronicles three journeys, any one of which is a short story, but which together constitute a fairly hefty tome. The common theme is the recreation of a historic journey. He looks along the way for something which is, ultimately, not to be found - the real or imagined way that Japan was before. Something is revealed about the way Japan is now, though it is never stated. Booth displays it, but it is left to the reader to make of it what he will.

Booth adds historical background to the places he visits, and gives insightful commentary about the people he meets. His British penchant for understatement is charming. Where Ferguson made me laugh out loud, Booth has me chuckling softly to myself. Another highly recommended read, whether you are familiar with Japan or not.