After eight years working in Japan, immersing herself in its language and literature, Lesley Chan Downer set off in the footsteps of Matsuo Basho, Japan s most cherished poet, to explore the country’s remote northern provinces.
Basho’s pilgrimage to find the landscapes that had inspired the great medieval poets gave birth to Japan’s most famous travel book, rich in strange imagery and sometimes comic encounters along the road.
In this intriguing cross-threading of journeys, perceptions and exquisite haiku, Lesley creates her own funny, loving and honest portrayal of contemporary Japan.
As she walks, she finds at one and the same time a drab post-industrial landscape of concrete and cable, but also a land still full of the old enchantments.
Nights in thatched highland villages and sake-drenched poetry sessions encourage her to see for herself if any of the legendary hermit-priests still survive in the sacred mountains of the north.
On the Narrow Road to the Deep North by Lesley Chan Downer is published on 3 October, 2024.
Lesley’s The Shortest History of Japan came out last month, and she’s written a Historia feature about some of the remarkable women in the nation’s history.
There’s more historical writing in our round-up of over 190 books coming out this year.
