I decided to select a few books I’ve enjoyed when looking forward to walking in Japan.
Samurai Trails: A Chronicle of Wanderings on the Japanese High Road by Lucian Swift Kirtland (1918)
The travel memoir of an American walking in Japan just before WWI from Kyoto to Tokyo on the Nakasendo. Although he walks with a pith helmet, a linen suit, and a sunburn, I think his observations are definitely in earnest.
My favorite scene is his description of trying shaved ice for the first time.
Rediscovering the Old Tokaido: In the Footsteps of Hiroshige by Patrick Carey (2000)
A contemporary account of walking from Tokyo to Kyoto on the Tokaido while attempting to find the views depicted by Hiroshige.
It wasn’t clear to me when the events in the book took place; certainly it’s sometime between 1980 and 2000.
The details I noticed that identify it as belonging to the past seem to center mostly on the smartphone. Rather than making photocopies of an old map at a little shop, I can instantly see my precise location, even on a historical map; rather than calling at an inn and wondering if I’ll be turned away for some reason, I can book a room online.
Unbeaten Tracks in Japan by Isabella L. Bird (1911)
In 1878, Isabella Bird made an incredibly difficult journey over land through eastern Japan, and then into Hokkaido. The main form of transportation available at the time seems to have been uncooperative horses, and she had a very hard time convincing people to prepare her a meal containing meat.
I’m struck by how miserable she seems to have been most of the time, and the familiar feeling of culture shock upon encountering other foreigners during one’s travels.
Emergent Tokyo: Designing the Spontaneous City by Jorge Alzazán and Studiolab (2022)
Rather than walking specifically, it’s about the city of Tokyo.
There are many urban areas along walking routes like the Tokaido. I think it would be interesting to observe how the phenomena in this book are present in other cities.
The Narrow Road to the Deep North and Other Travel Sketches by Matsu Basho (as translated by Nobuyuki Yuasa in 1966)
I think this is the standard for travel narratives. Basho’s individual haiku are famous in English translation, but these works are a combination of narrative and poetry. The effect is a little bit like the combination of prose and photography.
I don’t know much about the rules of haiku poetry beyond the need to have a “seasonal word” and a word that splits the poem. Does English have seasonal words?
Afoot in Japan: A Nineteenth Century Guide to Walking the Back Roads by Yasumi Roan (1810, as translated by William Scott Wilson in 2015)
This book includes a lot of helpful and (in the present day) unhelpful advice, such as how to avoid getting into trouble on the road, and what traditional Chinese medicines with unobtainable ingredients you might want to use for various problems when walking.
歩いて旅する東海道 (2015)
“Travel the Tokaido by Foot”: A Japanese-language travel guide that covers things to see and do at each of the 53 stations, especially local foods. Since I can’t read Japanese very well, one benefit of this book is that it has a lot of photos.
東海道五十三次「食」ウォーキング──健脚を支える健康食のヒミツ by 幕内秀夫 (2013)
“Tokaido 53 Stations ‘Food’ Walking”: Japanese-language narrative from the perspective of a food writer. It seems to record every meal on a walking trip covering the entire route. Unfortunately, I don’t know much more than that.
全国駅弁大百科 (2022)
“National Ekiben Encyclopedia”: A guide to ekiben, or train station lunch boxes, all around Japan. Although ekiben are usually for train travel, you can usually buy them outside of the ticket gate, and it’s an easy way to try a local specialty. It’s in Japanese but it’s mostly pictures.