Japan by Train: A Personal Journey

2023 FOREWORD INDIES BOOK OF THE YEAR GOLD WINNER FOR TRAVEL

Observations on the people, culture, and history of Japan from a
long-time resident riding the rails along the less-traveled western
coastline.

This journey the length of Japan takes the reader off the beaten tracks to explore some of the country’s remoter regions along the Japan Sea-from Wakkanai in northern Hokkaido to Ibusuki in southern Kyushu--in a fascinating mix of travelogue, anecdote, and personal memoir. At each of the thirty stops along the journey the author, who has lived in Japan for thirty years, goes in quest of the spirit of place, determined to highlight what makes it special. Mixing comments on landscape and culture, the author was inspired by Alan Booth and Donald Richie and brings a contemporary perspective to his writing. The text provides some practical information on travel by rail and railway lines, but goes into far more depth and personal observation than a conventional guidebook for tourists.

John Dougill has lived in Japan since 1994 and is the author of several books about the country that have received positive reviews in the Japan Times. As well as a cultural history of Kyoto, he has published Japan’s World Heritage Sites, for which he traveled the length of the country, from northern Hokkaido to Okinawa and the Ogosawara Islands.

For seven years he ran the Writers in Kyoto website and oversaw the anthologies that the group produced. He also runs the Green Shinto blog.