On this episode of Japan Station, Lesley Chan Downer tells us about what it was like walking and hitchiking through the Tohoku area in the '80s while recreating Matsuo Basho's most famous journey.

👉Topics Discussed

About moving to Japan in the 1980s
About participating in the predecessor of the JET Program
About On the Narrow Road to the Deep North
Lesley's interest in Japanese poetry
Why Lesley decided to recreate Matsuo Basho's 1689 journey to the north of Japan
About hitchhiking in Japan
Visiting Hiraizumi
Exploring villages in the Tohoku area
The three sacred mountains
How to mummify yourself
About building a relationship with a family from a village in the Tohoku area
Working with NHK on films inspired by Lesley's journey
The reissue of One the Narrow Road to the Deep North
That time someone tried to sell Lesley a house in a village in Tohoku
About the Shogun Quartet of historical novels
About The Shortest History of Japan
And much more

👉Subscribe to the Podcast!

👉Support on Patreon & Ko-fi

👉Mobal

Use my Mobal affiliate link to get a 10% discount on their voice & data plan. Their voice & data plan is perfect for those who want a Japanese phone number while in Japan. Using this link gets you a discount and it provides me with a small commission which I use to fund JapanKyo.

Get 10% off of Mobal's Voice & Data plan: https://www.mobal.com/tonyjapan

👉Get a T-Shirt!

MechaNekoSushi.com

👉Links, Videos, Etc.

Here are links to Lesley Chan Downer:

On the Narrow Road to the Deep North: Journey into a Lost Japan: https://www.amazon.com/Narrow-Road-Deep-North-Classics/dp/1780602308/ref=sr_1_1?sr=8-1
The Shortest History of Japan: From Mythical Origins to Pop Culture Powerhouse―The Global Drama of an Ancient Island Nation: https://www.amazon.com/Shortest-History-Japan-Mythical-Powerhouse_The/dp/1891011669/ref=sr_1_1?sr=8-1
The Shogun's Queen: The Shogun Quartet, Book 1: https://www.amazon.com/Shoguns-Queen-Shogun-Quartet-Book/dp/055216349X/ref=sr_1_4?s=digital-text&sr=1-4-catcorr

👉Follow on Social Media

She Recreated a 300-Year-Old Epic Journey in Northern Japan IN 1989