Pilgrims, or 'henro' as they are known in Japanese, have been walking clockwise around Shikoku, Japan's fourth largest island, for well over one thousand years. They follow in the footsteps of the great Buddhist saint Kobo-daishi, searching for the ever elusive enlightenment that he found there. They visit the 88 sacred temples, and in overcoming the hardships of the journey they become better for it. Or so the theory goes! Nowadays nearly all 'henro' travel in cars, taxis or buses, and physical hardship doesn't come into it! Craig was a 'walking henro' in the summer of 1995 and this book contains the tales of his journey. This is one of five books available on Amazon about McLachlan's various adventures in Japan. He has also walked the length of Japan (3200kms in 99 days!), climbed Japan's 100 Famous Mountains in record time (78 days!), journeyed around the Saigoku 33 Temples of Kannon Pilgrimage, and trekked from the Sea of Japan to the Pacific Ocean climbing all Japan's 3,000-meter peaks along the way. See www.craigmclachlan.com.

This guide provides advice, detailed walk descriptions and contour maps, as well as use of Japanese script, a language guide, background on local culture and customs, sections on onsen, flora, fauna, extended hikes through mountain wilderness and day walks to temples and natural havens.

How far would you walk for happiness?After living in Japan for over half a decade Todd Wassel finds himself at a crossroads in life and caught between worlds. Out of work, out of love, and drowning in debt, Todd is convinced that there should be a purpose to life, but nothing has worked out up to now. Desperate, he launches a last-ditch effort to understanding what a meaningful life really is by walking the grueling 750-mile, 88-temple Buddhist pilgrimage on Japan's remote island of Shikoku, again. In search of himself and a Japan he thought was lost, Walking in Circles, lovingly retells Todd's sometimes outrageous, painful, and suspense filled journey. Todd is joined on the path by an eccentric group of characters, naked Yakuza trying to shake him down, a wandering ascetic searching for enlightenment while hiding from the Freemasons, and a Buddhist Monk who hates America but loves beef jerky.Walking in Circles is more than a humorous travel memoir of personal transformation. Todd crafts an intimate portrait of a changing Japan and a nation in search of meaning. What he finds changes his life forever.Are you prepared to find enlightenment on the backroads of Japan?

Nishiyama Matsunosuke is one of the most important historians of Tokugawa (Edo) popular culture, yet until now his work has never been translated into a Western language. Edo Culture presents a selection of Nishiyama’s writings that serves not only to provide an excellent introduction to Tokugawa cultural history but also to fill many gaps in our knowledge of the daily life and diversions of the urban populace of the time. Many essays focus on the most important theme of Nishiyama’s work: the seventeenth to nineteenth centuries as a time of appropriation and development of Japan’s culture by its urban commoners. In the first of three main sections, Nishiyama outlines the history of Edo (Tokyo) during the city’s formative years, showing how it was shaped by the constant interaction between its warrior and commoner classes. Next, he discusses the spirit and aesthetic of the Edo native and traces the woodblock prints known as ukiyo-e to the communal activities of the city’s commoners. Section two focuses on the interaction of urban and rural culture during the nineteenth century and on the unprecedented cultural diffusion that occurred with the help of itinerant performers, pilgrims, and touring actors. Among the essays is a delightful and detailed discourse on Tokugawa cuisine. The third section is dedicated to music and theatre, beginning with a study of no, which was patronized mainly by the aristocracy but surprisingly by commoners as well. In separate chapters, Nishiyama analyzes the relation of social classes to musical genres and the aesthetics of kabuki. The final chapter focuses on vaudeville houses supported by the urban masses.

Become an expert on cultural details commonly seen in Japanese animation, movies, comics and TV shows.