On the Narrow Road: Journey Into a Lost Japan

by Lesley Downer

Book Overview

Following the eight-hundred-mile trek of Japanese poet Matsuo Basho, this journey into a lost Japan explores the possibilities of an older, simpler way of life that still exists over three hundred... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 067164047X
• ISBN13: 9780671640477
• Release Date: January 1989
• Publisher: Summit Books
• Length: 280 Pages
• Weight: 1.10 lbs.

Customer Reviews

Enjoyable

Unlike Alan Booth, who wrote my favorite books by a westerner in Japan, Lesley Downer seemed to admire and revere Basho. Alan Booth seemed to think he was a drunkard and a leech. Lesley Downer attempts to follow the path that Basho took 300 years earlier through the wilds of northern Honshu. Miss Downer does take advantage of modern transportation throughout her travels unlike Basho who couldn't, but probably would have if it had been available. I found it a little bit incredible that Miss Downer was disappointed that so much from Basho's time had disappeared. I'm surprised that she found as much evidence of his travels as she did in the 1980's. Still, the book is engaging, interesting, well written and different. It certainly should be included if, like me, you are interested in reading anything written by westerners who have lived in Japan.

An excellent choice for fans of Matsuo Basho and/or haiku

Lesley Downer retraces Matsuo Basho's famed 17th century journey to unknown northern Japan documented in his book "On the Narrow Road to the Deep North." Ms. Downer rediscovers a "lost" Japan. The journey and the writing are well worth the effort.