Hokkaido Highway Blues: Hitchhiking Japan

my husband and i moved to japan this summer for a short 3 month visit and i wanted to read a novel while we were here. the travel bookstore in our area only had this book in the japanese section so i decided to give it a go. i just finished the book today and have nothing but great things to say. first off, his writing is hysterical. i found myself laughing out loud throughout the book - driving my husband crazy of course! if you have ever travelled to japan or just wonder what its like from a real life point of view please check out this book. his humor, sarcasm and quick wit are sure to charm you.

I just finished this book today. My wife bought it prior to a 16 day trip to Japan, and is still reading it. Although the book chronicles his hitchiking from south to north in Japan, supposedly tied in with the sakura front (the blossoming of cherry blossoms as they move north) it is the best book I have ever read to gain insight into the Japanese mentality and attitudes. I've been there many times, but this book was like a refresher course on relationships with Japanese. This is a companion book to Lonely Planet's Japan Guide, at least to my way of thinking.

If you like traveling cheap, and meeting great people as you do it, this book is for you. The small cultural details included are invaluable as you will constantly run into them. The travels plans laid out are specific and don't leave much room for guesswork. Make a special note of the importance of visiting Kyoto and Nara. This area is most like the old traditional Japan. Happy Hitchhiking!

I'm still in the middle of this book at the moment, but I'm having such a wonderful time reading it that I felt like I had to jump in with a comment. Ferguson is frank and blunt, but has a wonderful sense of humor. He's far from easy on the Japanese in his assessment of them, yet every observation is so personal and thoughtful that you're convinced his thoughts are motivated by only the most wholesome love and concern for the country. This is a light read and moves quickly -- chapters are short and to the point, so it is easy to pick up and put down. Well, putting it down is sometimes tough...

Canadian author Ferguson, a teacher in Japan for a number of years, hitches from the bottom of the island nation to the top. Invaluable stories provided of what happens along the way: best way to understand the Japanese, and especially their view and interactions with Westerners. Unlike many tourists, Ferguson doesn't care for museums (though he does provide some really nice background history on many locations, customs, etc.). Stand with him while visiting a zoo, in which an entire class of students have their back to a caged area with animal and point to him, caucasian, as infinitely more exotic. Author Ferguson precisely captures the feeling of how non-Japanese may never be accepted within this society and the consequential love/hate relationship that results. As good as Pico Iyer's view, but more candid and true to life: the missed-timing of one of the possibilities at his journey's end is so true to life. A blast to read without the getting drenched on the highway.