At the time of writing the book Will Ferguson was a Canadian EFL teacher working in Japan. He sets out from Cape Sata the Southern most point of Japan to travel to Hokkaido in the farthest Northern tip. The purpose of the trip is ostensibly to chase the progress of the sakura or cherry blossoms traditionally a time of festivities and drinking of copious glasses of sake in the company of said cherry blossom trees. He decides to hitch hike for most of the journey as he believes that that is a more intimate way of getting to know people. ‘Hokkaido Highway Blues’ is not the title he wanted, his preference being ‘Hitching rides with Buddha’.He is aware of the tradition of spiritual travelers and discusses Matsuo Basho who set off solo in the late 15th century. He also mentions Kobo Daishi the legend of whom gave rise to an ancient pilgrim route and a famous Saul/Paul figure Emon Saburo who followed the route leading to his redemption.I enjoyed the parts about the Rikishi (sumo wrestlers) and Chiyonofuji a small but muscular sumo wrestler who uses his larger opponents momentum against them. The origins of Shinto are intriguing to say the least, what the?! Musings from a sex museum- Early pornographic prints show women as taking control and being dominant but in modern day Japan women are depicted as being passive. He is good on Sengoku Jidai the era of the Warring states, especially on castles he mentions one in particular Uwajima castle. The story of Lord Asano and the story of the 47 samurai is interesting also.In terms of the people he meets on the road the one that stands out is his powerful meeting with Mr. Nakamura whose memories of war still haunt him. He also parties with a group of Japanese salary men. The Japanese have a hereditary lack of the liver enzyme that breaks down acetaldehyde.His summation of what it is like to be a foreigner or a Gaijin in Japan is interesting. He cites the Seidensticker Complex ‘it describes the ambivalent feelings that torment long-term foreign residents in Japan, a pendulum of emotion, alternating between attraction and repulsion, affection and anger – back and forth. But the image is false. These feelings do not alternate. They are inseparable. As inseparable as the scent of urine and incense on the same wind.” He is mostly mistaken for an American and is almost always pointed out or hailed whilst in a large crowd. In terms of racism he mentions the indigenous Ainu people who were subjugated and had their language banned. They were officially recognised in 1992 by the government. There is also a caste system in Japan the victims of which are the Burakumin who were traditionally leather workers and butchers of cattle. A list of Burakumin communities circulated among companies in the 1980’s.Ultimately the book is tinged with melancholy, a long goodbye. ‘I came to Japan looking for some kind of realignment. A new start. A game plan. But somehow, along the way, I had become a collector of trivia and souvenirs, writing postcards addressed to a future self who would- somehow – make sense of it all. Deferring judgment to a later date resolves nothing, and all you are left with is a box of jumbled slides and a collection of knickknacks and odds and ends. Here a face. There a sunset’. This jumbled reading was the impression I was left with.For some reason this book seemed to take me ages to read. There is an inevitable comparison with Bill Bryson. Will Ferguson is not as funny or learned unfortunately. Bill Bryson has obviously researched his travels and arranged to meet some of the more interesting companions along the way and also has a structure in mind. As Will Ferguson says himself ‘I think there is a fear, somewhere in the mind of the traveler, an unease with emotions laid raw and bare. I prefer width to depth, variety of experience to intensity of experience, quantity to quality.’ That is what the reader should expect. There are a few interesting snap shots of Japanese life but it is ultimately insubstantial and hasn't left a lasting impression on me.
Not many things that advertise themselves as blues actually deliver the emotion. It was somewhat startling, then, to discover that this book is in fact deeply, profoundly melancholic. Ferguson started with nothing but a boast, elevated by coworkers more enthusiastic than he is into a grand plan. To hitchhike the length of Japan isn't a particularly sane or rational plan, but caught up in the enthusiasm of those who hear of it, he eventually goes through with it.In the beginning, all is well. This is exciting! This is an adventure! This is an adventure, and the enthusiasm is palpable; it evidences itself through the lively interactions with the people who give him rides and the enthusiastic descriptions of the places through which he passes. Extroverted and chatty, Ferguson is having a grand time making his way northward from Cape Sata in the company of strangers. The adventure of following the Sakura front is an exhilarating quest.Quests are tricky things, though. Weeks in, halfway across the nation, Ferguson outruns the Sakura. He's no longer following the blooming rush of spring; he's migrated into places where winter still reigns, and the entire tone of the enterprise changes accordingly. He gives up on the notion of paying only for interisland ferries. He begins drinking heavily. He isn't having fun anymore, but he never considers giving up. Finally reaching Cape Sōya, well overbudget and overdue back at work, he discovers he is not finished; there remain tiny islands, points farther north. Ferguson is not Don Quixote; if nothing else, his adventures are more engaging. There are strong structural similarities, though. Like the Don, he is engaged in a quest accomplished by means of superficially distinct but ultimately identical subquests. Like the Don, his pursuit of the quest extends well past the point of reason. Like the Don, the ultimate result is tragic. Ferguson books a ferry further north, to Rishiri Island, where he is stranded by a storm. Unable to complete his quest, job and visa in jeopardy, incomplete and unsatisfied, the book ends.The book matches the tone of the text in its structure; early chapters are long anecdotes about amusing incidents, but later chapters simply lay down the bare facts in terse language. Ferguson can be an engaging and entertaining author, but he chooses instead to induce his emotions of the time in the reader. As a consequence, this is a difficult, powerful, anticathartic story. The hero's journey ends frustrated.This is more than a travel story. It's a dissection of the soul of Japan. It's the tale of the elation of embarking upon a unique and challenging quest, and the dissatisfaction of accomplishing it. It's about a man discovering that he has evolved. None of these are easy themes, but Ferguson manages them with all the grace possible. You may not like the book after reading it, but you won't regret it.
What do You think about Hokkaido Highway Blues (2003)?
Another wonderful travelogue... the traveler this time makes astute observations of the Japanese nationals he encounters as he hitchhikes north from the southernmost tip of Japan.Being an Asian-American, I can see both sides of the espy. It is easy to relate to the often awkward, big-hearted, intensely curious, 'liberal' American being given an opportunity to look through a usually closed window into the private lives of the average Japanese citizen in Japan.I can also see how the Japanese use their social customs of thousands of years of traditions that dictate how Asians should behave among foreigners with the strange but benign American.Hilarious, heartwarming and a real eye-opener for those who have not been really exposed to the traditions of the East -especially traditions in the home (or in the car as this case is).
—Juli
This man can do me no wrong with this book, I got a few others hooked on it as well, his stories of his journey from south to north Japan by hitchhiking only to chase the sakura front are laced with wit and sarcasm that could easily put some Brits to shame :pIronically I read this book when I was travelling across West Japan and Shikoku from Tokyo, which proved to be a hidden bonus as I decided to retrace some of his steps from his book while I was reading and laughing like an idiot on the train. ^^Truly one of the best b'day presents I had received back in 2004, I guess I should give it a reread for old times sake. :)
—Reina
Se incontri il Budda lungo la strada, uccidilo!Il libro si legge bene, ed è anche divertente in alcuni punti ( più che per merito di W.Ferguson mi sa che è merito dell'"assurdità" dei giapponesi e della grande differenza tra il mondo asiatico e quello occidentale), ma alcune cose proprio non vanno. L'autore precisa di avere un giapponese pessimo, ammette di non conoscere per niente i kanji, di essere scarso perfino con hiragana e katakana (sì, ma allora nemmeno hai provato ad impararlo il giappo
— ミサキ
