{"product_id":"9781780602301","title":"On the Narrow Road to the Deep North : Journey into a lost Japan by Lesley Chan Downer","description":"After eight years working in Japan, immersing herself in its language and literature, Lesley Chan Downer set off in the footsteps of Matsuo Basho, Japan s most cherished poet, to explore the country s remote northern provinces. Basho s pilgrimage to find the landscapes that had inspired the great medieval poets gave birth to Japan s most famous travel book, rich in strange imagery and sometimes comic encounters along the road. In this intriguing cross-threading of journeys, perceptions and exquisite haiku, Lesley creates her own funny, loving and honest portrayal of contemporary Japan. As she walks, she finds at one and the same time a drab post-industrial landscape of concrete and cable, but also a land still full of the old enchantments. Nights in thatched highland villages and sake-drenched poetry sessions encourage her to see for herself if any of the legendary hermit-priests still survive in the sacred mountains of the north.\u003cbr\u003eBinding: Paperback \/ softback","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":44583440089266,"sku":"9781780602301","price":14.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9781780602301.jpg?v=1720965018","url":"https:\/\/backstory.london\/products\/9781780602301","provider":"Backstory","version":"1.0","type":"link"}