First of all, and especially for you wonderful people who have already backed the project: YES, THE PROJECT IS STILL LIVE. There will be a Japan travel book, and I’m going to make it as good as I possibly can. Which is part of what’s difficult about it.
Obviously, it’s taking longer than I originally intended. After writing tens of thousands of words on the project, I realized a couple things about what I had written so far.
- It was losing focus. I started with a very specific approach to travel in mind, an approach that has brought me a lot of enjoyment. It’s this approach that’s the whole motivating factor behind the project as a whole. The further I got into writing, though, the more I got bogged down in details, and the more that happened, the more that core philosophy got obscured.
- It was losing its sense of joy. Too many cranky, curmudgeonly vibes started creeping in. There’s no avoiding this entirely, as a handful of sections of the book are cautionary
Still not clear when I’ll actually finish it, but it’s now going in a better direction than it was, and that’s good for everyone concerned.
If you haven’t already supported the project, please consider buying in for as little as USD $10. You can do that on the homepage. The more people who support the project, the more time I can afford to put into it and the sooner it’ll be finished.
Being an amateur japanophile (We love Japan! ) and having travelled there 4X -usually by bicycle I’m so looking forward to your book. It may even help me on my next tour in 2027 where i have to ditch the jitensha and swap if for my wife, daughter, a friend or 2 and 4 grandkids: HELP! 🙂 My grandfather toured there in 1933. If you wanna check out his photos and movies drop me a line. Cheerio from rob
thanks
Nice update — glad the project is still alive. Quick question: will the book focus more on personal travel philosophy and small-curation tips, or will it include practical itineraries and budgets too? Also, if readers want to help speed things up, is the $10 support the best option or are there other ways to contribute?
Thanks for the comment! To answer your questions: I will be covering best practices for creating good itineraries, and will provide some practical examples for illustration, but won’t be making specific itinerary recommendations, as there’s just too much variation between what’s good for different people. Regarding budgets, this is also hard, as it’s so variable and any specifics could quickly go out of date, but I’ll include some ideas for reducing costs overall (saving money being more of a challenge than spending it).
The first part of the book will outline aspects of the travel philosophy, but the rest of the book is really focused on the practical application of that philosophy, followed by a section that’s more of a collection of practical bits and pieces I’ve picked up over the years.
Backing the travel book is a great way to support the project. People who want to do more than that can always contribute more (the book is pay-what-you-want with a $10 minimum), but beyond that I have other products and services available and everything I bring in from any source is helpful to the overall goal. I offer freelance photography, portraiture services, photographic prints, walking tours in Tokyo, Tokyo photo walks and workshops, and online photo coaching.