On the Narrow Road to the Deep North: Journey into a Lost Japan

Lesley Chan Downer retraces Basho’s pilgrimage through Japan, blending travel, haiku, and contemporary reflections.

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 imag...