Walking the Kiso Road

A Modern-Day Exploration of Old Japan

By: William Scott Wilson

Narrated by: Brian Nishii

Length: 7 hrs and 58 mins

Publisher's summary

Take a trip to old Japan with William Scott Wilson as he travels the ancient Kiso Road, a legendary route that remains much the same today as it was hundreds of years ago. The Kisoji, which runs through the Kiso Valley in the Japanese Alps, has been in use since at least 701 CE. In the 17th century, it was the route that the daimyo (warlords) used for their biennial trips - along with their samurai and porters - to the new capital of Edo (now Tokyo). The natural beauty of the route is renowned - and famously inspired the landscapes of Hiroshige, as well as the work of many other artists and writers. Wilson, esteemed translator of samurai philosophy, has walked the road several times and is a delightful and expert guide to this popular tourist destination; he shares its rich history and lore, literary and artistic significance, cuisine and architecture, as well as his own experiences.

©2015 William Scott Wilson (P)2016 Audible, Inc.

ENJOYED

I was sad when I finished the last chapter.
I read Musashi and he traveled along this road.
Brian Nishii does an excellent job narrating, as usual.
Thank you for making this book available, JK.

Very thorough and easy to follow

Not only the writer but Brian Nishii did a wonderful job. Japanese history is somewhat complicated with its ancient society structure, but this journal explains vague concepts well with good examples that you can find in your daily life.

The seductive journey

After listening the story of a hike along the ancient road through the rural Japan, one want to repeat in author's steps - take a hiking vacation. The book is packed with historical and literary tidbits. The reading was superb, the pleasant surprise was poetry read in Japanese.

Definitely recommended

There's not all that much travel narrative in audio format, and I'm a bit picky, so thought this one seemed promising -- it was.

If you're looking for comedic asides, a la Bill Bryson, this ain't that. Closer to Theroux, although Wilson knows the area, rather than observing as a detached stranger; indeed, some of the folks he runs across he considers friends, even if he has not had any contact with the person recently. In a nutshell, the story contains observation of the scenes along the route, including what has changed since he was there long ago, as well as historical background, often going back centuries, along with reports of discussions with locals. Wilson succeeds in integrating all that quite well, although I did get a tad lost a couple of times with the history, which turned out to be no big deal.

Here's the one feature that folks have commented upon, which even I felt a bit "here we go again" by the end: we're given the detailed menu of almost everything he ate and drank. Such as ... "after my bath, I reported for dinner, where we were served broiled chicken in a soy glaze, thinly sliced eggplant strips in miso sauce, pickled radish and onion, our choice of white or brown rice, coffee cake, beer and green tea."

Brian Nishii does a terrific job with both the Japanese, and occasional Chinese, words. However, on a few occasions I wondered about his pronunciation of English ones, as though he were guessing (wrong). Those few times aside, he was a very good fit for the material.

really enjoyable

This book combined two of my favorite things, hiking books and Japan. the Kiso valley is a fascinating part of Japan and transports the traveller back to a medieval time in japan when lords were required to send people regularly to Edo to ensure their allegiance of the shogun

I greatly enjoyed this travelogue

I loved the history and many legends and stories the author shared as he walked down this ancient road - they gave it life and depth and inspired me to travel it too. Big thanks to both author and narrator for giving me so much enjoyment

Very good travel writing and narration.

First I have to praise the narration of this book as I think Brian Nishii was perfect to read it. He gave me a greater appreciation of the intricacy of the Japanese language. The writing is good and very descriptive, though I still found myself longing for some pictures to go along with it. I don't know if the print version has photos, but I think they would have helped the overall experience of the story. Still, it is wonderful to gain some insight into the character and the history of this interesting place. Wilson is an excellent guide in that respect, since he is obviously fluent in the language and has visited the Kiso Road several times before, so he has a high degree of insight to impart. Recommended for anyone wishing to learn more about Japan.