Miyawaki Shunzo: Japan, Station by Station, Gebunden

Klappentext

Strictly speaking, a timetable isn't the kind of thing you're supposed to read for pleasure, yet you might be surprised to learn how many such individuals exist. I'm one of them . . .

A landmark of Japanese travel writing, translated for the first time, this beloved classic takes the reader on a journey through a lost world of railway travel at its peak, guided by an unapologetic obssessive.

On his quest to "complete" the timetable, to experience Japan station by station, Miyawaki Shunzo takes in not only bustling mainlines but some of its most remote regions: tiny request stops, single-car diesel units, rural dawns, silent platforms, the last light falling across a mountain valley.

His bestselling book, which gave rise to a whole new literary genre, evoked for Japanese readers parts of their country they were unfamiliar with, while celebrating the monumental nation-forging achievement its railway network - and its timetables - represented.

Throughout, Shunzo's voice remains modest, dry and perceptive, even as he grapples with timetables that allow only seconds for a transfer, unexpected operational quirks, missed connections that unravel an entire day's plans, and the ongoing question of whether it's even possible at all.

For readers who enjoyed Tokyo Express or Broad Abroad, love the travel writing of Paul Theroux or Monisha Rajesh, or simply have a thing for trains and timetables, this is an essential blend of discovery and nostalgia.

Translated from the Japanese by Haydn Trowell