I’ve long had the sense that, in my life, walking, writing, and living day to day are all different aspects of the same fundamental activity. Periods of openness, possibility, and creativity often arrive on the tail of some free and easy wandering. And then writing fuels the need to step outside in turn.

The posts here will be a walkabout through the landscape of life in rural Japan, its culture and people and natural environment. Its challenges. I’ll write about a side of the nation rarely seen, in a way that, I hope, gives a feel for the heart of this ancient land. Other topics will include mindfulness, fatherhood at 50, and waking up in the convulsing world of our times. And of course, I’ll be writing about writing. Writing and walking. Walking on this splendid Earth.