Customer Reviews

Hitching Rides with Buddha

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Books about Japan by westerners seem to fall into two categories- literary books that talk about Japan in poetic terms and dwell on traditional culture, and comedy books that play up the wacky side of Japanese pop culture for laughs. Somewhere in between is "Hitching Rides with the Buddha"- a book by a foreigner who actually lived here for 5 years, speaks Japanese (as modest as he is about his blunders with the grammar), and really has an understanding of its people and its way of life.

Written as a modern day answer to Alan Booth's "The Road to Sato", this book details Ferguson's cross-country hitchhiking trip from mainland Japan's southernmost point in Kyushu to the northernmost point in Hokkaido, covering thousands of miles and encountering people from all walks of life, from teenagers to senior citizens and from ski bums to college professors.

At first, I was a bit sceptical about reading a book based on a trip hatched, by Ferguson's own admission, while falling-down drunk at a cherry blossom-viewing party in rural Kyushu. What kind of expert could he be?

But speaking as someone who loves Japan and has lived here almost 5 years myself, this book gets to the heart of the experience better than any other I know, and does a great job capturing the joy, delight, confusion and even occasional sorrow that comes when interacting with this amazing culture. Inspired by this book, I sometimes take off on similar hitch hiking trips during breaks at the university I teach at, and even made the same trip from Kyushu to Hokkaido. Every trip is a different adventure, and I'm glad that someone as talented as Ferguson wrote about it.

Hitchhiking from Cape Sata to Cape Soya in Japan, William Ferguson creates a good follow up to Alan Booth's "The Roads to Sata". As humorous as it is scholarly, one comes from this book feeling they somewhat understand many aspects of Japanese culture, such as Shintoism. I say somewhat because, as Ferguson clearly shows in the narrative, it's impossible to ever understand the Japanese fully without being Japanese. A good read for any time.

....but I must say, besides it being funny and a real treat to read, I find that the author has a beautiful way with words that is not so often seen in travel writing. Chapter 10 may very well be one of the best chapters in a book I have ever read, and re-read, and read again. Beautiful words and beautiful images. I look forward to finishing the book this week, and thus far, can say that I highly recommend this book who not only enjoy good writing, but also a good laugh. - Vince Yanez, Author of It Doesn't Matter Which Road You Take: A European Travel Story

I read Ferguson's "Hokkaido Highway Blues" several years ago back when I was on JET Program in the Amakusa islands off the west coast of Kyushu (where Ferguson himself initially lived). I really enjoyed the book, and was excited to see that he had apparently written another hitching book about Japan. But upon closer inspection looking at the table of contents and excerpts on Amazon, I found that "Hitching Rides with Buddha" is actually a re-print of "Hokkaido Highway Blues" which appears to be out of print. Regardless, I echo all the positive reviews here that this book captures much more of the "real" Japan and Japanese people than most other books. It helps that the book is both insightful and often hilarious. If you liked this, then also check out Alan Booth's "The Roads to Sata" which was the inspiration for Ferguson's own hitching adventure.

This appears to be a reprint of the Hokkaido Highway Blues, this could potentially mislead buyers who were thinking he had written a new book about Japan.

I will give my brief impressions of the book. Firstly the good parts, I believe he does capture with reasonable accuracy the experience of a foreigner in Japan. Also I don't disagree with the majority of his observations about japan. Although this book was written in the 1990s from my perspective not a great deal has changed (I lived in Japan for several years relatively recently). Moreover the book does have some quite decent humour, and is relatively well written making it a fairly quick read.

The bad parts, people looking for lots of suggestions of interesting places to visit may be disappointed, although he does visit some places of interest to the tourist, for much of the book he follows a route far from the more developed parts of Japan and a lot of the places described in these chapters are not especially interesting. The author complains often about negative stereotypes Japanese hold about foreigners, but then he leaps to his own stereotypes of Japanese. Now that is not to say that there aren't a reasonable number of Japanese that fit these stereotypes, but I think he paints with too broad a brush at times. Also although I have come across people who resemble some of the more annoying people in his book, most Japanese are not always so in your face with their prejudices. I suspect he has used some dramatic license with regards to some of the characters he meets, but then again maybe not.

At times the author does kind across as kind of arrogant and smug and he obviously pictures himself as an astute observer of the human condition. Also his attitude towards women is sometimes worrying. One example that struck me was he met a woman who was a tour guide at a brewery. Later she tries to keep in touch "... for awhile I received postcards and letters in carefully printed English, with the a's written like those on a typewriter , with the curly bits on top", but the author decides she isn't the women in distress that he is looking for and so doesn't answer her letters, "I was looking for: someone to rescue. Someone to sweep up and carry away. Someone to save. I never answered Ariko's letters".

Another example is when he scolds a young mother who stops to give him a ride. It seems kind of strange to be hitchhiking and then berate someone for giving them a ride. "Don't pick up hitchikers .. not late in the day when you have children in the car", when the woman tries to explain how he looked sad by the side of the road, he berates her further "I'm sorry but it's not a good idea ... I'm sorry but you really shouldn't". You just want to smack the author on the side of the head and tell him to cut the woman some slack.

One funny example where the author comes unstuck trying to make himself out to be cleverer than he is, is when he meets an obnoxious japanese man while riding on the sado island jet foil who states "Japanese technology number one in the world!" (referring to the jet foil). The author then writes "He was wrong of course, as most nationalists ultimately are. I happened to know all about hovercrafts. They were invented by the Scottish born American citizen, Alexander Graham Bell ...". Although Alexander Graham Bell may well be able to take at least some of the credits for hydrofoil boats (such as the jet foil), they are completely different from hovercraft or air-cushion vehicles.

I'm not sure how much this book will appeal to people who have spent a significant time in Japan, as you may have had similar experiences and drawn your own interpretations from them.

In conclusion then, this book would make a good antidote for people who are obsessed with anime and believe Japan is some kind of paradise (despite never having visited there), also I do recommend this book to people who are interested in living in or travelling to Japan. Although at times the author is guilty of hubris even this aspect of the book does have a valuable lesson as it is extremely common to meet foreigners in Japan who have an inflated opinion of themselves. The truth is any clown with a college degree can get on a plane to japan and scrounge around for some lowly paid english teaching work, it doesn't make you a magnet for Japanese woman or an expert on all things Japanese. Despite some of my negative comments I think this a worthwhile read.

I read this book twice when living in Japan. I've experienced some of the things that Ferguson wrote about. His sense of humor had me laughing out loud. It's an easy and fun book to read.

So much travel writing is a tedious checklist of places visited and experiences experienced, combined with trite observations about local customs and culture. Not so Will Ferguson's Hitching Rides with Buddha.

I lived in Japan for three years and am constantly disappointed by the stereotypes and bleedingly obvious cultural differences pointed out by people who write (or make films - think Lost in Translation) about Japan. But Ferguson lived in Japan, and it shows. His acute cultural observations are tempered with a great sense of humour and wackiness, and the book has a clear narrative arc that pulls you from the bottom to the top of Japan along the cherry-blossom front. A great book for people thinking of going to Japan, or for expats living in Japan who know Sofia Coppola ain't got a clue.

Will Ferguson one day decided to hitchhike from Cape Sata to Cape Soya, following the Cherry Blossom Front. Of course he can't remember saying that but everybody who was at the party said he said it. Maybe he was too drunk to remember. Maybe they were all lies and his friends were pulling his leg. But he went anyway, following the Cherry Blossoms as they went north. He met friends, made enemies and drank. A lot. Also ate a lot of food, which he really didn't like, and hit on women who didn't really like him. Kind of reminded me of Alan Booth's The Roads to Sata. But more whining. A journey with no real goal. The author isn't searching for anything, which is always good, because they rarely found what they were looking for and then the ending feels forced as they try to pretend that they found world peace and Buddha and love. And they didn't, but they have to sell the book, so they say they did.
There is humor, some sadness and a few scenes in which the author just went nuts, because of the weather or the way he was treated. Funny, you could think a Canadian would control his temper more? In the end we just learn a lot of stuff about the Japanese people. And one author.
I gave this book a 5 out of 5 because it is a good book. I wanted to take points away. I really did. For example, the author seemed to hate museums. I work at a museum so I took some offense to that. But why take it out on such a nice book? Its not the book's fault.
Also the author sexually harassed a Japanese women - he rubbed his leg against her thigh. See page 332. She smiled at him, but once at the bar sat as far away as she could. Gee, no, really? Maybe she did not stop her thigh from touching your leg because the CAR was crowded? They have enough trouble on the trains with Japanese men without non-Japanese men adding to it outside the train, thank you. But is that the book's fault? Once again, no, so why blame the book?
Oh, and just a reminder this is a reprint of a earlier book under a new title. Hokkaido Highway Blues was the old title. So if you have that book don't get this one. Otherwise get this one, but don't think it will give you the Answer to Life, the Universe and Everything. Maybe a few insights, like don't eat pizza toast. Oh, and remember it was published in the late 90s, so very outdated by now - don't use it as a tour guide.

Hitching Rides With Buddha is a delightful travelogue through Japan. While living and working in Japan, the author decided to hitchhike from one end of the country to the other following the cherry blossoms as he traveled. He made a solemn pledge to only hitchhike except of course, when he needed to take the ferry from one island to the next. Every now and then however, two gorgeous Japanese girls in short, tight leather skirts driving a red corvette would stop to pick him up when rides were slim.

This book is a hilarious ride across Japan. It is also wonderful insight into its people and culture. I love all things Asian which is surely why I was drawn to this title originally. I have no real recollection of when I came to own this title only that it must have been years ago when I was still freely spending my money on books I would never read. Tucked inside I found a handout from a class on meditation that I took at least 5 years ago. Several Buddhist mantras were written on it so obviously I put the list in what I thought was a safe and very appropriate place. Getting back to yoga and meditation has been on my mind lately.

Anyway Mr. Ferguson was more into drinking good Japanese beer and vodka than yoga, but he did spend time in the many temples, communing with the sea and taking in the beauty of the cherry blossoms. And he had a helluva lot of fun along the way.

Hitching Rides With Buddha is laugh out loud funny, fresh and culturally enlightening. I give it a 4 out of 5. If you have interests in Japan or traveling in general, give this one a try.

Linda C. Wright
Author
One Clown Short

I Like the Canadian slant. See also George and Condi: The Last Decayed: A Collection of Poems from the Last Decade Beaver Tales and a Canada Goosing: Poems Illustrating a Uniquely Canadian Perspective (See ArtisanPacificPublishing Website).