Craig Mod Returns — Epic Walks in Japan, The Art of Slowness, Digital Detox, Publishing “Impossible” Books, and Choosing Beauty Over Scale (#803)

Craig Mod Returns on The Tim Ferriss Show podcast! The post Craig Mod Returns — Epic Walks in Japan, The Art of Slowness, Digital Detox, Publishing “Impossible” Books, and Choosing Beauty Over Scale (#803) appeared first on The Blog of Author Tim Ferriss.

Mar 28, 2025 - 16:18

Craig Mod Returns — Epic Walks in Japan, The Art of Slowness, Digital Detox, Publishing “Impossible” Books, and Choosing Beauty Over Scale (#803)

“I would finish every day on these walks, get in bed, and just feel that was the fullest possible way I could have experienced that day. Given the cards dealt to me of this day, there was no fuller version of this day.”
— Craig Mod

As promised, welcome to round 2 with Craig Mod!

Craig Mod is a writer, photographer, and walker living in Tokyo and Kamakura, Japan. He is the author of Things Become Other Things and Kissa by Kissa. He also writes the newsletters Roden and Ridgeline and has contributed to The New York Times, The Atlantic, Wired, and more.

He’s walked thousands of miles across Japan, and since 2016, he has been co-running “Walk and Talks” with Kevin Kelly in various places around the world: the Cotswolds, Northern Thailand, walking across Bali, Southern China, Japan, Spain (Portuguese and French Caminos), and more. He’s a MacDowell fellow, Virginia Center for Creative Arts fellow, and Ragdale fellow.

In 2023 he wrote an impassioned recommendation of Morioka, Japan, to The New York Times, prompting the paper to rank the city number two (behind London) for “Places to Visit in 2023,” turning Mod into a minor celebrity. He sat for interviews with some forty or fifty newspapers and TV shows, trying to explain the goodness of a city like Morioka to people for whom the goodness is so self-evident that it has become invisible. This whole media dance culminated in his going on a two-day walk around Morioka with one of Japan’s biggest TV stars: the seventy-nine-year-old, sunglasses-wearing Tamori -san, who was lovely (and very tiny!). The response—a total heartfelt reverence for the avuncular Tamori—from people on the street (“Good morning, Tamori -san!,” yelled construction workers from atop their scaffolding) made Mod feel like he was walking with John Lennon. Mod’s moment of celebrity was mercifully short-lived. Nobody recognizes him anymore when he walks around town.

Please enjoy!

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Craig Mod Returns — Epic Walks in Japan, The Art of Slowness, Digital Detox, Publishing “Impossible” Books, and Choosing Beauty Over Scale

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Want to hear round one of this conversation with Craig Mod? Listen here as we discuss Craig’s journey from a post-industrial Connecticut town to Japan, advice for adults who want to pick up the Japanese language, bizarre homestay stories, struggles with spirits of sauce and the supernatural, and much more.

What was your favorite quote or lesson from this episode? Please let me know in the comments.

SELECTED LINKS FROM THE EPISODE

Connect with Craig Mod:

Books and Written Works

Things Become Other Things: A Walking Memoir by Craig Mod
Kissa by Kissa: A 1,000 km Walk Along the Nakasendo by Craig Mod
Roden: A Monthly Newsletter by Craig Mod
Ridgeline: A Weekly Newsletter on Walking, Japan, Literature, and Photography by Craig Mod
Art Space Tokyo: An Intimate Guide to the Tokyo Art World by Ashley Rawlings, Craig Mod, and Nobumasa Takahashi
Walking Across Japan, Disconnected and Bored by Craig Mod
My ‘Rules’ for Running My Membership Program by Craig Mod
The Walk and Talk: Everything We Know by Craig Mod
The End of Children by Gideon Lewis-Kraus | The New Yorker
52 Places to Go (2025 | 2024 | 2023) | The New York Times
New York Times Pick 2025: Toyama and Noto by Craig Mod
Yamaguchi City — My ‘New York Times’ Pick This Year by Craig Mod
The Morioka Experience by Craig Mod
Oku No Hosomichi by Matsuo Bashō
Silo Series by Hugh Howey
Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life by Anne Lamott
Cloud Atlas: A Novel by David Mitchell
Number9Dream: A Novel by David Mitchell
Ghostwritten by David Mitchell
Black Swan Green by David Mitchell
The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet: A Novel by David Mitchell

Movies and TV Shows

People

Wim Wenders: German filmmaker (Perfect Days, Tokyo-Ga).
Yasujirō Ozu: Influential Japanese filmmaker known for quiet family dramas, contemporary of Kurosawa.
Akira Kurosawa: Famous Japanese filmmaker (Seven Samurai).
Matsuo Bashō: Most famous poet of the Edo period in Japan, known for haiku and his travelogue Oku no Hosomichi.
John McBride: Craig Mod’s older mentor, former Monbukagakusho scholar, CEO of Sky TV, tea ceremony expert, accomplished walker, fluent in high-level Japanese. Huge influence on Craig’s walking and interaction style.
Brad Towle: Canadian man on the JET program in Tanabe City, key figure in promoting the Nakahechi trail in English.
Rupert Murdoch: Mentioned as founder connected to Sky TV.
Masayoshi Son: CEO of SoftBank, mentioned as an acquaintance of John McBride.
David Spector: Mentioned as an example of a gaijin tarento (foreign celebrity) in Japan during the ’90s.
Kevin Kelly: Writer, co-founder of Wired, friend and walking partner of Craig Mod (Walk & Talks). Encouraged Craig in various ventures.
Dan Rubin: Photographer friend who walked Kumano Kodo with Craig and co-created a photo book.
Hugh Howey: Author (Silo series/Wool), walked Kumano Kodo with Craig and Kevin Kelly.
Anne Lamott: Author of Bird by Bird.
Noah Kagan: Friend of Tim Ferriss, mentioned regarding skepticism about chasing scale.
gray318 (Jon Gray): Designer (known for Zadie Smith covers) who provided feedback to Craig.
Zadie Smith: Author whose book covers Jon Gray designed.
Bryan: Craig Mod’s childhood best friend who was murdered; a central figure in the book Things Become Other Things.
Terry Gross: Host of NPR’s “Fresh Air,” mentioned as a platform often requiring traditional publisher backing.
Andy Ward: Publisher/President of Random House, editor of George Saunders, involved in acquiring Craig’s book.
George Saunders: Author admired by Craig Mod, edited by Andy Ward.
Molly Turpin: Craig Mod’s editor at Random House for Things Become Other Things.
Brandon Sanderson: Author mentioned regarding securing specific book rights (leather-bound editions).
Gideon Lewis-Kraus: Writer mentioned for an article on Korea’s declining birthrate.
Tamori (Tamori-san): Extremely famous, long-running Japanese TV celebrity who did a walking special in Morioka with Craig Mod.
Neil Strauss: Writer, mentioned as a user of the Freedom software.
Jack Kornfield: Meditation teacher and author who knows a thing or two about self-compassion.
David Mitchell: Author (Cloud Atlas, etc.), admired Craig’s book Things Become Other Things and provided a blurb/email.

Places

Tokyo: Capital city. Mentioned contexts: Shinjuku, Kabukichō, Golden Gai, starting point for walks, setting for films.
Kii Peninsula: Location of Kumano Kodo, Koyasan.
Koyasan: Shingon Buddhist center on Kii Peninsula, location of significant graveyard (Okunoin).
Nara Prefecture: The cradle of Japanese civilization.
Wakayama Prefecture: Prefecture that invested heavily in promoting the Nakahechi trail.
Tanabe City: City in Wakayama Prefecture involved in Nakahechi promotion.
Yamagata: Prefecture containing Dewa Sanzan.
Dewa Sanzan: Three sacred mountains in Yamagata, known for syncretism.
Edo: Former name for Tokyo.
Palo Alto: Where Craig lived briefly.
Pacifica: A place where Craig walked with Kevin Kelly.
Kyoto: Historic city, destination of Nakasendo/Tōkaidō, location of Vipassana retreat Craig attended.
Saitama, Nagano, Gifu: Prefectures along the Nakasendo route.
Korea: Mentioned for its extremely low birthrate.
Midsize Japanese Cities (from “Tiny Barber Post Office” Tour): Hakodate, Morioka, Sakata, Matsumoto, Tsuruga, Onomichi, Yamaguchi, Karatsu, Kagoshima, Matsuyama.
Morioka: City in Iwate Prefecture (Tohoku region), recommended by Craig, ranked #2 on NYT 52 Places list (2023), leading to media attention and walk with Tamori.
Iwate Prefecture: Location of Morioka.
Tohoku: Northern region of Japan.
Sendai, Fukushima: Other cities on the Tohoku Shinkansen line.
Asheville: US city used as a comparison point for Morioka.
Yamaguchi City: Recommended by Craig, ranked #3 on NYT list (2024). Contains Yuda Onsen (Sansuien Inn). Starting point for Hagi Ōkan walk.
Hagi City: Destination of Hagi Ōkan walk.
Yuda Onsen: Onsen town within Yamaguchi City.
Sansuien Inn: Specific recommended inn in Yuda Onsen.
Mount Hiei: Location associated with the Marathon Monks.
Toyama City: Recommended by Craig for NYT list (2025).
Osaka: Mentioned relative to Toyama’s ranking, hosting Expo.
Southern China, Thailand, Bali, England (Cotswold Way, Lake District), Spain (Camino de Santiago): Locations of Craig’s walks outside Japan, often with Kevin Kelly.
Nagasaki (Dejima): Historical trading post, setting for David Mitchell’s book.
Hiroshima: City where David Mitchell lived.

Walks, Routes, and Trails

Oku no Hosomichi: Famous trail/journey undertaken by Bashō, later walked by John McBride.
Tōkaidō: Major historical road connecting Edo (Tokyo) and Kyoto along the coast. Also the name of a Shinkansen line. Walked by John McBride, Craig Mod.
Shikoku Pilgrimage: Route around Shikoku island, walked by John McBride.
Kumano Kodo: Network of pilgrimage trails on the Kii Peninsula, UNESCO World Heritage site. Includes specific trails: Kohechi, Nakahechi, Ohechi, Iseji, Omine Okugake Michi.
Camino de Santiago: Famous pilgrimage trail in Spain, sister trail to Kumano Kodo, UNESCO site. Walked by Craig.
Dewa Sanzan: Pilgrimage route involving three mountains in Yamagata.
Nakasendo: Major historical inland road connecting Edo (Tokyo) and Kyoto through the mountains. Walked extensively by Craig.
Hime Kaidō: “Princess Route,” a detour on the Tōkaidō.
Hagi Ōkan: Two-day walk connecting Yamaguchi City and Hagi City.
Wainwright Coast to Coast: Walk across Northern England from the Lake District.
Cotswold Way: Walk in England, done twice by Craig with Kevin Kelly’s groups.

Institutions, Organizations, Companies, Software, and Platforms

Tokyo Toilet: Public art/infrastructure project in Tokyo, possible inspiration for Perfect Days.
Monbukagakusho (MEXT): Japanese Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology; offered scholarships (John McBride was a recipient).
UNESCO: United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization. Designated Kumano Kodo and Camino de Santiago as World Heritage Pilgrimage trails.
(Japan Exchange and Teaching Program (JET): Program placing foreign nationals (often as English teachers) in Japan, usually outside major cities. Brad participated.
Sky TV: Satellite television network; John McBride was CEO in Japan.
SoftBank: Japanese multinational conglomerate; John McBride knew CEO Son-san.
Kickstarter: Crowdfunding platform used for Art Space Tokyo reprint.
Apple TV: Streaming platform airing the Silo adaptation.
Craig Mod Membership Program: Craig’s community funding his work, discussed extensively regarding its rules and philosophy.
Wired Magazine: Publication that published Craig’s essay.
Freedom (.to): Website blocking software used by Craig and Neil Strauss.
Penguin Random House: Major publishing house that published Things Become Other Things.
Mack Press: UK-based photo book publisher mentioned for context on typical art book print runs.
Ancestry.com: DNA testing and genealogy company where Craig matched with his birth mother.
23andMe: DNA testing company Craig initially used.
Instagram: Social media platform mentioned re: Teemus Photo.
Teemusphoto.com: Website recommended for nighttime Japan photography.
YouTube: Video platform.
Substack: Newsletter/publishing platform.
Memberful: Membership software platform.
Patreon: Membership/creator funding platform.
SMS Experiment Tool: Custom one-to-many SMS tool Craig built for his walk.
iOS Shortcuts / Siri: Apple features used by Craig for voice dictation while walking.
Shopify: E-commerce platform used by Craig for Craigstarter.
Craigstarter: Craig’s self-built Kickstarter clone.
Google Translate: Mentioned by Tim Ferriss as helpful for non-Japanese speakers.

Concepts

Six-Tatami-Mat Room: A small traditional Japanese room size, Craig lived in one for years. Used as a visual reference via Perfect Days.
Tatami Mat: Traditional Japanese flooring mat, used historically as a unit for room size.
Syncretism: The blending or coexistence of different religions/beliefs, specifically Shinto and Buddhism in Japan.
Meiji Restoration: Historical period (~1868 onward) marking the end of the Shogunate, restoration of imperial rule, modernization, and forced separation of Shinto and Buddhism.
Shukubo: The practice of staying overnight at a Buddhist temple.
Shogunate / Daimyo: Feudal military government / feudal lords in Japan.
Tea Ceremony (Chanoyu): Traditional Japanese cultural activity involving the preparation and presentation of matcha; practiced extensively by John McBride.
Keigo: Japanese polite language, involving different levels of respect and humility.
Gaijin Tarento: Foreign celebrities or personalities featured in Japanese media.
Craig’s Walking Rules: Craig’s personal rules for his long walks (no news/social media, cultivate boredom, don’t teleport/distract, say hello, arbitrary photo goals, pre-book logistics).
Vipassana Retreat: Silent meditation retreat focused on observing reality as it is; Craig attended a 10-day retreat.
Shugyo: Ascetic spiritual training, often involving physical hardship.
Yamabushi: Japanese mountain ascetics.
Bobbing Consciousness: Craig’s term for the feeling achieved after many days of walking long distances.
Sankin-kōtai: Edo-period policy requiring daimyo to spend alternate years in Edo, necessitating road infrastructure like the Nakasendo and Tōkaidō.
Shōshika Mondai: Societal issue of declining birthrates in Japan.
Kōreika Shakai: Societal issue of an aging population in Japan.
Kissaten: Traditional, often Showa-era, Japanese coffee shops/cafes.
Shōwa Era: Period of Japanese history from 1926-1989.
Pizza Toast: Simple dish often served in kissaten (toast with tomato sauce, cheese, etc.).
Napolitan Spaghetti: Simple pasta dish often served in kissaten (spaghetti with ketchup-based sauce).
Product-Market Fit (PMF): Business concept regarding a product satisfying market demand.
Jeffersonian Dinner: Dinner format with a single group conversation, used on the Walk & Talks.
Shinto: Indigenous Japanese religion/spirituality.
Buddhism: Religion practiced widely in Japan.
Konbini: Japanese convenience store.
Haiku: Japanese poetic form associated with Bashō.

SHOW NOTES

[00:00:00] Start.
[00:07:25] More than a decade of Perfect Days in a six-tatami mat room.
[00:10:44] The first steps of Craig’s huge walks: exploring Tokyo’s nightlife.
[00:17:33] Discovering pilgrimage trails with John McBride.
[00:22:49] What’s so appealing about pilgrimage trails?
[00:31:25] Learning politeness and language in Japan.
[00:40:09] An invitation from Kevin Kelly.
[00:41:23] The birth of a photo book.
[00:42:50] The big solo walks begin.
[00:43:53] Launching a membership program.
[00:44:58] The Nakasendō experience.
[00:50:01] Craig’s rules for walking.
[00:51:04] The Vipassana influence.
[01:00:43] Logistics of walking in Japan.
[01:09:03] Depopulation and pizza toast.
[01:13:42] How Kissa by Kissa came to be (and its unexpected success).
[01:16:34] Kicking off Craigstarter.
[01:17:47] The pièce de résistance membership strategy.
[01:18:41] Finding product-market fit.
[01:19:12] The importance of sustainable scale.
[01:19:50] Membership community rules.
[01:27:15] Navigating the publishing world.
[01:38:37] Promoting midsize cities in Japan as a wild and strange celebrity.
[01:52:50] The economic and cultural effects of this promotion.
[01:54:46] Hidden gems and walks in Japan.
[01:56:56] Walking beyond Japan.
[01:59:47] Craig was a Mod before you was a mod.
[02:00:47] How Craig reconnected with his birth family.
[02:19:32] Reflections and future plans.
[02:23:00] Parting thoughts.

MORE CRAIG MOD QUOTES FROM THE INTERVIEW

“I would finish every day on these walks, get in bed, and just feel that was the fullest possible way I could have experienced that day. Given the cards dealt to me of this day, there was no fuller version of this day.”
— Craig Mod

“I love my scale because it’s sustainable. It gives me total creative freedom.”
— Craig Mod

“If you spend 30 days doing that physical activity every day to that degree, your body changes. You become what I call a bobbing consciousness. By day 20, 25 on the road where you’re walking 20, 30, 40k, your legs are just so powerful.”
— Craig Mod

“One of the weirdest things about being a contemporary human is, first of all, we’re never bored because we always have this stupid Black Mirror slab in our pocket that’s always distracting us with some other dopamine hit.”
— Craig Mod

The post Craig Mod Returns — Epic Walks in Japan, The Art of Slowness, Digital Detox, Publishing “Impossible” Books, and Choosing Beauty Over Scale (#803) appeared first on The Blog of Author Tim Ferriss.