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Norrie, Leigh : JAPAN - 6,000 MILES ON A BICYCLE

Printed Matter Press, Tokyo, 2008

ISBN 9781933606149

A crisp clean softcover, no markings throughout, NOT an ex-lib book: This book is not about cycling, but it is. It's not about Japan, but it is. It's not about sightseeing, but it is. In short, this book is about six mo nths of someone's life -- a journey. As with all journeys, it begins with u ncertainty and ends in reward. It may inspire you. If it does nothing more, this adventure will have achieved more than I ever imagined. Editorial Reviews Review In May 2005, Leigh Norrie left his house and went on a bike ride... to the rest of Japan. After a lonely and grueling six months, he'd pedaled 10,000 kilometers through every prefecture, all 41, north to south. On the way he kept a diary of his remarkable odyssey, now published as his first book, Japan 6,000 Miles on a Bicycle; and dedicated the proceeds to his chosen charity: the Chi-ki Children s Foundation. Norrie s mesmeric account of the people and places he encounters uses two classic themes: the diary and the road trip. Unlike many modern travel memoirs there are no tales of gunfights, car-chases, life-or-death poker games, or elicit encounters. His book is more reminiscent of Steinbeck's adorable Travels with Charley, with everyday folk as the cast, and customariness fused with Japan s singular idiosyncrasies making for an exceptionally enticing script. Never snobby, often judgmental, but always frank, Norrie peppers Japan with a brutal insight that meanders between outrage and kindness. Not since Alan Boothe s Roads To Saga has Japan been scoured with such objectivity, anger and affection. Diaries have made a comeback of late, yet their value has always been price, Near Fine

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