A Journey to Irago and Other Essays

Cold wind drives sand across the shore of Lake Hamana. Two travelers press toward Cape Irago, following beaches and village paths until a rising tide traps them beneath a cliff. Elsewhere, white-clad pilgrims climb Ontake, clouds sweep across its summit, and a descent into Hida leads through deep forest toward unfamiliar hot springs and the lively streets of Takayama.

In these two travel essays, Yoshie Takamatsu observes the hardships and pleasures of journeys on foot with a vivid eye for light, weather, people, and sound. The third essay, On The Iceland Fisherman, explores Pierre Loti’s novel and the sea’s power over lives and imagination, bringing the collection’s landscapes into the world of literature.

These complete essays preserve the movement between immediate experience, remembered childhood, and reflective thought. A new English translation with concise notes on names, historical terms, and the source’s uncertainties makes this distinctive Japanese voice available to readers of travel writing and literary essays. AI-assisted translation, prepared and edited by Valentin Sarić.