Will Ferguson and I have something in common: we both lived in Japan and taught ESL on the Jet Programme. On his website he is quoted as saying "I planned on staying one year to clear up some debts and get a break from film. I ended up staying five years and forgetting all about my original career plans." I too went to Japan with the intention of paying off debts (my undergrad student loan). After three years I had accomplished that. Like Ferguson, I had also abandoned my initial career plans after my time in Japan.
In Hitching Rides With Buddha, Ferguson documents his journey of hitchhiking through Japan. His trek earned him the title of being the first person to ever follow Japan's "Cherry Blossom Front" as it moved north across the Japanese archipelago, from Cape Sata in the south, to Cape Soya in the north. The journey ended on Rishiri Island off the coast of Siberia.
I took a long time to read this book because it was quite simply a book I hated to finish. Ferguson’s endless tales of humorous encounters that almost always had cultural differences or language barriers at the source propelled me back to my three years in Tottori. It brought back memories of my friends there, the students I taught, and the trips I made. It brought me back to a different time and place – a chapter of my life I don’t often get to visit.
“That night I lay awake looking at the ceiling, thinking about people and places. I remembered friends I hadn’t thought of in years. I tried to make sense of my trip, my past. But it was all jumbled together like a box of slides that had fallen over and then been thrown back together, out of order. The images flashed upon the screen without rhyme or reason. Landscapes. Faces. Sunsets. Airplane wings. Tourist snapshots mixed in with still-life portraits of flowers.” - Will Ferguson
Half way through the book, I realized that Ferguson rarely even mentions or acknowledges the cherry blossoms. Following the Sakura front provided a reason for the trip but like so many of life's grand experiences, the trip ended up being so much more then what he had originally planned for. International experiences such as this are life changing. Ferguson did what so many others have done – including me. He simply took his time in Japan one more step further. And that is what makes him and his story so unique.
For anyone who has lived in Japan or spent any considerable amount of time there, this book is a must read.
