A Transformative 300-mile Walk Along Japans Ancient Pilgrimage Routes And Through Depopulating Villages Inspires A Heartrending Remembrance Of A Long-lost Friend, Documented In Poignant, Imaginative Prose And Remarkable Photography.photographer And Essayist Craig Mod Is A Veteran Of Long Solo Walks. But In 2021, During The Pandemic Shutdown Of Japans Borders, One Particular Walk Around The Kumano Kodo Routesthe Ancient Pilgrimage Paths Of Japans Southern Kii Peninsulatook On An Unexpectedly Personal New Significance. Mod Found Himself Reflecting On His Own Childhood In A Post-industrial American Town, His Experiences As An Adoptee, His Unlikely Relocation To Japan At Nineteen, And His Relationship With One Lost Friend, Whose Life Was Tragically Cut Short After Their Paths Diverged.