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

Craig Mod Returns! Craig 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.

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Timestamps:

[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.

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