#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. Sponsors: Shopify global commerce platform, providing tools to start, grow, market, and manage a retail business: https://shopify.com/tim (one-dollar-per-month trial period) Momentous high-quality supplements: https://livemomentous.com/tim (code TIM for 20% off) Helix Sleep premium mattresses: https://HelixSleep.com/Tim (Between 20% and 27% off all mattress orders and two free pillows) 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. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .