#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 (craigmod.com) is a writer, photographer, and walker living in Tokyo and Kamakura, Japan. He is the author of Things Become Other Things (amazon.com/Things-Become-Other-Walking-Memoir/…) and Kissa by Kissa (shop.specialprojects.jp/products/kissa-by-kiss…). He also writes the newsletters Roden (craigmod.com/roden) and Ridgeline (craigmod.com/roden) 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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