Things Become Other Things
A Memoir of Walking Japan
Published by Random House — 2025
“Luminous, poignant, unflinching and kind, Things Become Other Things reads like a future classic of its genre.”
— David Mitchell, author of Cloud Atlas
“Mod takes the reader along on an epic, exquisitely detailed journey, on foot, through a rural Japan few of us are likely to experience. Uniquely unforgettable.”
— William Gibson, author of Neuromancer
For lifelong walkers and Japan-lovers who crave a trip off the tourist map, Things Become Other Things is a photo-rich narrative highlighting the history of the Kumano Kodō, and showing how backlanes on a hinterlands peninsula become portals to countryside culture.
Fine editions from SPECIAL PROJECTS
Printed and bound in Japan
I'm the author of several books including Things Become Other Things (SP 2023, Random House 2025), and Kissa by Kissa (SP 2020).
Much of my writing chronicles my giant walks across Japan, a country that has been my home since 2000.
Just to prove I'm not some total nudnik: I also write for The New York Times, The Atlantic, Eater, and other "big, fancy" publications.
Want even more dorky, formal status callouts? Sure: I've been a MacDowell, VCCA, Tin House, and Ragdale writing fellow.
(In the end, the only thing that matters is the quality and care of work you put out into the world.)
My books occupy the intersection between "classic photography books," narrative non-fiction essays, and auto-fiction (to use that kinda cursed moniker).
My rules: Lightness above weightiness, elevate everyone you encounter.
Anyway, thanks for visiting my little nook on the web. And please consider subscribing to my newsletters:
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Published Essays
I publish a bunch of essays and articles on this site, but also elsewhere. A selection:
- “A Long Walk in a Fading Corner of Japan”, The New York Times (2022)
- “Last of the Kumano Kodō Kissaten”, Japan Times (2021)
- “The Glorious, Almost-Disconnected Boredom of My Walk in Japan”, WIRED, (2019)
- “The Healing Power of Code”, WIRED (2021)
- “How I Mastered the Art of Ventilating my Home”, The Atlantic (2020)
- “The Facebook-Loving Farmers of Myanmar”, The Atlantic (2016)
Pizza Toast
I made a little film on pizza toast and kissaten culture:
Preceding that film, the 1st ed. of my new book, Kissa by Kissa (2020), sold out in 48 hours. The 2nd ed. sold out in May, 2021. The third edition is also sold out (August, 2022). And now, unbelievably, we're on a fourth fifth edition!
You can watch a short documentary I made on the making of this book:
The campaign was run on Shopify using my open source crowdfunding templates — Craigstarter. Please let me know if you use them!
I run a membership program called SPECIAL PROJECTS and it provides the emotional and financial backbone for almost all of the work I do. SP members get access to all sorts of SPECIAL stuff (work livestreams, "board member" meetings, members-only podcasts, and more).