Journeys in photographs and words.YouTube

THE BORROWER JOURNEY

To an unfamiliar town,
“I’m home.”

Opening the windows of an old house,
cooking what the land gives in its kitchen,
living an ordinary life in an unfamiliar town:
a record of those journeys, in photos and words.

Start reading
35journeys so farAND THE JOURNEY GOES ON
A traveler at the Nagahama bus stop, with Mt. Fuji and a blue sky behind
Everyday scenery in an unfamiliar town.

Carrying everyday life
into the journey.

Stay. Cook. Walk.Which town next?A JOURNAL OF BORROWED DAYS

PLACES WE’VE CALLED HOME

Open a journey from the map.

Pick a place that catches your eye
and take a peek at the everyday life there.

Destinations in Japan
SEA OF JAPANPACIFIC OCEAN
Numbers show the journeys in each regionPins mark approximate areas.

Map: Natural EarthJourneys abroad are under “Overseas”.

THE TRAVEL JOURNAL

Each borrowed life, one by one.

Scenery, meals, and time spent doing nothing.
Each town, its own day.

All journeys35 EPISODES
Chasing the cherry blossoms across spring Japan.
Tokyo, Kagawa & EhimeNO. 35

Chasing the cherry blossoms across spring Japan.

Flower seasonWatch 8:46
Loach hot pot and Tokyo ramen: more of Asakusa.
Asakusa, TokyoNO. 34

Loach hot pot and Tokyo ramen: more of Asakusa.

Local foodWatch 12:51
An Asakusa food diary that begins at an old coffee house.
Asakusa, TokyoNO. 33

An Asakusa food diary that begins at an old coffee house.

Walking the townWatch 12:53
Winter in Kanazawa, from a townhouse kitchen.
Kanazawa, IshikawaNO. 32

Winter in Kanazawa, from a townhouse kitchen.

Staying in old housesWatch 16:12
Everyday life on Mactan Island.
Cebu, PhilippinesNO. 31

Everyday life on Mactan Island.

By the seaWatch 10:31
Making New Year's Eve soba in a Kyoto townhouse.
KyotoNO. 30

Making New Year's Eve soba in a Kyoto townhouse.

Local foodWatch 10:07
Hualien: the sea and delicious everyday life.
Hualien, TaiwanNO. 29

Hualien: the sea and delicious everyday life.

Walking the townWatch 12:04
Gifts of the sea in a town that looks out on Mt. Fuji.
Numazu, ShizuokaNO. 28

Gifts of the sea in a town that looks out on Mt. Fuji.

By the seaWatch 10:23
Chestnuts, saury and an autumn feast.
Aridagawa, WakayamaNO. 27

Chestnuts, saury and an autumn feast.

Local foodWatch 6:31
Sushi, Cosmos and Ramen.
Aridagawa, WakayamaNO. 26

Sushi, Cosmos and Ramen.

Flower seasonRead
Onomichi ramen and homemade okonomiyaki.
Onomichi, HiroshimaNO. 25

Onomichi ramen and homemade okonomiyaki.

Local foodWatch 5:06
Through the Cat Alley to our house in Onomichi.
Onomichi, HiroshimaNO. 24

Through the Cat Alley to our house in Onomichi.

Walking the townWatch 6:59
Hydrangea season in an old house in Tamba.
Tamba, HyogoNO. 23

Hydrangea season in an old house in Tamba.

Staying in old housesWatch 8:31
Zero minutes to the sea: summer vacation in Kamogawa.
Kamogawa, ChibaNO. 22

Zero minutes to the sea: summer vacation in Kamogawa.

By the seaWatch 9:34
A house in the forest and a southern sea: a day in Kushimoto.
Kushimoto, WakayamaNO. 21

A house in the forest and a southern sea: a day in Kushimoto.

By the seaWatch 10:43
A hundred-year-old house in the town of the Enoden.
Kamakura, KanagawaNO. 20

A hundred-year-old house in the town of the Enoden.

Staying in old housesWatch 4:39
A Kamakura-vegetable breakfast and a walk on Enoshima.
Kamakura, KanagawaNO. 19

A Kamakura-vegetable breakfast and a walk on Enoshima.

Walking the townWatch 6:25
Drawn by the sea breeze and the cats to Sanagi Island.
Sanagi Island, KagawaNO. 18

Drawn by the sea breeze and the cats to Sanagi Island.

Island timeWatch 7:06
A great camphor tree and a garden in the sky: island life in the Seto Inland Sea.
Awashima & Shishijima, KagawaNO. 17

A great camphor tree and a garden in the sky: island life in the Seto Inland Sea.

Island timeWatch 7:02
An apartment in Hsinchu and the steam of the night market.
Hsinchu, TaiwanNO. 16

An apartment in Hsinchu and the steam of the night market.

Local foodWatch 7:02
Borrowing a small house in the Australian countryside.
AustraliaNO. 15

Borrowing a small house in the Australian countryside.

Staying in old housesWatch 7:09
A day in Omihachiman, where boats glide through town.
Omihachiman, ShigaNO. 14

A day in Omihachiman, where boats glide through town.

Walking the townWatch 5:30
Below freezing outside, a fireplace within.
HokkaidoNO. 13

Below freezing outside, a fireplace within.

Staying in old housesWatch 7:19
Island cooking in a traditional Okinawan house.
Motobu, OkinawaNO. 12

Island cooking in a traditional Okinawan house.

Local foodWatch 5:15
Early cherry blossoms and an Okinawan winter.
Motobu, OkinawaNO. 11

Early cherry blossoms and an Okinawan winter.

Flower seasonWatch 5:06
An ordinary morning in a hundred-year-old Kyoto townhouse.
KyotoNO. 10

An ordinary morning in a hundred-year-old Kyoto townhouse.

Staying in old housesWatch 5:45
Boiling breakfast in a hot spring: life in Nozawa.
Nozawa Onsen, NaganoNO. 09

Boiling breakfast in a hot spring: life in Nozawa.

Local foodWatch 5:22
Nachikatsuura: the sea from a fishing-village window.
Nachikatsuura, WakayamaNO. 08

Nachikatsuura: the sea from a fishing-village window.

By the seaWatch 5:54
Living with the sea in the boathouses of Ine.
Ine, KyotoNO. 07

Living with the sea in the boathouses of Ine.

By the seaWatch 4:12
Shimanami Kaido: sea-bream rice and a salty breeze.
Shimanami Kaido, EhimeNO. 06

Shimanami Kaido: sea-bream rice and a salty breeze.

By the seaWatch 7:01
A seaside station and slow time in Futami.
Futami, EhimeNO. 05

A seaside station and slow time in Futami.

By the seaWatch 5:01
A downtown table in a Tokyo row house.
Tsukishima, TokyoNO. 04

A downtown table in a Tokyo row house.

Walking the townWatch 6:33
Lighting the kamado in a house in the sky.
Hamamatsu, ShizuokaNO. 03

Lighting the kamado in a house in the sky.

Staying in old housesWatch 7:51
Autumn leaves in Narai-juku and an autumn table in Shinshu.
Narai-juku, NaganoNO. 02

Autumn leaves in Narai-juku and an autumn table in Shinshu.

Walking the townWatch 6:28
Making sushi with a view of Mt. Fuji.
Numazu, ShizuokaNO. 01

Making sushi with a view of Mt. Fuji.

By the seaWatch 6:15

LITTLE THINGS TO TAKE HOME

Things to bring home
after the journey.

Cook the local flavors once more.
Look a little into the town’s history.
Small cultural notes, right beside each journey.

Read the Aridagawa notes
Mehari-zushi and umeboshi-and-shiso rice balls made in the Aridagawa house01　Local foodGetting to know a town through its kitchen.The thatched-roof farmhouse in Aridagawa, backed by a bamboo grove02　Life and cultureThe time of the land, remembered by a house.

ABOUT THE BORROWER JOURNEY

A little beyond the tourist trail.

Traveling from place to place, borrowing the rich everyday life of each region and its beautiful old Japanese homes. The days we film, now in photos and words, too.

Watch The Borrower Journey