#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
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trial period)


Momentous high-quality
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Helix Sleep premium
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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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