Kissa by Kissa

I have a habit of listening to Tim Ferriss when I do my morning walks. One morning I chose an episode because it mentioned the Nakasendo, which was my destination in a couple of months.

That was how I came across Craig Mod.

One thing led to another, and I found Kissa by Kissa, an earlier book he had published about the kissaten he encountered during his walks in Japan.

I wanted a copy, but it was only available on his website and it was super expensive. More than $100.

I didn’t really know what it was, or why it was worth so much.

So I parked it aside.

Then I went on the Nakasendo walk. Somewhere along the trail, something clicked. Why not order the book in Japan and get them to deliver it to me in Tokyo?

So, somewhere on the Nakasendo trail, I multi-tasked and ordered Kissa by Kissa.

Thank God it arrived in Tokyo a few days before I returned to Singapore.

I opened it and was blown away. It was the most beautiful book I possess. The cloth cover. The visible thread binding. The enormous margins around the photographs and text. Someone had clearly cared about how this book was made.

It opened my eyes to what a book could be.