Following the Path with Matsuo Bashō’s The Narrow Road to the Deep North

This week’s Tuesday Book Club is a quiet one—a chance to slow down, breathe, and walk a little way alongside one of Japan’s greatest poets. We’re reading The Narrow Road to the Deep North and Other Travel Sketches by Matsuo Bashō, a beautiful blend of prose and haiku that captures fleeting moments from a lifetime of travel.

It’s not a long book. You could read it in an afternoon. But like any good journey, it lingers.

What’s The Narrow Road to the Deep North about?

Written in the late 17th century, Bashō’s travel sketches aren’t about reaching a destination. They’re about observing the world along the way—temples in the rain, mountain paths, quiet inns, and the occasional brush with old friends or local legends. Each short passage is paired with haiku, giving the writing a rhythm that feels both ancient and immediate.

There’s no grand narrative arc. Instead, there’s space. Stillness. Small revelations. It’s the kind of book that invites you to read a few lines, pause, and maybe just sit with your thoughts for a moment.

Why it still feels so fresh

Bashō wrote more than 300 years ago, but his eye for detail and feeling is sharp and surprisingly modern. He was writing about impermanence before it became a buzzword, about nature before we talked about “reconnection”, and about solitude without ever sounding lonely.

It’s also a reminder that travel doesn’t need to be dramatic or far-flung to be meaningful. Sometimes it’s just about noticing the season turning, the light changing, the sound of your own footsteps on a narrow path.

Let’s talk about it

Have you read Bashō before? Did a particular haiku stay with you? And what does slow travel—or slow reading—mean to you these days?

Join the conversation at #TuesdayBookClub and #MatsuoBasho on X (formerly Twitter) and Bluesky. Whether this is your first time with Bashō or a return journey, we’d love to know what you think.