Heritage

Matsuo Basho is Japan's most famous writer and haiku master. (For those unfamiliar with haiku, it is a form of poetry originating in Japan, pertaining to themes of nature, composed of 17 syllables in a 5-7-5 pattern.) Every Japanese knows Basho's masterpiece, Oku no Hosomichi (The Narrow Road to the Far North), a travel narrative combining haiku with descriptions of the places and people he meets on a 1,200-mile journey through northern Honshu in 1689.

On assignment for the National Geographic (On the Trail of a Ghost, January 2008), I was lucky enough to follow in Basho's footsteps, using his famous book as my guide. My job was to retrace Basho's route through pictures to bring his haiku verses to life. It was fortunate for me that the poet traveled in Tohoku, one of Japan's lesser-known beauty spots, where there are still plenty of pristine places to focus on.

Basho's itinerary conveys a rare combination of history and discovery. The remote reaches of Tohoku described in his writings remain the area's most popular attractions today. In fact, Basho's trail, which covers all the highlights of the region in a sort of 'greatest hits circuit', is the best way to tour Tohoku.

First there is the great shrine of Nikko and the beautiful Urami no Taki (Waterfall Viewed from Behind), where Basho wrote several poems. Then come the pine-clad islands of Matsushima, one of Japan's three most famous natural landscapes, where Basho described the moon-glow playing on the waters.

On to Hiraizumi, the premiere historical and cultural attraction of Tohoku and a major relic of Heian art and architecture. Next a boat ride down the Mogami River brings travelers to the three sacred mountains of Dewasanzan, home of the yamabushi, mountain ascetics who in Basho's day wandered the mountain forest's cedar-lined paths, now sprinkled with tea houses.

The next stop is the rugged coastline of the Japan Sea, with its fantastic rock formations and wind-blown weathered pine trees. This torturous winding road leads to Kanazawa, with its famous Japanese garden, Kenrokuen and its twisted pine trees meticulously sculpted by man to mimic those growing naturally along the coast.

The entire journey conveys the essence of Basho - being "at one with nature" - and today, three hundred years later, communicates this sentiment as powerfully as ever.