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The Traveling Tree
First published in 1994, and reprinted 57 times (with half a million copies sold), The Travelling Tree by world renowned photographer Michio Hoshino is a literary classic of nature writing. In this enduringly popular collection, naturalist, mystic and adventurer Michio Hoshino recounts his experiences with the wildlife and reflects on and our place within it.
Michio Hoshino's life was changed after coming across a book containing an aerial photograph of the tiny Inupuiak (Eskimo) village, Shishmaref, in a used bookstore in Tokyo. The teenager was immediately enchanted by this tiny cluster of dwellings on the Arctic Sea. What sort of people lived in such a desolate place, seemingly at the ends of the Earth? The photograph intrigued him so much that he decided to write a letter asking if he could visit the village. Not knowing to whom he should address the letter, he made it out to simply, "Mayor, Shishmaref." To his surprise, he received a response from an Inupiak family willing to host him and spent the next summer, at the age of 19, immersed in their way of life.
After this introduction to Alaska, Hoshino was smitten with America's northernmost state and dedicated the remainder of his life to photographing and writing about it. The Travelling Tree is a collection of his writing published at the peak of his artistic prowess, only two years before his career was tragically cut short at the age of 43 by a fatal bear attack while on a shoot in the Kamchatka Peninsula.
The Travelling Tree has gained increasing popularity in the more than 20 years since Hoshino's untimely death. His work has been featured in numerous Japanese television specials and documentaries and an exhibition of his photography has travelled to cities and communities across Japan.
Michio Hoshino's life was changed after coming across a book containing an aerial photograph of the tiny Inupuiak (Eskimo) village, Shishmaref, in a used bookstore in Tokyo. The teenager was immediately enchanted by this tiny cluster of dwellings on the Arctic Sea. What sort of people lived in such a desolate place, seemingly at the ends of the Earth? The photograph intrigued him so much that he decided to write a letter asking if he could visit the village. Not knowing to whom he should address the letter, he made it out to simply, "Mayor, Shishmaref." To his surprise, he received a response from an Inupiak family willing to host him and spent the next summer, at the age of 19, immersed in their way of life.
After this introduction to Alaska, Hoshino was smitten with America's northernmost state and dedicated the remainder of his life to photographing and writing about it. The Travelling Tree is a collection of his writing published at the peak of his artistic prowess, only two years before his career was tragically cut short at the age of 43 by a fatal bear attack while on a shoot in the Kamchatka Peninsula.
The Travelling Tree has gained increasing popularity in the more than 20 years since Hoshino's untimely death. His work has been featured in numerous Japanese television specials and documentaries and an exhibition of his photography has travelled to cities and communities across Japan.
198 pages, Kindle Edition
First published August 1, 1995
21 people are currently reading
199 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
December 10, 2024
Ante todo, decir que este libro está muy bien. Es interesante, bonito y fluye su lectura. Sencillamente, no es lo mío este tipo de literatura. Pero, sin duda, tiene y tendrá su público.
November 3, 2024
Naturaleza, personas y bonitas reflexiones. De esos libros que te encuentras por casualidad y son una maravilla. Un gran hombre Michio.
January 7, 2026
A truly delightful book to read.
September 1, 2025
This book is necessary for remembering important things. It is a series of stories separated like a diary, but they all seem to connect as a story.
January 4, 2026
( I read this is in original Japanese, so I cannot vouch for translation quality )
If I were to choose a book to take with me on a reading retreat in the woods, away from the hustle and bustle of everyday life, I’d take this one. Since I didn’t have such a plan, I read it one chapter a day before bed, and it turned out to be a wonderful reading experience.
It’s a collection of journal entries written in 1994, so the Alaska he describes in this book may be a little different from today’s. He probably didn’t think much back then about how important this book would become in the face of climate change. There is no agenda in his writing. Just his love for Alaska and its wild nature.
The author’s words are expressed in simple, straightforward sentences, yet they come across as so genuine and pure that it felt as if he were writing letters directly to me. I was surprised by how deeply I was affected by his awe and respect for the narural world. It was delightful to feel how his view of the world, life, and human nature is connected to the gifts of the earth.
Although it is non-fiction, this is a book for vibe readers rather than analytical ones. I hope some of you read it and join me in appreciating the beauty of this book 😊
If I were to choose a book to take with me on a reading retreat in the woods, away from the hustle and bustle of everyday life, I’d take this one. Since I didn’t have such a plan, I read it one chapter a day before bed, and it turned out to be a wonderful reading experience.
It’s a collection of journal entries written in 1994, so the Alaska he describes in this book may be a little different from today’s. He probably didn’t think much back then about how important this book would become in the face of climate change. There is no agenda in his writing. Just his love for Alaska and its wild nature.
The author’s words are expressed in simple, straightforward sentences, yet they come across as so genuine and pure that it felt as if he were writing letters directly to me. I was surprised by how deeply I was affected by his awe and respect for the narural world. It was delightful to feel how his view of the world, life, and human nature is connected to the gifts of the earth.
Although it is non-fiction, this is a book for vibe readers rather than analytical ones. I hope some of you read it and join me in appreciating the beauty of this book 😊
December 30, 2025
Actually read the hardcover, but Goodreads is pretending the hardcover isn't published??? Like, what am I holding in my hands rn, lil' bro???
Anyway, I quite enjoyed this. I've grown to appreciate long, flowery (in a good way!) descriptions - or even odes - of nature and its wonders, the way it reveals so much of the human mind. The tug and pull between them has grown more fascinating over the years, and I approve of any writer making note of that, giving us their take on this fraught relationship.
Anyway, I quite enjoyed this. I've grown to appreciate long, flowery (in a good way!) descriptions - or even odes - of nature and its wonders, the way it reveals so much of the human mind. The tug and pull between them has grown more fascinating over the years, and I approve of any writer making note of that, giving us their take on this fraught relationship.
February 17, 2024
星野道夫这人很有趣，他笔下的阿拉斯加更有趣，不，是他笔下的世界或者他看到的世界更有趣。因为他是个用尽全力在认真生活的人，纯粹到极致。就像他说的，“如果人的心里真有肌肉，那我心里的肌肉一定是饱满而滚烫的”。
November 19, 2024
偷窺別人的日記，卻發現走進了北極。原住民看待自然的視角和我們真的不同嗎？同一時間在閱讀《達爾文事變》，說著「如果沒有對自身產生不便，為何不做一個素食者，哪怕嘗試一週也好」；這本書說生命的本質就是吃與被吃，要有儀式的吃，認真的吃。思考了許久放棄了，我覺得我只要做到「我想時時刻刻在內心的某個角落感覺到與匆忙的人類日常生活同步流動的另一種時間」就好了。
May 1, 2025
No es un formato que acostumbre leer, pese a ser corto, se me ha hecho largo y pesado
August 6, 2025
Increíble. Es un libro especial que recomiendo a todo el mundo.
March 24, 2023
能感觉到隐约的死亡气息，读到最后才知道这本书出版一年后作者就去世了。
他写到了自己从一个旅行者开始，到决意成为居住者，与这个拒大多数人于门外的世界融为一体的变化。比较珍贵的是他没有抱着评判性的视角去看待自然和原始部族的人（虽然我相信他是有清晰的伦理观的），也对其中残酷和现实的一面很清醒，吸引他的始终是这个世界里精彩震撼人心的部分。
经历了许多友人的死，我想他对自己的死并非没有预感，这是同类的心照不宣。为了体验不同时空的共存，死亡也许只是没有开始也没有尽头的旅途的最终延长线，在这个意义上他的生命和他笔下漂洋过海出现在并不生长树木的苔原上的旅行之木有一种暗合。
地名和动植物的注释挺严谨，但翻译的语言在某些地方有点怪。值得读原版。
他写到了自己从一个旅行者开始，到决意成为居住者，与这个拒大多数人于门外的世界融为一体的变化。比较珍贵的是他没有抱着评判性的视角去看待自然和原始部族的人（虽然我相信他是有清晰的伦理观的），也对其中残酷和现实的一面很清醒，吸引他的始终是这个世界里精彩震撼人心的部分。
经历了许多友人的死，我想他对自己的死并非没有预感，这是同类的心照不宣。为了体验不同时空的共存，死亡也许只是没有开始也没有尽头的旅途的最终延长线，在这个意义上他的生命和他笔下漂洋过海出现在并不生长树木的苔原上的旅行之木有一种暗合。
地名和动植物的注释挺严谨，但翻译的语言在某些地方有点怪。值得读原版。
December 27, 2018
20181227
#旅をする木 #星野道夫 さん #再読中
グレイシャーの手前であまりの壮大さに立ち竦む自分が目に浮かぶ。実際に前にしたら私はどうなってしまうのだろう。カリブー、ムース、ワタリガラス。星野道夫さんの言葉には只々圧倒される。冬の静かな夜に読みたい本。
#旅をする木 #星野道夫 さん #再読中
グレイシャーの手前であまりの壮大さに立ち竦む自分が目に浮かぶ。実際に前にしたら私はどうなってしまうのだろう。カリブー、ムース、ワタリガラス。星野道夫さんの言葉には只々圧倒される。冬の静かな夜に読みたい本。
March 12, 2023
A really good read, would take it with me when I visit Alaska some day.
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews