Nicolas Bouvier was an image merchant and photographer as well as a writer. The Eland edition of Japanese Chronicles will be accompanied by many of his startling images of Japan. The Japanese Chronicles is a distillation of Bouvier's lifelong quest for Japan and his many travels, so that the reader is able to discover the country through the eyes of both a passionate young man, the sensual appeciation of a middle-aged artist and the serenity of an experience writer. 'Like other great literature, [Bouvier's] Chronicles pulls the reader into a timeless dimension where all is transformed and there is no separation between the reader and the work' - San Francisco Review of Books . 'Some of the most resonant and perceptive travel writing in recent years'. - Kirkus Reviews . 'Bouvier's distinguished accomplishments have culminated here in a book that succeeds in transforming personal experiences into a series of epiphanies for the reader'. - Booklist .