世界の路地裏１００ (Sekai no Rojiura 100) by Nozomu Kato, pictures by P.I.E. Tsushinsha (PIE Books) Japanese text only

There was a time when I was hooked on picking up photography books. I enjoyed looking at pictures of mostly landscapes and beautiful scenery. I bought a series of books published by PIE Books titled 世界の名景・絶景 55 (Sekai no Meiki・Zekkei) which translates to “Famous and Spectacular Views of the World”. Each book had a theme -  waterside views, landscapes, sceneries with buildings, scenes seen in a movie, legendary scenes, and sceneries around unexplored areas and featured fifty-five different spots. There are more in the series but these were the titles I bought; however, when I purchased the books, my Japanese reading ability was still below par so I could only enjoy the pictures and could only guess at what might be written.

After living in Japan for nearly thirty years and studying Japanese on my own, my reading ability has improved to the point where I can read manga without furigana and have even managed to read some novels as well. It still takes me a long time to complete  a novel but I thought I would revisit a book my wife bought me for my birthday. 

The book I received was 世界の裏路地１００ (Sekai no Uraroji 100). This translates to “The Back Alleys of the World”. Various photographers working for PIE News Agency, a Japanese publisher, traveled the world and instead of taking photos of the most well known tourist attractions, they traveled through the back roads and alleys of ten countries around the world.

The majority of countries featured in the book are in Europe - France, Spain, Italy, Greece, Germany, Portugal, the Czech Republic, and England. The other two countries featured are Mexico and South Korea. The photos are both in color and in black and white. Text is provided for each country and was written by Nozomu Kato. 

A major portion of the photos were taken in different cities in Spain including Altea, Mijas, Sienna, Cordoba, Sevilla, Frigiliana and Barcelona. The second most featured country are the islands of Greece. Most forms of public transportation are forbidden. The book gives you a chance to armchair travel around the islands of Skyros, Rhodes, Mykonos and others. 

Featured cities of France include Lyon and Nice. In Italy, you will travel the canals of Venice and the backroads and alleys of Sienna. You will also enjoy the views of the island of Burano. 

There are a few pictures taken in Prague, the capital city of the Czech Republic, and a few views of old downtown Seoul in South Korea. In London, England, you won’t find any pictures of Buckingham Palace, Big Ben, or Windsor Castle but you will get to check out the facades of different English pubs. It will make you want to go in for a pint. 

Some readers might not consider photography books as a “real” book but most of them include texts to describe the places and things that are pictured. It may inspire you to take your own pictures while on vacation as well. It’s been a long time since I’ve traveled abroad but reading and looking through this beautiful photography book has reinstilled my interest in visiting new places I’ve never been to. It also makes me long to travel back to my hometown as well.　~Ernie Hoyt