Craig Mod
@craigmod.com
Writer & photographer. Japan based for 20+ years.
Author of Things Become Other Things (Random House: May 2025), Kissa by Kissa (2020). Contributor to NYTimes, Atlantic, WIRED, and more. Walks a lot. Bla bla bla!!
shop.specialprojects.jp
craigmod.com
Author of Things Become Other Things (Random House: May 2025), Kissa by Kissa (2020). Contributor to NYTimes, Atlantic, WIRED, and more. Walks a lot. Bla bla bla!!
shop.specialprojects.jp
craigmod.com
Pinned
Craig Mod
@craigmod.com
· Mar 28
Mega Book Launch National USA Super Tour 2025 for "Things Become Other Things" starts on May 5. See you out there?!
craigmod.com/books/things...
craigmod.com/books/things...
Reposted by Craig Mod
The CIA just stopped publishing their World Factbook and took every page, including the archived copies of previous versions!
This sucks. It was public domain, so I recovered the 2020 edition (the last one published as a zip file) and shared it to GitHub simonwillison.net/2026/Feb/5/t...
This sucks. It was public domain, so I recovered the 2020 edition (the last one published as a zip file) and shared it to GitHub simonwillison.net/2026/Feb/5/t...
Spotlighting The World Factbook as We Bid a Fond Farewell
Somewhat devastating news today from the CIA: One of CIA’s oldest and most recognizable intelligence publications, The World Factbook, has sunset. There's not even a hint as to why they …
simonwillison.net
February 5, 2026 at 12:25 AM
The CIA just stopped publishing their World Factbook and took every page, including the archived copies of previous versions!
This sucks. It was public domain, so I recovered the 2020 edition (the last one published as a zip file) and shared it to GitHub simonwillison.net/2026/Feb/5/t...
This sucks. It was public domain, so I recovered the 2020 edition (the last one published as a zip file) and shared it to GitHub simonwillison.net/2026/Feb/5/t...
there seems to be one fine art edition of TBOT left in the shop; I believe this is truly the last copy of this edition: shop.specialprojects.jp/products/thi...
TBOT (Fine Art 1st ed.)
Things Become Other Things (TBOT) is a book chronicling a decade of walking central Japan's Kii Peninsula and its Kumano Kodō paths. It's a book about farmers and fishermen and and kissa owners and ad...
shop.specialprojects.jp
February 5, 2026 at 2:47 AM
there seems to be one fine art edition of TBOT left in the shop; I believe this is truly the last copy of this edition: shop.specialprojects.jp/products/thi...
Thank you! ❤️
Our book of the month for February is "Things Become Other Things: A Walking Memoir" by @craigmod.com—a superb, closely observed meditation on life, tradition, friendship and loss while hiking the ancient pilgrim trails of Japan's remote Kii peninsula.
newsletter.readcurious.xyz/p/cur022-cra...
newsletter.readcurious.xyz/p/cur022-cra...
Take a walk with February's book of the month
The February 2026 book of the month for Curious Reading Club is "Things Become Other Things: A Walking Memoir" by Craig Mod.
newsletter.readcurious.xyz
February 4, 2026 at 4:50 AM
Thank you! ❤️
tonight's TBOT event with motoyuki shibata was sold out, but I added a few more ticket spots; 19:30 @ dandelion chocolate Kuramae:
tbot.peatix.com/view
tbot.peatix.com/view
TBOT and Hot Chocolate, Tokyo Launch Party
Things Become Other Things Tokyo book event at Dandelion Chocolate, Kuramae!
Come, j...
tbot.peatix.com
January 23, 2026 at 3:29 AM
tonight's TBOT event with motoyuki shibata was sold out, but I added a few more ticket spots; 19:30 @ dandelion chocolate Kuramae:
tbot.peatix.com/view
tbot.peatix.com/view
TBOT Tokyo Event, one week from today (a few tix left) (and please use the Student Tickets if price is an issue!!): tbot.peatix.com/view
TBOT and Hot Chocolate, Tokyo Launch Party
Things Become Other Things Tokyo book event at Dandelion Chocolate, Kuramae!
Come, j...
tbot.peatix.com
January 16, 2026 at 1:58 AM
TBOT Tokyo Event, one week from today (a few tix left) (and please use the Student Tickets if price is an issue!!): tbot.peatix.com/view
Two weeks until my TBOT event with Motoyuki Shibata — about 25 tickets left (out of 80): tbot.peatix.com/view
TBOT and Hot Chocolate, Tokyo Launch Party
Things Become Other Things Tokyo book event at Dandelion Chocolate, Kuramae!
Come, j...
tbot.peatix.com
January 9, 2026 at 6:08 AM
Two weeks until my TBOT event with Motoyuki Shibata — about 25 tickets left (out of 80): tbot.peatix.com/view
Some additional notes on my 2026 New York Times 52-Places to Go pick: Nagasaki
craigmod.com/ridgeline/221/
craigmod.com/ridgeline/221/
My 2026 New York Times Pick — Nagasaki
craigmod.com
January 9, 2026 at 4:58 AM
Some additional notes on my 2026 New York Times 52-Places to Go pick: Nagasaki
craigmod.com/ridgeline/221/
craigmod.com/ridgeline/221/
Having a TBOT book event in Tokyo: "THINGS BECOME HOT CHOCOLATE"
January 23 @ Dandelion Chocolate in Kuramae, in conversation with translator Motoyuki Shibata
tbot.peatix.com/view
January 23 @ Dandelion Chocolate in Kuramae, in conversation with translator Motoyuki Shibata
tbot.peatix.com/view
TBOT and Hot Chocolate, Tokyo Launch Party
Things Become Other Things Tokyo book event at Dandelion Chocolate, Kuramae!
Come, j...
tbot.peatix.com
December 27, 2025 at 2:51 AM
Having a TBOT book event in Tokyo: "THINGS BECOME HOT CHOCOLATE"
January 23 @ Dandelion Chocolate in Kuramae, in conversation with translator Motoyuki Shibata
tbot.peatix.com/view
January 23 @ Dandelion Chocolate in Kuramae, in conversation with translator Motoyuki Shibata
tbot.peatix.com/view
Reposted by Craig Mod
Reposted by Craig Mod
100 Notable Small Press Books of 2025. The big end-of-year lists mostly feature books from big publishers; this list aims to spread the attention to smaller publishers. [lithub.com]
100 Notable Small Press Books of 2025
The idea of 100 Notable Small Press Books was born November 2024, after The New York Times’s annual 100 Notable Books list featured eighty-two books from the Big Five publishing houses (Pengu…
lithub.com
December 1, 2025 at 11:32 PM
100 Notable Small Press Books of 2025. The big end-of-year lists mostly feature books from big publishers; this list aims to spread the attention to smaller publishers. [lithub.com]
"There’s a ruthlessness that’s taken hold across all cultural making. Everything turned into a casino, 'traps' galore. Billions as the only goal. Leave “nothing on the table.” Epicurean maximizing. That sort of thing. AI now turning solid ground liquid for the next decade."
craigmod.com/roden/109/
craigmod.com/roden/109/
Blank Spaces, Radicalized Offlineness, Curious Protagonists — Roden newsletter issue 109
David Marx' new book, protesting being online all the time, thinking about good films and books
craigmod.com
November 29, 2025 at 1:58 AM
"There’s a ruthlessness that’s taken hold across all cultural making. Everything turned into a casino, 'traps' galore. Billions as the only goal. Leave “nothing on the table.” Epicurean maximizing. That sort of thing. AI now turning solid ground liquid for the next decade."
craigmod.com/roden/109/
craigmod.com/roden/109/
For some reason, it looks like the ebook edition of Things Become Other Things is $1.99 today. (Hardcover is also $17, which is the cheapest I've seen it; I still get the same royalties, so, you know, please, buy away 😂)
amzn.to/4ntXoYW
amzn.to/4ntXoYW
Things Become Other Things: A Walking Memoir
Buy Things Become Other Things: A Walking Memoir: Read Kindle Store Reviews - Amazon.com
amzn.to
October 28, 2025 at 2:03 AM
For some reason, it looks like the ebook edition of Things Become Other Things is $1.99 today. (Hardcover is also $17, which is the cheapest I've seen it; I still get the same royalties, so, you know, please, buy away 😂)
amzn.to/4ntXoYW
amzn.to/4ntXoYW
Reposted by Craig Mod
＊NEW BOOK ALERT＊ This beauty is being printed as we speak (the pictured is a mockup):
272 full colour pages with the best stories from the Mundo Mendo website. Foreword by @craigmod.com
Presale is open at
MundoMendo.com/books
Become a SEMIBOLD (or BOLD Member) to get it for free.
🚚 Shipping s
272 full colour pages with the best stories from the Mundo Mendo website. Foreword by @craigmod.com
Presale is open at
MundoMendo.com/books
Become a SEMIBOLD (or BOLD Member) to get it for free.
🚚 Shipping s
October 12, 2025 at 1:07 PM
＊NEW BOOK ALERT＊ This beauty is being printed as we speak (the pictured is a mockup):
272 full colour pages with the best stories from the Mundo Mendo website. Foreword by @craigmod.com
Presale is open at
MundoMendo.com/books
Become a SEMIBOLD (or BOLD Member) to get it for free.
🚚 Shipping s
272 full colour pages with the best stories from the Mundo Mendo website. Foreword by @craigmod.com
Presale is open at
MundoMendo.com/books
Become a SEMIBOLD (or BOLD Member) to get it for free.
🚚 Shipping s
Walking 200km of the Kiso-ji (back and forth) starting on Thursday; more deets and signup links here:
craigmod.com/ridgeline/216/
craigmod.com/ridgeline/216/
Between Two Mountains — A New Pop-up Newsletter
Walking 200 km of the Kiso Valley
craigmod.com
September 30, 2025 at 2:01 AM
Walking 200km of the Kiso-ji (back and forth) starting on Thursday; more deets and signup links here:
craigmod.com/ridgeline/216/
craigmod.com/ridgeline/216/
Reposted by Craig Mod
A new pop-up walk and newsletter from @craigmod.com is a reason to rejoice. https://mailbot2000.craigmod.com/h/r/3D7AC42BDB99659A2540EF23F30FEDED
September 30, 2025 at 1:43 AM
A new pop-up walk and newsletter from @craigmod.com is a reason to rejoice. https://mailbot2000.craigmod.com/h/r/3D7AC42BDB99659A2540EF23F30FEDED
Reposted by Craig Mod
You can listen to all the conversations @craigmod.com did during his recent TBOT book tour as a podcast series -- I started with the Robin Sloan one, and it's really great. I've listened to 3 of them now, and they are all a bit different, due to the interviewer. craigmod.com/books/things...
Things Become a Podcast — 2025 TBOT Tour Conversations
A collection of conversations from Craig Mod's 2025 book tour for 'Things Become Other Things.' Recorded at independent bookstores across America, these chats explore: walking, writing, Japan, and the...
craigmod.com
September 8, 2025 at 2:11 AM
You can listen to all the conversations @craigmod.com did during his recent TBOT book tour as a podcast series -- I started with the Robin Sloan one, and it's really great. I've listened to 3 of them now, and they are all a bit different, due to the interviewer. craigmod.com/books/things...
Reposted by Craig Mod
Really loved @craigmod.com’s Things Become Other Things. Beautifully-written along with a healthy dose of humor that somehow manages to sneak up on you.
September 5, 2025 at 10:06 PM
Really loved @craigmod.com’s Things Become Other Things. Beautifully-written along with a healthy dose of humor that somehow manages to sneak up on you.
holy crap, Adolescence was four very very very very very very intense hours of TV, good god (it was very good, too; esp episode 3, wow)
August 30, 2025 at 8:33 AM
holy crap, Adolescence was four very very very very very very intense hours of TV, good god (it was very good, too; esp episode 3, wow)
Reposted by Craig Mod
So, uh, I Walked Through Shibuya
A little walk across Tokyo thinking about just where this all goes
craigmod.com
August 29, 2025 at 12:53 AM
Reposted by Craig Mod
#Reading today: THINGS BECOME OTHER THINGS by @craigmod.com. As the subtitle indicates, this text is a #walking #memoir, and so much more. Travel writing, personal essay, and cross-cultural storytelling. Stunningly beautiful—sip, don't gulp this one.
August 22, 2025 at 1:05 PM
#Reading today: THINGS BECOME OTHER THINGS by @craigmod.com. As the subtitle indicates, this text is a #walking #memoir, and so much more. Travel writing, personal essay, and cross-cultural storytelling. Stunningly beautiful—sip, don't gulp this one.
Reposted by Craig Mod
Woke, meditated, coffee brought to me by my wife. More coffee on the porch, transported to pilgrimage routes in Japan via @craigmod.com's enthralling "Things Become Other Things". Yoga, a bike ride to a local bakery to pick up breakfast. Quick stop by my office to get some books.. A lovely morning..
August 24, 2025 at 4:21 PM
Woke, meditated, coffee brought to me by my wife. More coffee on the porch, transported to pilgrimage routes in Japan via @craigmod.com's enthralling "Things Become Other Things". Yoga, a bike ride to a local bakery to pick up breakfast. Quick stop by my office to get some books.. A lovely morning..
Reposted by Craig Mod
I can confirm that the pain I experienced in childbirth cannot be compared to the pain accompanying the passing of a kidney stone. The latter was worse. This piece was a fun read.
"real feel" of 43℃ in Tokyo right now; drink lots of water folks, don't get all kidney stoned like me
craigmod.com/ridgeline/212/
craigmod.com/ridgeline/212/
Eating Linoleum in Karuizawa
Went looking for a peaceful walk, didn't find one
craigmod.com
August 20, 2025 at 7:17 PM
I can confirm that the pain I experienced in childbirth cannot be compared to the pain accompanying the passing of a kidney stone. The latter was worse. This piece was a fun read.
"I swept away the everyday to make space for the profound, and my days refilled with everyday things."
frankchimero.com/blog/2025/ti...
frankchimero.com/blog/2025/ti...
Frank Chimero · Time is On My Side
Frank Chimero’s Personal Website
frankchimero.com
August 20, 2025 at 5:10 AM
"I swept away the everyday to make space for the profound, and my days refilled with everyday things."
frankchimero.com/blog/2025/ti...
frankchimero.com/blog/2025/ti...
"real feel" of 43℃ in Tokyo right now; drink lots of water folks, don't get all kidney stoned like me
craigmod.com/ridgeline/212/
craigmod.com/ridgeline/212/
Eating Linoleum in Karuizawa
Went looking for a peaceful walk, didn't find one
craigmod.com
August 19, 2025 at 4:08 AM
"real feel" of 43℃ in Tokyo right now; drink lots of water folks, don't get all kidney stoned like me
craigmod.com/ridgeline/212/
craigmod.com/ridgeline/212/