Last month, the news of Anthony Bourdain’s untimely death created a media frenzy and left fans around the world in a state of visceral shock. Through his bestselling books and the documentary shows he hosted on the Travel Channel and CNN, Bourdain had become an icon. He was the patron saint of food-loving travelers and like many people who may be reading this, he felt a special connection with Japan. That connection ran so deep that he once wrote he’d “pick Tokyo in a second” if he had to live in one city for the rest of his life.
The tragic nature of Bourdain’s death — he took his own life at the age of 61 — serves as a sad reminder that the surface glimpses we see of people often belie hidden reservoirs of pain. You don’t have to be a celebrity to have an off-camera life, as it were. Unfortunately, it’s all too easy in this day and age for a person’s death to be exploited, too. Thanks to YouTube personality Logan Paul, this whole year actually started off with another media frenzy surrounding Japan’s misunderstood “suicide forest.”
One way Bourdain’s life might have touched the lives of Japanophiles is through the previous episodes of his two shows, "No Reservations" and "Parts Unknown," where he visited places like Osaka, Hokkaido, Tokyo, Okinawa, Ishikawa, and Tochigi. If you go back and watch those old episodes, the individual who inspired such a boundless sense of adventure and discovery in other travelers lives on — even if the memory of him is at times tinged with melancholy now.
Though Bourdain may be gone, it’s still possible to commune with his creative spirit by following in the footsteps of his travels in Japan and having one’s eyes opened to new aspects of Japanese culture and cuisine. In some ways, that seems like a more fitting tribute, anyway, to his lifelong curiosity about this country and others. Rather than dwelling on the circumstances of his death and the depression he may have suffered (if you or someone you know is in need of a lifeline, please read our article on suicide prevention in Japan), the information below seeks to celebrate Bourdain’s life and love of Japan by retracing the path of his experiences in four places here.
Click here to read more.
- External Link
- https://gaijinpot.com/
3 Comments
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Yuko Maeda
These sort of off the cuff comments by celebrities about Japan are pretty much nonsensical: "It's the best place on Earth / I'd live there the rest of my life if I could / The people are so kind, friendly, polite / etc etc etc."
Celebrities come here (and every other place they go) and are given a different type of treatment that the average person does not get. They are living in a bubble of being told they are cool/great/wonderful daily. People are stumbling over themselves to kiss thier backside. They are provided with every convenience at their disposal.
So of course Japan is great and it's people are flawless when that's what you see/get each visit.
Luis David Yanez
Who is this guy?
Wakarimasen
Made some fun shows. True his experience of Japan nbopt the same as us plebs, but he always seemed to be in tune with what was going on. And enjoying himself.
I guess this feel good article is one side of the equation. Other side is hids memory already being exploited by others. The news around Asa Argento and het ongoing self pity fest is just one example.