The 17th-century Japanese poet Matsuo Basho practically invented the haiku. He's most famous for his travel journals. But how did he come to be such a traveler in the first place? This delightful volume--written entirely in haiku and illustrated with vibrant hand-painted scenes taken directly from the poet's written travelogues--tells the true story of Basho's decision to abandon his comfortable city life and of the five great journeys he then took through the length and breadth of Japan.