Sake and sakura can be a dangerous combination. Drunk on both, English teacher Will Ferguson made a bet that he could hitchhike the length of Japan, from the southernmost tip in Cape Sata to the northernmost in Cape Soya, while following the cherry blossom as it burst into life in each part of the country. And then he wrote this book about it.

Hokkaido Highway Blues, by Will Ferguson.
Canongate Books, Nonfiction.