There is nothing to download. This is a web-based book, so once you purchase an account and log-in, you’ll have immediate access to the contents via your web browser, whether you’re on a computer, smartphone or tablet.

Most ebooks are downloadable files in ePub, Mobi or PDF formats. A web-based book, on the other hand, is a book that has its contents hosted on a web site. This allows the book to be accessed from any web browser on any kind of computer or mobile device.

After releasing the paperback version of ‘The Murakami Pilgrimage,’ converting it to a traditional eBook was always the plan. That is, until, we looked at the major technological limitations of traditional eBook formats.

Most ebooks on the market are what’s called a ‘reflowable’ format, meaning that the reader can adjust the font type and font size to whatever they please. That works great for black & white books which comprise of nothing but text. But it’s far from being ideal for colorful, image-heavy books like travel guides.

There’s also what’s known as ‘fixed layout’ eBooks. This allows the designer to use their preferred fonts and the format also allows for complex page layouts which can be made to look just like print.

So why not just go with that? Because fixed layout books only really work well with specific screen shapes or sizes. Something designed for an iPad, for example, might look strange on a smaller Android tablet with a much narrower screen shape.

Furthermore, online retailers like Amazon don’t seem to like fixed-layout books, while certain book distributors will only accept reflowable eBook files.

Therefore, converting the book into a web site, sold directly by us, seemed like the only logical choice. Not only did it allow us to recreate many of the complex design elements of the original paperback, but we could also customize how each individual page appears in desktop, tablet and mobile view.

By choosing the web-based format, we’re getting the best of both worlds – complex, colorful designs which can be optimized for a wide variety of devices.

Additionally, a web-based eBook also allows for things like automatic updates or corrections. We can also make adjustments in response to user feedback. Furthermore, things like a comments section can be implemented so readers can share and communicate ideas with one another during their travels.

As a web-based book requires constant internet connection, a problem with your wifi or SIM card means temporarily being unable to access the guide.

On our end, there may be occasional issues out of our control, such as unexpected server trouble, which could disrupt connection to the book. That’s the case with literally any web site, though. If this is a major concern for you, you could always just buy the paperback version instead.

It should also be stated that the formatting is not going to look perfect on every device. A web page which looks great in ‘mobile view’ on a phone might have some elements slightly moved around when loaded on certain tablets.

We tested every single section of the book on as many devices that we could, though. Even in cases where a couple of elements look out of place on one specific device, all of the important information is still legible.

Basically, you can read the book on any device you own that can access the web.

While you probably won’t be opening up your laptop in the middle of the street to access the guide, the entire book is optimized for fullscreen laptop or desktop viewing, making it perfect for advance research before going on your pilgrimage.

While out and about in the streets of Japan, you can then look at the book on either your tablet or smartphone. You can also make use of custom-made maps for each itinerary to easily find your way around the marked locations.

The one type of device you would want to avoid accessing the guide book on would be black-and-white E-readers, like the Kindle or the Nook. The Kindle Fire Android tablets should be fine, however.

If you notice major formatting issues with certain pages on your device, send us an email and we can try to fix it.

It’s possible, but we can’t say for sure either way right now. We’re considering the option of converting the contents of the site into a mobile/tablet application that would be downloadable via the iOS or Google Play app stores. But it all depends on how smoothly the process turns out, and there are many factors we need to look into further.

As for traditional eBook formats like ePub and Mobi? Again, it’s possible but we don’t know yet.

For the time being, you can only buy the book at https://ebook.murakamipilgrimage.com.

As mentioned above, this eBook is not a downloadable file. By making a purchase you will be granted lifetime access to view the contents of the book whenever you want.

Essentially, you are paying for an account on https://ebook.murakamipilgrimage.com

First, add the product to your cart. Then go to view your cart and check out.

After successful payment, you will then receive an email confirmation with a link to register your account.

The email could take anywhere from 30 seconds to 20 minutes to arrive, so please be patient.

After logging in, you will have full access to the book’s contents.

We are currently accepting all major credit cards and PayPal. We also plan to implement Bitcoin in the near future. If you have any issues with your payment going through, please send as an email at support@murakamipilgrimage.com

No! By purchasing access to The Murakami Pilgrimage eBook, you will get lifetime access and will only ever be billed once. There definitely won’t be any surprise or reoccurring fees to worry about in the future.

No. There are limitations in place to prevent this. At the same time, we want you to be able to enjoy the book on multiple devices without having to log-in and out all the time. That’s why, for the moment, you’re allowed to log-in to three devices simultaneously using a single account.

If it seems like your log-in details have been shared with too many people, it could potentially result in the account being suspended. This is an automatic setting we’ve implemented via the membership software we’re using.

So while you can maybe get away with sharing your log-in details with one or two other friends, we ask that you be mindful of all the time, energy and money that went into the creation of this project before sharing your log-in details with others.

All of the main content from the paperback version has been carried over to the eBook version. This includes images, words and also many elements of the design. Of course, minor things like references to certain page numbers have been adjusted and replaced with internal links.

The eBook version also contains expanded information on things like accommodation suggestions for various regions throughout Japan, while even a few additional photographs that were left out of the physical version were added in some instances.

The overall design and layout of the paperback version was mostly copied for the eBook version, but there are going to be some obvious differences considering how different the formats are.

The main ‘murakamipilgrimage.com’ web site is meant to serve as an introduction to the overall project, be it the paperback or eBook edition.

The blog portion of the web site also features additional content, like movie reviews or other anecdotes, that are meant for Murakami fans in general, whether or not they own the book.

‘murakamipilgrimage.com,’ of course, contains a ‘Novel Guides‘ section just like the main menu you’ll find when you log-in to the eBook. But it’s only meant to serve as a basic introduction and only contains a tiny fraction of the details and images found in the actual book.

As mentioned, the web site ‘ebook.murakamipilgrimage.com’ is the domain on which the eBook version of the project is hosted. After purchasing an account and logging in, you will gain access to all of the contents found in the original 230 page paperback version, rebuilt for digital viewing.

No, there are no banners or ads. The content of every page takes up the full width of the screen, just as you would expect from a standard eBook.

The section on accommodation recommendations in different regions of Japan, though, does contain some affiliate links. All that means is that at no extra cost to you, we would receive a small commission fee if you used our link to buy a product or make a reservation. You won’t find any affiliate links in the main section of the guide book.

At least for the time being, we would like to offer the eBook version of The Murakami Pilgrimage for free to those who’ve already purchased the paperback version. Unfortunately, there is no official way for us to track who’s bought the paperback, as it’s being sold by various retailers around the world.

However, we’ve thought of an alternative method which you can learn more about by sending us an email at support@murakamipilgrimage.com and asking us about it.

Please send us an email at support@murakamipilgrimage.com

Also, be sure to have a look at our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.