An American travels to Japan. He befriends a local salaryman. They plan to one day undertake an ambitious challenge: a lap around Tokyo's Yamanote Line. Thirty stops. One drink at each stop. Today is the day, Hiroto.

What happens when a man drinks a gallon of rum per day for a year? Many things. He falls in love with a bar. He befriends the homeless. He goes broke. He ends up in jail. He turns into a bluebird.

A collection of stories that reminds us rock bottom is a place worth visiting. Dark yet hilarious, this uncompromising debut is a fine blend of thinking and drinking, degeneracy and philosophy, a twisted journey from the barstool to the grave.