Explore Japan Travelogues

Have you always wanted to go to Japan? Love manga and anime, but curious to know more about the culture? In these three travelogues, cartoonists and writers show the country from an outsider's perspective—take a look inside to see what you might experience in the Land of the Rising Sun.

Betty Reynolds lived in Japan for seven years, chronicling her everyday life in 30 sketchbooks filled with watercolor paintings of her surroundings. Drawn from these sketchbooks, Clueless in Tokyo covers everything from cutting-edge technology and fashion to traditional cultural festivals that have existed for hundreds of years. Bonus for beginning Japanese language learners: Reynolds' captions are in both English and simple kanji.

Florent Chavouet shares his take on Japan's capital city in Tokyo on Foot. Organized by location and complete with hand-drawn maps, Chavouet's colored pencil sketches capture the many sights and sounds that lend a unique flavor to each of Tokyo's many neighborhoods.

In Cool Japan Guide, Abby Denson explores Japanese culture from a cartoonist's point of view. Accompanied by her husband Matt and her sidekick, Kitty Sweet Tooth, Denson covers everything from otaku (geek) culture and cosplay festivals to local cuisine and famous landmarks in this illustrated primer.

What would you like to do if you visited Japan?