My Favorite Non-Traditional Travel Guides
As a visual person I was excited to start planning my trip to Japan because I wanted to have a vision of where I wanted to go and do before I get there. When browsing bookstores I searched for books about Japan and was saddened to see that there were none that really appealed to me. Even though Lonely Planet has some great books, the recommendations were often too generalized for my personal interest. I wanted a guide that really covered the things that I find most unique about Japan including pop culture, the fashion scenes, etc. and had a more personal approach to the writing. After much digging I found 4 guides for Tokyo and Japan, that I have featured below, that had exactly what I wanted.
Cool Tokyo Guide: Adventures in the City of Kawaii Fashion, Train Sushi and Godzilla by Abby Denson
This guide really stands out because of the comic style illustrations on the cover and the hand-drawn typography. Throughout the book a cartoonized Abby, her husband Matt, and her friend Yuuko take you through the ins and outs of Tokyo- from the best things to do during each season to the best shopping areas to visit to get the best J-Fashion. A small purple cat named Kitty Sweet Tooth also accompanies them and gives you some key Japanese words and phrases to help you along. I think the best thing about this book is the narration of it, it takes you through Denson’s experience of traveling and really helps you plan what to expect every step of the way while still being simple and fun to read.
2. A Geek In Japan by Hector Garcia
This book is a must have for anyone interested in learning more about Japanese pop culture. It takes a detailed look into almost every subculture of Japan, such as modern Japanese Music, manga, and anime. Garcia wrote this book to accompany his blog, kirainet.com, which follows his journey through Japan finding the things that people often look past and extensive information about each thing that he discovers. His book is in the same style, but gives you more of the history of Japan and how both the past and present come together in modern Japan. His blog and book are inspirations to me in my own writing because he provides readers with an in-depth look into Japanese culture and clearly shows his extensive understanding of Japan as a whole.
3. Tokyo Geek Guide by Gianni Simone
When looking for great places to go in Tokyo to experience different areas of Japanese pop culture I came across this guide and was blown away at how much information was packed in here. Like a normal travel guide it is divided into sections based on the districts of Tokyo and gives you suggestions of where to go based on what section of pop culture interests you the most. Because I am interested in J-fashion and Kawaii (Cute) culture, I was able to find many key spots to go to in districts and used the suggested itineraries for planning some day trips as well. I think this book is great because not only does it have lots of photos but it also reads as if someone is talking you through exploring Tokyo’s major districts. Also included in this guide is some interviews with some of the VIPs of Japanese pop culture such as Chocomoo who is one of the rising designers for Harajuku’s youth and has designed goods for “Japan’s Lady Gaga,” Kyary Pamyu Pamyu.
4. Tokyo Fashion City by Philomena Keet
One of my favorite subcultures of Japan would definitely be the fashion. In Tokyo itself there are so many unique styles that people wear everyday, making the city one of the top fashion cities in the world. I came across this book at my school’s library and was wowed at the amount of photographs and the large range of styles that this book covers. Each chapter focuses on a major fashion area of Tokyo and includes the style(s) that are specific to that area, such as Kawaii that centers in Harajuku. Not only does the book highlight current fashion but it also goes into the history of Japanese fashion and the way things have evolved. I have learned so much about Japanese fashion from this book and hope to learn more about J-Fashion from seeing the styles for myself.
After reading all of these books I am so excited to go to Tokyo because I have found so much that I want to explore during my study abroad experience and I hope that more people will also take the time to read these books because they are amazing.
