Given the chance, I would buy every Japan-related zine I find, but here are some of my recent purchases.
TOKYO: A very brief introduction
If you don’t own any Herb Lester guides then you are really missing out! They’re little foldout maps with themed suggestions of interesting places to visit. There are loads of them and this Tokyo edition is a collaboration with The City Reporter. Tokyo is obviously massive so this guide has four walking tours, of Omotesando, Ginza, Sendagi and Shibuya, packed with cafes, shops and galleries to visit. There are also some travel tips, all illustrated with pen and watercolour. Definitely worth picking up if you have a trip planned, but so nice you should just get it anyway.
BUY IT: £4 from Herb Lester Associates.
Big in Japan
Often comic book travel zines end up being a bit short on content, but Moogs has packed tons and tons of details about her two weeks in Tokyo into 40 pages. She visits lots of places and tries out everything from onsen to okonomiyaki so it’s a great overview of fun things to do in Japan. I love her drawing style too – a mix of detailed pencil drawings and short comic strips. If you’ve ever visited Japan I’m sure you’ll enjoy this as much as I did – it’s full of all the little things that make Japan amazing. Extra point for being from Glasgow too!
BUY IT: £3.50 from Etsy (if out of stock, just message Moogs)
Nic & Craig go to Japan
Another comic book, this time by Nic Lawson in Australia (who put some amazing Australian railway station stamps on my parcel). This is a shorter read with a selection of one page comics about the most fun/interesting things that happened. I still really enjoyed it, especially the Kyoto and Nara pages and all the fun cafes they visited.
BUY IT: $4 (about £2) from Etsy
Thrifty Times #20 – The Tokyo Issue
I wasn’t familiar with the Thrifty Times, but it’s a long-running zine all about thrifting with shop reviews, favourite finds, tips etc. This issue is all about thrifting in Tokyo, with a review of the Chicago Thrift Store in Harajuku, tips on buying secondhand yukata, book, music and game reviews, recipes and more! It’s a great mix of content and I wish I’d bought one of the bundles now! I’ve never done any secondhand shopping in Japan, but I’m definitely going to give it a go next time.
BUY IT: $1.50 (about 90p) from Thrifty Times.
If that’s not enough, check out my Japan Zines Etsy treasury for more zines, or buy some of mine!