TŌHOKU TOKYO

I’m back on my blog today to announce the release in bookshops of TŌHOKU TOKYO, MY SUMMER DIARY IN JAPAN (only in French version) a book and travel journal I’ve been working on for two (or even three) years and which I’ve kept secret, both here and on Instagram.

I didn’t want to talk about this project until it was finished (out of superstition, but also so that I could stay fully focused on my work, without outside opinions or expectations). That’s why I didn’t mention my two trips to Japan in the summer of 2024 and late summer of 2025, which I drew on to write and illustrate my book. I hope you’ll forgive me for keeping things under wraps, but sometimes I think it’s better to wait before revealing everything. So that’s what I’m doing today.

 

HOW DID THE IDEA FOR THE TRAVEL DIARY COME ABOUT? 

I was contacted by the publishing house FIRST ÉDITIONS in 2022 regarding a proposal to illustrate a ramen recipe book. I had a look through the draft of the book but didn’t really feel inspired by the idea of working on it, so I turned down the offer. The editorial manager who had contacted me was sorry that we wouldn’t be able to work together and asked me to get in touch if I ever fancied having something published.

Some time has passed, and I wasn’t particularly keen on diving back into writing a book, knowing the energy, time and isolation it requires, but whilst rereading my travel diaries here on the blog, and with the idea of embarking on another trip to Japan in the summer of 2023 in mind, I thought this would be the perfect opportunity to get back into it. Since I’d managed to write detailed posts on the blog, why not do the same on paper, to keep a more tangible and precious record of it? So I got back in touch with the editorial manager in early 2023 and the project was able to get underway.

I had a clear vision of the book I wanted to produce: a beautiful hardback (beautiful enough to leave casually on your coffee table, hehe) but also useful (to help you plan a potential trip to Japan) and interesting and enjoyable to read, even if you haven’t planned a trip. All that was left to do was get on with it.

 

WHY TŌHOKU?

I’ve already explained this in my book, so it will be a bit repetitive for those who are going to buy it, and I’m sorry about that.

I chose to explore this region because, during my travels (as mentioned here in 2014, 2015, 2018 and 2019), I realised that I really appreciated the rural, traditional and remote side of Japan, and that my last road trip to Shikoku had truly enchanted me in every way.

Tōhoku is a region sadly known for the earthquakes and tsunami that struck it in 2011 (particularly the city of Sendai). So I was keen to explore this region, which isn’t a major tourist destination (the name ‘Fukushima’ doesn’t exactly make you dream about it, does it?), to discover it at my own pace and to support it in my own way. The itinerary was chosen based on our tastes and what we thought might interest us. I didn’t enter into any partnerships with any tourism organization or hotels, as I wanted this trip to take place under normal conditions, completely independently, and without being influenced by any recommendations or other privileges. Everything you’ll read in my book was therefore experienced 100 per cent without any sponsorship.

MY MEMOIR

You know how much I love beautiful things that we keep over the years, especially in this age of digital technology and artificial intelligence. I find myself increasingly needing to hold on to memories on paper, which is why I love travel journals, Polaroids stuck into a notebook, and books to leaf through. Selfishly speaking, this notebook contains everything I’ve experienced with my partner over those two summers in Japan, but if it helps you plan a future trip or inspires you, that’ll really be the icing on the cake.

For years, you’ve told me that my blog is a source of advice and inspiration for your travels, and that makes me really happy. This time, the fact that a book can offer you a different, more sensory and unhurried experience, whilst still helping and inspiring you just as much, will make me even happier.

 

MY BOOK MAKING OFF

As I briefly mentioned in my book announcement post on Instagram, designing and finalising my book was no easy task. Of course, I loved delving back into my photos and memories whilst putting it together, and I enjoyed illustrating it, but first I had to deal with life’s ups and downs.

Originally, my story was to be based on a trip to Japan planned for the summer of 2023, but I had to cancel it at the last minute to help and support a loved one at the end of his life. So the summer of 2023 was not an easy time, either mentally or physically (even though everything always looks idyllic on social media), but I don’t regret postponing this project, as the trip would have been meaningless had I gone ahead with it anyway. The person we were caring for then passed away peacefully at the end of August 2023. I was then able to ease myself back into this book project, planning another trip for the summer of 2024 whilst laying the groundwork for the book with the editorial team.

A (unpublished) photograph of the Blue Cave in Miyako, which I mention in the book 

I then made the most of that summer trip to Tōhoku in 2024 by not sharing anything on social media and simply enjoying the experience. I obviously made notes and took photographs along the way so that I could work on them when I got back. I also wanted to expand on the section about Tokyo, which prompted another trip to Tokyo in the summer of 2025, again in secret.

Over the course of those two years, I worked with the editorial team at FIRST ÉDITIONS on and off, sending them my artwork and trying to convey my visual and narrative ideas whilst taking their feedback on board. I worked in watercolour in a sketchbook (as evidenced by the scanned ‘diary’ double-pages), but also used my digital pen on Procreate for digital drawings. I carefully drafted my texts and edited the photographs. I didn’t follow any particular order, as I really enjoy jumping from one task to another to keep things interesting.

During this creative process, I also discovered the frustration of being unable to get across my vision for the book I had imagined, the unanswered messages (I am well aware that I wasn’t their only project, but the frequent lack of communication made it very difficult to make proper progress), and the resistance from « professionals » who wanted to impose their own vision of who I am and what my world is like without really knowing me.

Another photo I would have loved to see in the book… 🙁 So I’m posting it here 

Above all, I wanted a book that reflected who I am 100 per cent, and I had to fight tirelessly for it, particularly this summer whilst it was being finalised (in early July, there was still a lot of dithering over the cover – it was never quite this or too much of that – but there was no way I was going to give in to their suggestions, which didn’t reflect who I am at all).

I had a chaotic summer with a very small technical team, but I stood my ground to ensure my priorities were met and to correct the many errors that had been kept from me for the past two years (can you believe they wanted me to remove half the maps I’d drawn and some illustrations that were very dear to me? For a travel journal that’s supposed to be personal, I must admit that I still find this incomprehensible to this day) and I had to turn a blind eye to other things. I’m not going to paint the whole experience in a completely negative light, as several people did help me with various aspects despite everything, but I can tell you that the Monica Geller control freak in me was really put to the test throughout this whole process.

 

THE RESULT

TŌHOKU TOKYO JOURNAL DE MON ÉTÉ AU JAPON available here 

 

So it is in a mood that is somewhat bittersweet yet enthusiastic (because I managed to see my struggle through to the end, fighting as best I could) that I am today sharing this little gem, which is 99 per cent like me (I could go on for hours about what I’d have liked to improve and the mistakes that were beyond my control, but I’ll leave it at that : let’s just say my book is an ode to wabi-sabi : seeing perfection in imperfection, haha)

I am still proud of the result, given all the energy and determination I put in to achieve a satisfactory outcome, but today, 22 October 2026, the day of the launch, I find myself feeling rather ambivalent. The initial feedback from my loved ones (perhaps not entirely objective ;-)) has been incredibly heartening, but today I’m looking forward to hearing from you, as, having followed my work online and/or through my previous books for almost 20 years, you know my work well, how I’ve developed, and what matters most to me.

 

IT’S NOW YOURS !

I sincerely hope to take you with me as you turn the pages, sharing my discoveries and finds from Japan throughout this journey through Tōhoku and Tokyo. Resilience is an integral part of Tōhoku, which has managed to rebuild itself following the 2011 disaster, and I believe that this journey and the process of creating this book have also taught me the profound meaning of that word.

That is why this book means so much to me, and I hope it will mean just as much to you, and that (despite the difficulties I’ve mentioned) it will succeed in conveying to you the pleasure, the unhurried pace and the care I’ve put into this work, as well as my love for this country, which has always filled me with wonder. Thank you so very much, and enjoy your journey! <3