Tokyo Travel Sketchbook

February 1, 2020

Spanish illustrator and graphic designer Arrazola spent a month in Tokyo on an artist-in-residence program, and produced a sketch a day about her trip. She added more drawings to produce this volume, a charming and singular view of contemporary culture in the city. The Japanese concept of kawaii focuses on cuteness and is all about chubby, adorable, pastel-colored characters such as Hello Kitty and Pikachu. Even government offices and official signs use these cartoon-like characters. Arrazola also considers wabi sabi, the tenet of Japanese aesthetics that celebrates the beauty of imperfect things. Her pencil and watercolor drawings present everyday objects such as bathrooms, alcohol, and Kit Kat candy bars, and muses briefly about their place in society. Architecture, Noh and Kabuki theater, religion, and traditional woodblock prints are also illustrated through the artist's eyes. VERDICT Readers interested in Japanese culture, especially kawaii, will delight in Arrazola's fresh look at everyday life in Tokyo. Young adults, fans of graphic novels, and armchair travelers of all types and ages will enjoy this colorful and amusing cultural worldview.--Susan Belsky, Oshkosh P.L., WI

Copyright 2020 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

February 15, 2020
Begun as part of the Paradise Air artist-in-residence program in Matsudo, a suburb of Tokyo, and augmented with additional art and commentary, this sketchbook offers a look at Tokyo and its immediate surroundings through the eyes of an outsider. Using the idea of wabi sabi as her thesis, Arrazola considers the contrast between ultramodern Japan and traditional Japan, the drive to outpace and out-innovate and the compulsion to satisfy societal norms. Drawing at least one picture for every day she was part of the residency program (these pages have been date-stamped), the author explores her neighborhood, taking note of the local bars, signage, housing, museums, and more, attempting to explain what these things mean to the Japanese from the viewpoint of a tourist. Some of these attempts are more successful than others, but there is always a touch of humor and a through line of respect. More a travel journal than a graphic novel, this will appeal to armchair travelers no matter where they're from.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2020, American Library Association.)