Julie Blanchin Fujita grew up in the south of France, and studied art at university. She works on various projects as an illustrator and graphic designer, and has illustrated six other books in her native France. In 2009 she set off with only a rucksack on her back to have an adventure in Tokyo-an adventure that continues to this day. Marie Velde is a freelance photographer and translator in Santa Monica, CA. She is the translator of Tokyo on Foot, My First Book of Chinese Calligraphy and other books.
Fujita's wry illustrated diary renders life in Tokyo in featherlight lines and cheery watercolors...This loosely drawn sketchbook account provides a friendly introduction to Japanese language, culture, and daily life. --Publishers Weekly If you've ever wanted to visit Japan, this is a great way to armchair travel there and dream about the day you can go there and see it for yourself. --Books on the Square Originally written in French, this travel memoir has not lost any of its charm in its translation to English...Fujita oscillates between describing personal experiences and explaining the initially foreign Japanese customs. Both sections flow so well together, readers may not even notice her break from story to explanation...[Fujita] carries the story with her written wit and relatable humor. --Geeks Under Grace Throughout the book, the author's witty, colorful, antic illustrations bring Tokyo to life...There's something quite fine in the generosity of a comic artist, who's unafraid to let the joke be on her. The book's format consists of a bit of everything: classic comic-strip panels; maps; urban scenes; dialogue; portraits of friends and acquaintances; illustrated essays ( Japanese Foods I Love ); and richly-detailed aerial views of apartment blocks and whole neighborhoods...this book is comic, ingenious, rich in color and minutiae, charmingly loopy at times, and informative to boot. --Perceptive Travel