TOKYO-BASED WRITER

Square

Travel writing

Work has taken me to most parts of Japan, with stories like this feature on the Michinoku Coastal Trail for the BBC, coverage of bull sumo in the remote Oki Islands for Roads & Kingdoms, and a decade of articles for National Geographic that include this NATJA Gold Award-winning feature on the cultural legacies of the old Tokaido road. 

Features

I also write features on other aspects of Japan, from articles like this BBC story about the cat that saved a railway to covering Okinawan longevity for National Geographic and this long-form piece for Narratively about the island of Dejima during Japan’s isolationist era – a cultural melting pot rife with scandal and intrigue.

Content marketing

I’ve worked for clients ranging from Japanese DMOs to major advertising agencies, producing work such as this website on Tokyo’s modern and traditional faces, scripting this animation about MICE, and making in-depth social media content in a year-long project for the region of Japan devastated by the 2011 tsunami.

Books

I’m the author of seven books, including Japanese Inns & Hot Springs and the NATJA 2018 Gold Prize-winning Japan Traveler’s Companion. I’ve also co-authored several Lonely Planet books and have updated/contributed to roughly 30 other guidebooks. I’m currently working on a collection of short-form writing and a book on historical journeys in Japan.