ABOUT ROB

I’m a British author and writer based in Tokyo, writing about travel and Japan across a variety of mediums and genres.

Whether feature length or short, I like to tell stories. In the past that has meant spending time with farmers on the remote Oki Islands to learn about bull sumo, looking into Okinawan longevity, traditional washi and the old Tokaido road for National Geographic, and attempting to interview the cat that saved a Japanese railway for the BBC. I also enjoy more in-depth projects. That’s included a long-form piece of historical writing for Narratively/Smithsonian about the island of Dejima during Japan’s isolationist era: the only story I’ll likely ever write that begins with a mass crucifixion and ends with a family torn apart by scandal!

Beyond the above, I’ve authored and co-authored a dozen books, including The Japanese Inn, a handful of Lonely Planet guides, the 2018 NATJA Gold Awarding-winning Japan Traveler’s Companion, and the upcoming Another Japan (Gestalten 2026), a book with photographer Irwin Wong that looks at community, rejuvenation, cultural preservation, and innovation in non-urban Japan. I’ve also updated and contributed to another 30 books on Japan for Lonely Planet, Fodors and others. Occasionally, I work with companies such as National Geographic Creativeworks and CNN Create on branded content and content marketing projects. I’m also half of a virtual agency called Untold Japan Media, which aims to tell stories from less-known corners of Japan with short videos like this look at the city of Hachinohe’s food culture.

Besides the constant search for a good story, my current long-term projects include a collection of haiku and a book (still in its infancy) about historic journeys in Japan. I’ve started writing scripts too. My short Nine to Death (I promise it isn’t a straight-to-DVD Seagal movie) has been nominated at several international film festivals.

Selected List of Publications

  • National Geographic
  • BBC Travel
  • National Geographic Traveler
  • Lonely Planet
  • Afar
  • The Telegraph
  • The Independent
  • Departures
  • CNBC Global Traveler
  • Business Traveller
  • Economist 1843
  • Time
  • Discovery (Cathay Pacific)
  • U.S. Airways Magazine
  • British Airways Business Life
  • Roads & Kingdoms
  • Morning Calm (Korean Air)
  • Escape
  • The Tonic
  • Four Seasons
  • Voyeur (Virgin Australia)
  • Delta Sky Magazine
  • Omega Lifetime
  • The National
  • South China Morning Post

Books (author/co-author)

  • Another Japan, Gestalten, 2026 (author, with photographer Irwin Wong)
  • Lonely Planet, Okinawa, 1st ed, 2026 (co-author)
  • Lonely Planet, Japan, 2026 (co-author)
  • Lonely Planet, Tokyo City Guide, 2026 (co-author)
  • Lonely Planet, Tokyo Pocket Guide, 2026 (co-author)
  • Lonely Planet, Best Bike Rides Japan, 1st ed, 2025 (co-author)
  • Lonely Planet, Kyoto City Guide, 2024 (co-author)
  • Lonely Planet, Kyoto and Osaka Pocket Guide, 2024 (co-author)
  • Lonely Planet, Japan, 2024 (co-author)
  • Tokyo: From Islands to Mountains, IBC Publishing, 2019 (author, with photographer Akihiko Seki)
  • The Japanese Inn, Tuttle, 2017 (author, with photographer Akihiko Seki)
  • Japan Traveler’s Companion, Tuttle, 2017 (author)
  • Travel Pack Kyoto and Nara, Tuttle, 2016 (author)
  • Tokyo: Capital of Cool, Tuttle, 2015 (author)
  • Travel Pack Tokyo, Tuttle, 2014 (author)
  • Travel Pack Japan, Tuttle, 2013 (author)

Books (contributor/updater)

  • Fodor’s Essential Japan, 3rd ed, 2025 (contributor)
  • Fodor’s Tokyo, 8th ed, 2025 (contributor)
  • Fodor’s Essential Japan, 2nd ed, 2022 (contributor)
  • Fodor’s Tokyo, 7th ed, 2022 (contributor)
  • DK Eyewitness Japan, Dorling Kindersley, 2022 (contributor)
  • DK Eyewitness Japan, Dorling Kindersley, 2020 (contributor)
  • Be More Japan, Dorling Kindersley, 2019 (contributor)
  • Fodor’s Essential Japan, 1st ed, 2019 (contributor)
  • Fodor’s Japan, 22nd ed, 2016 (contributor)
  • Fodor’s Tokyo, 6th ed, 2016 (contributor)
  • Fodor’s Japan, 21st ed, 2014 (contributor)
  • Fodor’s Tokyo, 5th ed, 2013 (contributor)
  • Insight City Guide Tokyo, 2013 (full update)
  • Insight Guide to Japan, 2012 (full update)
  • Fodor’s Japan, 20th ed, 2011 (contributor)
  • Rough Guide to Japan, 5th ed, 2011 (contributor)

Poetry and Fiction

  • Asahi Shimbun
  • 101 Words
  • 50-Word Stories
  • Haiku Journal
  • 50 Haikus magazine

Branded content

  • National Geographic Creativeworks
  • CNN Create
  • Jiji Press
  • Reuters Plus

Broadcast work

  • BBC 5 Live
  • BBC Radio Wales
  • Sky TV News
  • SABC

I specialize in the following areas

  • Travel writing (articles and books; with a focus on Japan)
  • Features on topics ranging from sustainability to the arts
  • Tourism- and culture-related branded content projects
  • Haiku, haibun and short-form storytelling (micro fiction)

Associations and Societies

  • North American Travel Journalists Association (2012 to present)
  • British Haiku Society (2026 to present)
  • British Guild of Travel Writers (former member: 2014 to 2024)

Awards and Nominations (Individual)

  • NATJA 2024 Awards: Honorable Mention, Cultural Travel category (story about haiku, National Geographic)
  • NATJA 2022 Awards: Gold Prize Winner, Cultural Travel category (story about the historic Tokaido road, National Geographic)
  • NATJA 2022 Awards: Bronze Prize Winner, Destination Travel category (story about the Michinoku Coastal Trail, BBC Travel)
  • December 2022 International Cosmopolitan Film Festival, Tokyo: Semi-Finalist for Best Unproduced Short Script
  • November 2021 Stockholm Short Festival: Semi-Finalist for Best Unproduced Short Script
  • October 2021 Phoenix Shorts: Semi-Finalist for Best Unproduced Short Script
  • October 2021 Berlin Shorts Award: Semi-Finalist for Best Unproduced Short Script
  • July 2021 San Francisco Indie Short Festival: Nominee for Best Unproduced Short Script
  • 2020 GTMA Global Travel Writer: Finalist
  • NATJA 2019 Awards: Silver Prize Winner, Cultural Travel category (for Model Citizens, RONDA, Iberia Air)
  • NATJA 2018 Awards: Gold Prize Winner, Travel Guide or Book category (for Japan Travelers Companion)
  • NATJA 2018 Awards: Finalist, Long-form Narrative category (for “Night Train to Izumo“, Japan Visitor)
  • NATJA 2018 Awards: Finalist, Culinary Travel category (for “Last Days of Tsukiji“, DestinAsian)
  • NATJA 2018 Awards: Finalist, Travel Guide or Book category (for The Japanese Inn)
  • NATJA 2017 Awards: Finalist, Travel Trade Article category (for “Lights, Action…Tokyo”, MIX Meetings)
  • NATJA 2017 Awards: Finalist, Travel Guide or Book category (for Travel Pack Kyoto & Nara)
  • NATJA 2016 Awards: Finalist, Destination Travel Feature International (for “Tokyo by Design”, Omega Lifestyle)
  • NATJA 2015 Awards: Silver Prize Winner, Travel Guide or Book category (for Tokyo: Capital of Cool)
  • NATJA 2013 Awards: Gold Prize Winner, Travel Guide or Book category (for Travel Pack Japan)
  • Tripbase’s 100 Favorite Travel Writers

Awards and Nominations (Projects)

  • NATJA 2017 Awards: Silver Prize Winner, Travel Series (print) category (for “Mini Guides” series, National Geographic Traveler)
  • IAA Brilliance Awards 2017: Nominated, Best Content (with Dentsu, Economist & TCVB for Tokyo: Modern, Traditional) 
  • IAA Brilliance Awards 2017: Nominated, Best Mobile (with Dentsu, Economist & TCVB for Tokyo: Modern, Traditional)