A Year in Japan is just that. Kate T. Williamson, a writer and illustrator spent a year in Japan and documented all the interesting things she saw and learned in watercolors and handwritten paragraphs. This book tells you all the little, more important things you could never learn in a travel guide, like how Japan has an “advanced sock culture”, electric heated rugs, and “elegant” taxi interiors. The drawings are both beautiful and informative. This book reminds me that I should travel more which I need to be reminded of often. This is brand new from Princeton Architectural Press, which puts out some really great books. You can buy books directly from their site. And be sure to check out Kate’s site too. (She makes pet portraits!)

© Julia Rothman 2007