Draw Me Your Japan... (page 3 of 4)

Love your travel journal! 🙂

Thanks so much for sharing this with us—it’s so personal (and so well done!)

Wow.

Just absolutely enchanting…

Was it easy for you to take trains/buses in this country where English isn’t widely spoken and communication isn’t always smooth?

Bravo. Simply enchanting.....

Thank you so much. It really is—the reflection of what I felt 😉

Is it easy for you to take trains/buses in a country where English isn’t widely spoken and communication isn’t always straightforward?

Extremely easy. Actually, compared to what I’d been told 10 or 20 years ago, it’s become much simpler. The automatic machines for buying tickets are all bilingual in English (once you’ve figured out the reservation system). On all trains, you now have recorded messages in English (even on the little local lines). Almost all signs and destinations are also written in Roman letters. I didn’t go to "remote" regions, but I get the impression it’s easier everywhere. And Japanese pronunciation is pretty straightforward for French speakers, I find, so even at ticket counters, if you clearly pronounce the city name, everything goes smoothly. Internet coverage is excellent (even while hiking in the Japanese Alps), so with a Wi-Fi router or an e-SIM, you have access to all train and bus schedules, etc. You can even use translators if needed—they work well (though we didn’t end up needing them).

Nowadays, pretty much everyone in hotels knows at least basic English, and in many restaurants, the menus often have photos of the dishes.

Best regards,

Your travel journal is one of a kind :)

A huge thank you for sharing this with us—it’s so personal (and so well done)

Thanks Pascale, that really warms my heart. It’s such a pleasure to share and get such positive feedback.

Good to know that English is improving… I remember feeling really lonely (years ago now) in Tokyo station trying to find the right suburban train…

Good to know that English is improving… I remember feeling really lost (years ago now) in Tokyo station trying to find the right local train…

Oh, that was kind of the apprehension I had, but like I told you, we didn’t run into any difficulties.

Wow, amazing. Some of the drawings really resonated with some precious memories. I’m also interested in the Oman travel journal, no pressure though 😉

We think we’ve seen it all on VF, but turns out, we haven’t. It’s pure magic. Hats off to the artist! !

I just traveled to Japan through your eyes and your illustrating talent—what a joy! And I’m subscribing to your next travel journals that all of VF is asking for! I share your passion for drawing, especially Japanese-style, and I’ve always dreamed of creating travel journals. Since I don’t have enough talent, I settled for photos... classic and frustrating because they’re harder to personalize than a drawing. Keep drawing your travels—they’re unique and make us dream... Thank you!

Thanks Raphael! Yep, yep, I’ll get started on it... I’m doing a few drawings to complete the Laos travel journal (it’s illustrated with photos). Estimated delivery 😉 of the Oman travel journal in drawings: September, I hope! !

Thought we’d seen it all on VF—turns out, not even close. It’s pure magic. Hats off to the artist!

Thanks so much, Joel—all this encouragement really keeps me going!

Thanks so much, Noëlle! As I’ve mentioned in other posts, getting positive feedback is really heartwarming. Usually, I don’t share my drawings beyond my closest friends (and even then, not always). This is the first illustrated travel journal I’ve done like this, and since I was pretty proud of how it turned out, I wanted to share it with fellow travel lovers (and I finally had enough confidence to do it).

Here’s a tip for you: if you want to turn a photo into a drawing, first convert it to black and white on your computer or tablet. It’s much easier to draw from a black-and-white image. Then, I sketch freehand but use reference points to keep the proportions right. Finally, don’t hesitate to simplify certain parts. I’d never dared to draw buildings or landscapes before this travel journal—I mostly stuck to portraits. But for now, I don’t feel comfortable drawing live; I need to work from a photo. Take care,

Thanks for your tips. I drew a lot until I graduated high school (in 1965). I learned perspective and the classic rules of composition from my father, who had dreamed of attending art school. But I also loved photography, which I’d been practicing since I was 10. I bought myself a camera with interchangeable lenses using my first savings—2.5 times the minimum wage at the time! That was the start of a long adventure: travels, slides, specialized magazines to learn techniques and admire the masters.

Before retiring, digital photography became mainstream, which forced me to upgrade my gear and opened up new possibilities for image development thanks to affordable professional software. I took photography courses... and drawing classes too. I spend time editing my photos in Lightroom and creating travel books.

During COVID, I got back into drawing (online classes) and have been taking watercolor lessons for two years with an excellent Russian artist who had the great idea of settling in Évian. I’ve always dreamed of watercolor, but the technique is tough—I’m better at drawing. That’s probably why your sketches caught my attention. They reinforced my belief that photography is great, but drawing is even better! I’m going to start drawing again based on my photos. Thanks! ;)

Fabienne, Noëlle, if you were near my place, I’d recommend you check out this exhibit at the Halles de Béziers. A photographer from Béziers works on his images by redrawing them manually on a tablet (not automatically with Photoshop). He takes photos of passersby, people sitting at cafés... This time, his work focuses on portraits of those who bring the Halles to life.

Part of the exhibit poster:

Fabienne, Noëlle, if you were near my place, I’d recommend you check out this exhibit at the Halles de Béziers. A photographer from Béziers works on his images by redrawing them manually on a tablet (not automatically with Photoshop). He takes photos of passersby, people sitting at cafés... This time, his work focuses on portraits of those who bring the Halles to life.

Part of the exhibit’s poster:



Thanks for sharing this, Kate. If I were in the area, it’s an exhibit I would’ve loved to see. I adore seeing how images come to life and transform. A photo isn’t just a static object!

Thanks so much for sharing this. Your travel journal is absolutely stunning—it really captures all the things we love about Japan. Your drawing talent gave me such wonderful moments. Thank you infinitely for your generous share.

Hi

I don’t usually read travel journals because they’re often long, but yours totally blew me away. I haven’t read everything, but I’ve seen it all—it’s amazingly original! Well done! 🙂

Thanks so much, Michaël. Plus, the drawing leaves a lot of freedom for the eye that looks at it. As for the text, we're all searching for different things... That's the advantage of this site where everything offered varies so much! Happy travels!

Thank you for this beautiful travel journal—it’s a real feast for the eyes. Your illustrations fuel my imagination and reinforce my desire to explore Japan. I’ll definitely draw inspiration from them to plan the itinerary for my first trip to the Land of the Rising Sun in spring 2027. Have a great day! Pat.

hi there, for those who enjoyed this travel journal in drawings, I’m doing it again with my trip to the Sultanate of Oman, in a different style (less graphic)—but that makes sense, the countries are so different!