Heading to Tokyo, or are is fascinated by this interesting, complex city? This is the book for you! Abby Denson's The Cool Tokyo Guide: Adventures in the City of Kawaii Fashion, Train Sushi, and Godzilla, is a fun, intriguing book - and one you can't put down. The easy to read comic book format lends itself well to this off-beat, upbeat tour of Tokyo. From Tokyo travel basics (getting around, survival skills) to culture shock funnies, eating, hotels, entertainment, cultural sites, family travel tips, and more (Ghibli Museum!), this guide is a captivating read - I couldn't put it down. Highly recommended!

International Manga Award-winner Abby Denson has scripted for The Amazing Spider-Man Family, The Powerpuff Girls, and many other comics. Her graphic novel Dolltopia won a Moonbeam Children's Book Award. In addition, she is the author of the acclaimed coming-out story Tough Love: High School Confidential and Cool Japan Guide. Her blog, City Sweet Tooth, is an online tour of New York's best sweets purveyors. She's the author of the Cool Tokyo Guide: Adventures in the City of Kawaii Fashion, Train Sushi, and Godzilla, as well as the Cool Japan Guide: Fun in the Land of Manga, Lucky Cats, and Ramen (interview to come!). 

We were lucky enough to catch up with Denson, and ask her about the Cool Tokyo Guide, inspiration, art, Tokyo (of course), and more. Here's what she had to say...

Please tell us about your new book, Cool Tokyo Guide...
It's a fully-illustrated guide to Tokyo which includes travel tips and funny stories based on my own experiences visiting there. It includes a section on family activities and fun side trips too. 

What inspired you to write this book?
Following my previous book, Cool Japan Guide, I wanted to do more of a deep dive on the city of Tokyo since it's one of my favorite places!

We're all about the research - what were the joys and challenges of researching this book?
Mostly it's joyful, especially checking out restaurants! The side trip to Hakone was particularly fun since we went to the Yunessun spa and got to try out the wine and sake baths. A very unique experience! On the challenging side... at times I find it challenging to gather the photo reference for my drawings. Photographing Japanese toilets can feel a bit awkward! It's also challenging just trying to see everything I want see. I never get to do everything on my ideal agenda since there is just so much to do. It's a major reason why I return to Japan again and again. Another challenge is that details often change (for instance, the Gundam statue in Odaiba was removed and replaced recently), so you can never have a definitive version, but that's the nature of travel writing!

How do you balance your art and the comic book style with the written parts?
This is a really good question! It gets to the heart of creating comics, the balance of art and writing. I consider when I'm planning the page what image I most want to draw or would best communicate the information that I'm trying to convey at that point. If there is an especially visually arresting image or iconic object that I want to depict, I would prioritize that as part of the page design. I try not to make it too wordy, but sometimes it's hard to avoid long text stretches when communicating very specific tourism information.

What might people be surprised to learn, about Tokyo and its wide range of interesting experiences?
Even though Tokyo is such a huge and busy city, you can really enjoy nature, too. In many neighborhoods you can visit a shrine or a park, and it will be so peaceful, even though you're right alongside the most hectic areas. Also, Mount Takao is a great day trip with stunning mountain views, only about a fifty minute train ride from Shinjuku. 

What's up next for you?
For my next project, I plan on collaborating with an artist friend in Tokyo. I've been lucky to meet so many talented and friendly artists on my travels!

Is there anything else you'd like to share?
If you've always wanted to go to Japan, just go for it! 

All photos courtesy and copyright Abby Denson and Tuttle Press