A few weeks ago, during a bookstore tour, our attention was drawn to a very colourful book with an unmistakable title: Giappomania (in English it’s something like Japanmania). It is written by Marco Reggiani, with the illustrations of Sabrina Ferrero, and it is a little jewel that we had to add to our library of kawaii books. If you don’t already know it, we show you the book more closely.
Giappomania is a cross between a guide, a travel diary and an illustrated book. The 200 and counting pages of the volume are dedicated to 100 topics, organized into 7 chapters, which tell the most interesting aspects of the land of the Rising Sun and its culture: customs and habits, food and drink, oddities and the most iconic places. Despite being very short, the texts are full of fun and useful information for those who want to take a trip to Japan or simply love Japanese culture.
However, it is the wonderful illustrations by Sabrina Ferrero that caught our attention, a true sight for sore eyes! We literally fell in love with her colourful style, which perfectly transfers on paper all the wonder that travellers feel the first time they set foot in Japan. Of course, our favourite pages are those dedicated to kawaii culture, fashion and Japanese food.
Giappomania is a book that we recommend to all those who love Japan and kawaii illustrations. If you have never been to Japan, you will probably want to leave at the first opportunity. If instead, like us, you have already set foot in Tokyo and its surroundings, you will have fun retracing and rediscovering the places you have already visited (and then, of course, you will also want to leave at the first opportunity!). Giappomania, by Marco Reggiani and Sabrina Ferrero, is published in Italy by Rizzoli and you can buy it (written in Italian) on Amazon.