This sketchbook is my travelogue from May 15-26, 2025, to Japan—a country I have always wanted to visit with pen and paper. If Tokyo was modern and entertaining, then Kyoto was historical and enchanting. I felt as if I was time-travelling from one city to the other, with the time-defying bullet train—Shinkansen. From anime pop culture hotspots to Edo-era remnants, Tokyo is a city that is worth exploring. I could see only a few spots during my stay. A lot remained undiscovered. But whatever little I could experience left an impression, which I have collected in this book. This book features short anecdotes presented in chronological order, much like a travel diary, accompanied by my sketches. Most of the sketches presented here were done on the spot (Tokyo section). A few sketches in the (Kyoto section), I started on the spot but finished them later, as I was on a time-bound journey with a hop-on-hop-off bus, and it had started raining.

In Tokyo, I witnessed an annual festival at the Senso-ji temple in Tokyo, crossed the famously crowded Shibuya pedestrian crossing, saw a 360 degrees panoramic view from dusk to night from Tokyo Tower, travelled with Tokyo subway with a Swica card, ate with chop-sticks ´the secret to longevity´—Nato beans with local Japanese men, scrolling Mangas on mobile screens. In Kyoto, I travelled with the hop-on-hop-off bus for almost ten hours each day, trying to soak in the history. And then on a bright day in May, I saw Mount Fuji, smoking white clouds from its crater, with its lips apart. I have tried to place these experiences in this book, like in a bento box. A bento box offers a variety of Japanese food, arranged in a packed box, ready for fresh consumption. This book is similar, with fresh sketches and anecdotes packed together, it is ready for you to read and experience Japan.

I hope you will enjoy reading this book. The sketches are not my best work, as they were created on the go, but they do convey the time and temperament. Maybe one day this book will inspire you to jot down your travelogue, or pick up the long forgotten wooden pencil, to sketch or to write, or inspire someone else to do the same. Thank you for joining me in this journey.
Brindarica Bose,

Wohlen, Switzerland, 29 June 2025