The cover
I will start out with the statement- I Love Journals. I especially like looking at journals in book shops, overseas as I travel, on social media. Tik Tok has quite a few people who talk about their journals. Junk, Commonplace books, travel, daily, gratitude and on it goes. I know that tik tok has some dodgy content but I use the search bar for my interests and don’t see the other stuff. There are young people with their journals and there are older women who write, but I am going to crawl out of this rabbit hole and share my travel journal from Japan with you.
I need a big band to compress this thing.
From the moment I book the trip I start saving stuff. Flight info. Itineraries. A few photos from a travel guide. I also add a picture of the penguin from a small little printer I take with me. It prints my phone photos into small 2×3 stickers.
A coffee wrapper from hotel room, a receipt and a map.
Whilst travelling I don’t ever do as much as I want as after a morning sunrise shoot, early breakfast with the group, long days and socialising with before dinner drinks and long dinners I just get to my room, get things ready for the next day and collapse. But I do stuff everything I find into a bag and save what I can, then finish it when I get home. I don’t write much. There isn’t time.
One of the book’s illustrations
Instead I collect everything that is paper. Wrappings from snacks, labels from bottles if they are removable, tea bag wrapping, coasters, tour brochures, maps. I never know what I will find.
A few low value coins
Today I spread all that stuff out on my desk and began putting it all together. I still have blank pages so from now on I will cut out photos of Japanese items from magazines as I come across them.
A dinner menu of about 12 courses and a tour brochure
While browsing in Fullers one day before my trip, I came across a brilliant little journal that specifically stated ‘Japan’. There was another one beside it that said ‘France’. It made me want to research how many countries are represented by this publisher. I notice in the credits, that are in French, there is a web page. I’ve not looked at it yet but I will now I see it.
http://www.alibabette-editions.fr
The journal has some beautiful Japanese illustrations throughout the book plus other pages that are lined. Between the illustrations and the content I added it has turned into a beautiful little book.
Brochure from the castle we visited.
I hope you enjoy looking through some of the pages. As I seldom buy souvenirs in other countries (except journals) I find this is a wonderful souvenir. I will print out a few of my own photos and continue to add things to it.
A tea wrapper and a chocolate biscuit wrapper.
I hope you find it fun and maybe I’ll inspire you to think about the things you could pick up, travelling or on your own day trips. I find it adds purpose to any outing and very, very relaxing assembling it all.
A hotel receipt.
The back of journal
Publishers information
🌻 Penguin keeps his own journals. I can only guess what he writes about. 🌻
Travellin' Penguin 