Colors in Japanese Art • Tokyo MeetUp Report • Top 3 Real Japan Guides

Colors in Japanese Art by Nobuyoshi Hamada invites readers into the captivating world of Japanese colour traditions, where every hue tells a story centuries in the making.

This fascinating exploration reveals how colour transcends mere decoration in Japanese art, from the symbolic importance of seasonal kimono choices to the carefully curated palettes of ancient pottery and prints.

With over 120 exquisite examples and detailed colour analysis, the book offers an unprecedented journey through Japan’s artistic heritage, making it an essential guide for art enthusiasts and colour devotees alike.

I asked colour consultant and artist Lauren Battistini to cast her expert eye over the book and share her thoughts, here’s her review…

I’ve published a new video on the TRJ YouTube channel of December’s 2024 MeetUp in Tokyo.

The venue was the Hobgoblin pub in Roppongi. BTW, that’s TRJ subscriber Katrina from Australia alongside me in the video thumbnail – winner of The Real Japan Travel Goodie Bag. (There’s a sneak peek at the contents in the next item below.)

I was so busy chatting and socialising that I failed to be a good content creator and didn’t get many decent photos of the night – but there’s a few in the video! 😆

Hope you enjoy it and hope to see you at a future TRJ MeetUp.

Thank you to everyone who took time to vote in the poll of last year’s Guides (aka blog posts) published on TheRealJapan.com during 2024.

It was the closest-run race in the history of the poll and threw up some very interesting results!

An amazing 25 of the 30 posts published received votes. That’s 83% of the guides published last year – the broadest range ever.

This suggests that you’re finding value in the wide range of topics covered.

Your Top 3 Most Popular Guides were:

1. 38 Japan Travel Sites and Resources Every Traveller Should Know was the clear leader with an impressive 31% share of the vote

2. Kyoto City Guide took second place with 17.2% of the vote

There was a five-way tie for third place, each with a 10.3% of the vote:

3. 12 Must-Try Outdoor Activities In Japan
3. 3 Magical Day Trips From Kyoto To Escape The Crowds
3. A First Trip To Japan: 16-Day Itinerary & Review
3. Exploring Japan By Train – A Beginner’s Guide
3. Strolling Zōshigaya – Tokyo Off The Beaten Path

The strong performance of 38 Japan Travel Sites and Resources guide suggests you particularly value comprehensive reference guides that practically help you plan your trips.

A shout out to four of my guest contributors who all made the Top 3 – Phillip Jackson authored the excellent Kyoto City Guide at #2 as well as the creative 3 Magical Day Trips From Kyoto To Escape The Crowds sharing third-place.

Also sharing third are TRJ subscriber Andrew Rondeau who wrote up his First Trip to Japan: 16-Day Itinerary & Review, Japan train expert Stephen Turner with his Exploring Japan by Train – A Beginner’s Guide, and author Gilles Poitras with his fascinating Strolling Zōshigaya – Tokyo Off The Beaten Path post.

Thankfully, it appears that my attempt to strike a balance between off-beat and more mainstream topics is working (with the help of numerous expert guest contributors).

As you may have seen from the video above, the 2024 The Real Japan MeetUp event happened in Tokyo on 13 December.

It was the first MeetUp I was able to organise after they stopped due to the pandemic. The previous one was in Kobe in 2019.

It was our biggest meetup to date with a lot of industry professionals, TRJ subscribers, local residents, long-time followers, some old friends and plenty of new faces all enjoying the evening.

I particularly enjoyed meeting TRJ follower Katrina at the event. She happened to be travelling in Japan from Australia with her husband, saw that the date overlapped with them being in Tokyo. So she announced in The Real Japan Private Facebook Group that they were able to attend.

Love it when that happens – TRJ followers are in the country at the time of the MeetUp and can come along. Always feels special.

And by the end of the night they were announced as the lucky winners of The Real Japan Travel Goodie Bag!

The contents of which (partially pictured above) included a copy of the guidebook Japan Traveler’s Companion, written by Rob Goss and published by Tuttle, a The Real Japan T-shirt, shinkansen chopsticks, a Pokemon uchiwa hand fan, several city guides, sumo wrestler key rings, a Kansai Airport towel, coffee and more.

I already have an idea for the location of the 2025 MeetUp – so keep a look out for information on that later in the year.

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