Highlights
- Manga like A Silent Voice and Golden Kamuy depict breathtaking landscapes and cultural explorations, making readers want to explore Japan themselves.
- Barakamon showcases the beauty of the Goto Islands and Japanese calligraphy, while Joshiraku highlights the traditional storytelling form of Rakugo.
- Sweetness & Lightning and Laid-Back Camp feature culinary delights and the beauty of Japan’s great outdoors, making fans yearn to be in Japan.
Japan is a lovely place with beautiful and diversified sights. From the busy streets of Tokyo to the more secluded Goto Islands, various parts of the Asian country are yet to be explored by fans from overseas. Apart from the country itself, Japanese culture is beautiful in many ways, and with the otaku sub-culture gaining ground, various forms of Japanese culture are being portrayed in anime and manga.
With the depiction of various cultural heritages and landscapes, many fans would like to pay a visit to Japan simply because of the scenes and sights they see in manga. While various manga make fans want to visit Japan through their narratives and art style, some do it better than others.
7 A Silent Voice
Landscaping Beauty
- Japanese Title: Koe no Katachi
- Author: Yoshitoki Ōima
- Genre: Drama
This manga series is widely acclaimed for several things, such as its storyline and the development of its characters. The manga series portrays the lives of Shoya Ishida and Shoko Nishimiya. In junior school, Shoko was widely ostracized by her classmates because she was deaf. After Shoko’s mother reported this to the school, Shoya was singled out and blamed, and from then on, he became an object of contempt.
Eventually, Shoko left the school, but that didn’t spare Shoya from the ridicule he received from his classmates. Eventually, Shoya set out to find Shoko and atone for his past misdeeds. The breathtaking real-life landscapes and cityscapes that A Silent Voice portrays make readers want to explore Japan and see such scenes for themselves.
6 Golden Kamuy
Narrating Japanese Culture
- Japanese Title: N/A
- Author: Satoru Noda
- Genre: Historical, Political, Japanese-style Western
Many things make the Golden Kamuy manga series intriguing to fans of Japanese culture. The series has a central narrative about the Ainu, a group of indigenous Japanese people based in Hokkaido and other parts of Northern Japan that they inhabit. Moreover, the series roughly portrays events that happened after the Russo-Japanese War, the period in which the series is set.
As fans watch the adventures of Sugimoto the immortal and the Ainu girl Asirpa as they try to recover stolen Ainu gold for personal reasons, a world of cultural exploration and historical references nestled in a unique setting is born. The historical landmarks, and the exploration of Ainu culture in particular, will have readers intrigued, and Japan is the one place to explore them in person.
5 Barakamon
Appreciating Japanese Calligraphy
- Japanese Title: N/A
- Author: Satsuki Yoshino
- Genre: Comedy, Slice of Life
Written and illustrated by Satsuki Yoshino, the Barakamon manga series portrays the life of the young calligrapher Seishuu Handa. While working as an up-and-coming calligrapher, after a veteran calligrapher labels his work as ‘unoriginal,’ Seishuu gets angry and violent and is sent to the Goto Islands for punishment and as a form of self-reflection.
Throughout the manga series, fans get to explore the Goto Islands, a five-island archipelago in the Sea of Japan, while they appreciate Japanese calligraphy through the eyes of Seishuu. Many would think that being sent to a rural environment would present Seishuu with a calmer and more serene setting; however, the inhabitants of the Goto Islands portrayed in the manga series are far from the peaceful villagers readers might expect.
4 Joshiraku
Storytelling At Its Finest
- Japanese Title: N/A
- Author: Kōji Kumeta, Yasu
- Genre: Comedy
Rakugo is one of Japan’s most prominent forms of verbal entertainment. It traditionally involves a lone storyteller sitting on a platform with minimal props as they depict a story. Very few places in the world portray Rakugo as beautifully as it is done in Japan, and many people travel far and wide to enjoy this form of storytelling.
In Joshiraku, Rakugo serves as the prominent theme of the series, as five Rakugo storytellers move from one famous location in Tokyo to another to tell their differing stories. From Japanese politics to manga and simple observations, each story can continue in a never-ending loop of interconnected views. Because of the significant influence of Rakugo on Japanese culture, many wish to view it for themselves in person after reading this series.
3 Sweetness & Lightning
Culinary Delights
- Japanese Title: Amaama to Inazuma
- Author: Gido Amagakure
- Genre: Comedy, Iyashikei
Many of Japan’s homemade and traditional meals are reason enough for one to want to visit the country. In Sweetness & Lightning, Kouhei Inuzuka takes up cooking as he strives to prepare delicious meals for his daughter after the death of his wife.
Initially, Kouhei mostly bought ready-made meals for himself and his daughter after his wife passed. However, after meeting Kotori Lida and dining at her family’s restaurant, Kouhei steels his mind to learn how to properly provide delicious and nutritious meals, so his daughter can grow up properly. With the various culinary delights and cultural traditions portrayed in the series, Sweetness & Lightning is one series that has fans yearning to be in Japan.
2 Laid-Back Camp
The Great Outdoors
- Japanese Title: Yuru Camp
- Author: Afro
- Genre: Adventure, Iyashikei
When used for recreational activities such as hiking or camping, the great outdoors portrays beautiful scenery like no other. In Japan, various outdoor spots can be used for camping, and the manga series Laid-Back Camp portrays exactly that.
In Laid-Back Camp, Rin Shima and Nadeshiko Kagamihara come across each other at the base of Mt. Fuji. What was supposed to be a camping trip for one turns into a get-together for two, and later, the duo wonders what other adventures they could go on together. From then on, Rin and Nadeshiko explore various other campsites in Japan, showcasing the beauty of Japan’s great outdoors.
1 Genshiken
Otaku Culture In All Its Glory
- Japanese Title: N/A
- Author: Shimoku Kio
- Genre: Comedy, Slice of Life
Over the past decade, interest in anime and manga has been on the rise. With anime and manga originating from Japan, various forms of entertainment based on anime and manga are collectively grouped under Otaku culture.
The anime series Genshiken portrays the richness of Otaku culture in Japan. Through the club, the Society for the Study of Modern Visual Culture, fans get to experience various Otaku events that go on in the streets of Japan. While the series doesn’t actively showcase Japan’s beauty in its entirety, for fans of anime and manga, this series will certainly make one interested in visiting Japan.
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