THE TOKYOITER: JAPANESE ILLUSTRATORS CELEBRATE TOKYO

“The Tokyoiter” is a project that “celebrates the passion for Tokyo and its inhabitants’ story“, and it is also a tribute to “The New Yorker” and “The Parisianer” traditional cover art.

Made by Japanese illustrators, and also foreign artists that are living in Tokyo, each cover is a reflection of Tokyo as a diverse city and as a fascinating place full of stories and artistic inspiration.

We invite you to visit “The Tokyoiter” and enjoy the work of these talented artists that “celebrate illustration, cartooning, drawing, design and creativity“. I am sure they will inspire yo to live and experience Tokyo in an artistic way. Here are some of our favorite covers and the history behind each illustration.

“I was inspired to make this illustration from the fact that Tokyo also has its own Geisha district, although not as well known as Kyoto. If you’re lucky enough, you might stumble upon them in areas like Asakusa or Yoshi-cho. I wanted to use the colorful patterns in her kimono to depict the city lights and signboards all around Tokyo.” – Fern Choonet.

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“AWA ODORI Dance is a very famous festival every summer in Japan. I went to the AWA ODORI Dance festival in Koenji before and I felt the power of culture from their dance. At the same time, the drunk salary man is also a very powerful cultural symbol in Tokyo.” – Chiyun Yeh-yo

“I visited Japan a couple of years ago and fell madly in love with the country. I drew a lot of characters in my sketchbooks and if iI wasn’t drawing the people I was sketching the buildings, then the cars, then the signage until I had a huge amount of work. I eventually collaged it into this illustration, I wanted it to feel friendly, packed, colourful and futuristic, all my memories and feelings of Tokyo” – Tilly

“Tokyo brims with a stark juxtaposition between old and new. While some cities struggle to find a balance between such polar opposite yet perpetual traits, Tokyoites harmonise the two. While a girl in a kimono playing on her phone is hardly a rare sight in Tokyo, to me it personifies this beautiful marriage between the past and present. It simultaneously reflects a respect for tradition and a curiosity for the future” – Karan Singh

Cover photo by illustrator Aiko Sogo