JAPAN SURVIVAL GUIDE
In 2019, while waiting for a flight from Shanghai to New York, I found myself with three extra hours at the airport. To pass the time, I began creating a small “survival guide” based on my study‑abroad experience in the city. I unexpectedly loved the process of documenting tips, observations, and personal highlights, and it soon became a tradition I wanted to continue for every new place I visited.
In the fall of 2024, I traveled to Japan and had an incredible time. Staying true to my Shanghai tradition, I drafted a long Google Doc filled with travel notes and practical advice I picked up along the way. This time, though, I wanted to transform it into something more intentional: a designed guide that friends could enjoy reading and use for their own trips.
Japan is known for many things, including its rich history of vintage video games. As a lifelong gaming enthusiast, I was inspired to frame the guide as something you could “win.” I incorporated 8‑bit, retro‑game motifs and used Silkscreen (from Google Fonts) for the typography. I sourced icons that visually represented my tips, and when I couldn’t find what I needed, I created custom illustrations in Adobe Illustrator.