This Is Why People Fall in Love With Japan.

Japan has a special way of staying with you.
Not just the big sights, but the small moments — the quiet streets, the friendly people, the little details that make you stop and smile.

Every now and then, I meet someone who feels the same way. Someone who doesn’t just visit Japan, but really connects with it.

This week, I got to talk with Jason Grant — a designer and author who has fallen in love with Japan in his own way. I asked him a few questions about what inspires him, the places he keeps returning to, and how he sees Japan as a traveler and a creative.

Meet Jason.

In today’s email:

Meet Jason Japan

I recently came across something that reminded me why Japan stays with people. It grabs your heart, changes you a little, and makes you want to return again and again

It’s the story behind a beautifully crafted travel guide called Jason Japan.

Jason Grant — an Australian designer, stylist, and author — visited Japan for the first time and instantly fell in love. The kind of love that turns a quick trip into a lifelong obsession.

Each visit brought new discoveries: little cafés, hidden shops, friendly bars, and surprises he found while simply exploring.

Soon his personal notes, saved pins, and whispered recommendations from locals became too many to keep to himself. And that’s when the idea for a guide started forming — not a generic travel app, but something personal, based on real experiences, curiosity, and years of exploring Japan.

With a friend’s help, Jason turned his notes into Jason Japan — a guide that feels like having a well-traveled friend showing you around..

It covers Tokyo, Kyoto, and Osaka, mixing must-see spots with hidden cafés, small boutiques, side-street gems, and places you’d never find by accident. It also includes practical tips for planning, easy navigation, and maps that make it simple to use on the go.

What sets it apart is Jason’s eye for detail — the small, beautiful things most travelers walk right past. And just like Japan itself, the app keeps evolving.

Five questions with Jason Grant

I pretty much knew as soon as I landed the energy in Japan is immediately different. My first trip was extra special as my friends secretly created the ultimate gift for a significant birthday and gave me a travel voucher, so this added to the experience in a whole other way, being sent by the people I love most.

I felt an immediate connection to Japan. I compiled so many discoveries and recommendations and created notes on my phone and computer, and learned so much that a friend suggested I should create a travel guide, and clever friends helped me turn it into an app. Jason Japan is so helpful I use it myself as it’s packed with all of my favourite things all in one place with directions.

I guess I knew from friends that Japan was great, maybe I didn’t overthink it. I did heaps of research and planning and didn’t have huge expectations, just excitement, but Japan surpassed my wildest dreams. Honestly, I felt right at home.

I feel calm, creative, such clarity, and feel totally connected in Japan. There’s always a little bit of magic in Japan for me.

The best thing you can do is learn a little or as much Japanese as you can — it makes the world of difference and is so appreciated. My Japanese is limited but always improving and expanding.

I’m always heading to new places to see more of Japan, but honestly I love exploring the many and outer neighborhoods of Tokyo. I’m that guy who will jump on a train across town to see some awesome architecture, a cool book store, or a hidden wine bar.

The local neighborhoods are where it’s at, and where you find the real Japan away from the crowds.

Sticking to the obvious same places or heading to viral TikTok locations… yes, there are bucket list places that you must see, but to be honest this is only surface-level Japan.

I love digging a little deeper and exploring and experiencing things like a local. Sometimes you need to get lost to find the best things.

Stories like Jason’s are a reminder of something I see again and again: Japan doesn’t just leave an impression — for some people, it becomes a calling. A creative spark. A shift in how they see the world.

Some travelers come home with photos. Others come home with a feeling they can’t shake.

Jason took that feeling and turned it into something meaningful — a way to share the places and moments that shaped his connection to Japan. And I love that. Because it shows how personal and powerful travel can be when you let yourself follow curiosity, slow down, and look a little deeper.

Thanks so much for reading and for being part of this little Japan-loving community. I love putting these issues together, and I hope they bring you inspiration, ideas, and maybe even a bit of comfort.

More Japan tips, hidden gems, and fun discoveries are already on the way.
See you next week!

Would love to know more about what you want to see in the newsletter.

Email me at thejapangenie@gmail.com.

Wishing you an awesome week!

Mata ne!

/ The Japan Genie