Japan Ai
In Japanese, “Ai” means “Love” — and if you love Japan, get ready to dive head-first into the incredible world of Japanese pop-culture! Join Aimee Major Steinberger (a professional animator with a passion for all things cute) on the ultimate otaku vacation! Visit fantasy restaurants, maid cafes, and the world’s most exclusive doll store! Cosplay on the infamous Harajuku Street! Attend an outrageous all-female Takarazuka musical! See beautiful shrines, hot springs, stores full of manga, and so much more! Aimee captures it all in a manga journal that is both adorable and breathtaking.
Japan Ai: A Tall Girl’s Adventures is an illustrated book I did about my trip(s) to Japan with my girlfriends AJ and Judy. It was published by Go!Comi in 2007 and was available for sale at all major bookstores and amazon.com. At this point it is now sold out and out of print, but I hope to get it reprinted at some point. You can occasionally find copies on amazon or ebay.
We actually took two separate trips (in 2005 and 2006)and the events of those trips were combined into the narrative of the book. Each trip was about 2 weeks or so,… so what you see in the book is about a month of Japan.
NOTE: Since many people have asked, and this was accidentally omitted from the book, in the Japan Ai book, we stayed at Oodaru Spa Amagisou. But when I went back another time with my husband, we went to Takaragawa Onsen. Both were great and were ok with English speaking foreigners. Goodluck!
There are a lot more interviews and press on Japan Ai on the press page.
- Japan Ai made the annual “Top Ten Great Graphic Novels for Teens” from the American Library Association (YALSA) ~ read more at ANN (1, 2)
- Japan Ai was also named “2009 Quick Picks for Reluctant Young Adult Readers” by YALSA (1) (Japan Ai was the only book to hit both lists!)
- Japan Ai banners and books show up on the Nov 17, 2008 episode of Heroes in the comic book store. (screenshot)
These are a few images from my book, Japan Ai: A Tall Girls Adventures in Japan.
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Some photos from our trips to Japan
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