Japanese Notebooks: A Journey to the Empire of Signs

In Japanese Notebooks: A Journey to the Empire of Signs (2017–present, Chronicle Books), acclaimed Italian cartoonist Igort distills his decades-long fascination with Japan into a singular, illustrated travelogue. This single-issue work blends memoir, cultural observation, and comics reportage, exploring the country's aesthetics, rituals, and everyday life through Igort's distinctive, meditative linework. It stands as a personal, deeply researched testament to the artist's lifelong engagement with Japanese culture, offering readers a thoughtful outsider's perspective on the "Empire of Signs.