With the wealth of information you can find about travel destinations on the internet, you might be wondering what's the point of picking up travel brochures when you're out and about exploring Japan. I've found a ton of great information in brochures during my adventures across the country, and they've really helped to enhance my overall travel experience.
One of the best reasons to pick up a few brochures is that they can often save you some money. Sometimes you'll be lucky enough to find discount coupons for attractions, transport, and more inside, which is a great incentive not to dismiss them.
Another great reason to grab some brochures is that they can teach you a lot about the regional cuisine of an area. On many occasions before I've visited a new place, I've had no idea what the best things to eat there are – but that's where travel brochures can save the day for you. Many brochures will outline some of the history behind certain dishes, and suggestions of places where you can try them for yourself.
I particularly liked a lot of the brochures I picked up when I visited Matsue, the capital of Shimane Prefecture. All of the brochures I came across had English language versions (super helpful if you don't read Japanese), and they provided plenty of historical background about the city's best things to see and do. Part of the reason I enjoyed my time in Matsue so much was because of resources like these, which made the planning part of my trip so easy.
You can usually find travel brochures at train stations or at dedicated tourist information centers, such as the Matsue International Tourist Information Center located right out the front of Matsue Station. Happy travels!
I have had plans to either sort things out by region or prefecture, or to go through everything and create some kind of digital library of places to visit and maybe just keep the ones from places I've been, but neither ever came to fruition.
Lots of them are bilingual, too, so that helps immensely with navigation and asking for directions.