Chika Suzugamori is a rookie manga artist that, after winning a new artist award for her debut, has had every draft she brought to her editor rejected.
On the verge of giving up, she decides to use some of her prize money to take a trip. On that trip, she finds the natural scenery healing and is inspired to continue working—as well as start planning her next journey.
Let’s vibe around Japan, ya’ll. If you are looking for more anime recommendations like Zatsu Tabi: That’s Journey, head on down below.
Anime Like Zatsu Tabi: That’s Journey
For Fans of Tourism Anime
Laid-Back Camp
After moving, Nadeshiko decides to go see Mount Fuji. She manages to bike pretty far, but has to turn back because of the weather and ends up fainting.
When she wakes up, she finds herself somewhere she has never been and no way to find her way back. It is in this wilderness where she is saved by Rin, a girl who was out camping by herself.
Similarities Between That’s Journey and Laid-Back Camp
- Exclusively cute anime girls going outside and enjoying natural/cultural sights
- Plotless slice of life where the story is getting to and enjoying the next destination
- Occasional moments that seem more like advertisements for things you can buy
- Pleasant, peaceful series that emphasis taking time to enjoy non-work or school things with friends or even by yourself.
Differences Between That’s Journey and Laid-Back Camp
- Laid-Back Camp follows a group of high school girls, not a working adult and occasionally her working adult friends.
- Laid-Back Camp is about camping. So while they do sometimes visit some tourist sights, mostly this series is showing off Japan’s natural splendor.
Tetsuko’s Travels
Kikuchi Naoe is a struggling manga artist that agrees to her bosses request to take a trip with him and fellow travel writer/train enthusiast, Yokomi Hirohiko as he aims to visit all 5,207 private rail stations after previously having visited all 4,636 JR train stations.
Similarities Between That’s Journey and Tetsuko’s Travels
- A manga artist goes traveling! Then creates manga based on those travels.
- Mostly fictional stories based on the travels of someone real
- Enjoying Japan’s natural scenery and cultural locations, and sometimes, trains.
Differences Between That’s Journey and Tetsuko’s Travels
- Tetsuko’s Travels is about a manga artist traveling with a train otaku, so you better be ready for some hardcore nerding out about trains.
- The manga artist in Testuko’s Travels is simply hired as a companion to a train otaku travel author to create a manga about his travels. Chika is traveling because she is in a creative slump.
- Tetsuko’s Travels is often far more of a comedy while That’s Journey is often firmly more peaceful slice of life.
For Fans of Travel Stories
Wandering Witch – The Journey of Elaina
Ever since she was a child, Elaina has been enamored by the stories in her favorite book. It tells the tale of Nike, a famous witch who enjoyed many great adventures around the world.
After becoming a fully-fledged witch herself, she departs, becoming entangled in a number of stories of those she meets around the world.
Similarities Between That’s Journey and Wandering Witch
- A woman decides to go traveling
- She meets a variety of people and sees many different things on these trips
- Mostly peaceful and whimsical travels
Differences Between That’s Journey and Wandering Witch
- Wandering Witch takes place in a fantasy world where magic is present, utilized in daily life, but not the fantastic kind of battle magic used in more action-oriented tales.
- Wandering Witch is more about the main character getting caught up in the stories of others whereas That’s Journey is more of a personal reflection of the main character in wherever she is that episode.
- Some of the character stories in Wandering Witch can be surprisingly dark given itself otherwise more whimsical tone.
Kino’s Journey
Accompanied by her talking motorcycle, Hermes, Kino travels through her mysterious world, spending only three days and two nights in each town. The idea is that three days is enough to learn almost everything about a place. This is the story of her journey.
Similarities Between That’s Journey and Kino’s Journey
- A woman decides to go traveling
- Each episode is a new destination
- Showcasing diverse locations with unique stories in each one
- Often serene tone, sometimes bordering on melancholic
Differences Between That’s Journey and Kino’s Journey
- Kino’s Journey takes place in a fantasy land, though it is more so that it isn’t constrained by reality and can showcase diverse societies rather than so it can have magic/elves/ect.
- Kino’s Journey is definitely the darker, more melancholic series, and not many of its locations are without complicated tales.
- That’s Journey is showcasing great places to travel to in Japan, Kino’s Journey is more about exploring the cultures, customs, and societies of different locations.
For Fans of Cute Girls Doing Poignant Things
Super Cub
Koguma is a student who has nothing. She lives alone, has no hobbies, and no friends. However, one day she stops by a vehicle shop in hopes of getting a motor scooter for her commute.
Disheartened by price tags initially, she is sold on an old pre-owned Super Cub. However, what she didn’t know is the many different ways that the scooter would open up her world.
Similarities Between That’s Journey and Super Cub
- Women traveling to different, often more rural places in Japan
- Occasionally traveling with friends
- Lovely scenery that feedings into poignant thoughts for the main character
- Occasional moments that seem more like advertisements for things you can buy
Differences Between That’s Journey and Super Cub
- Super Cub follows a high school girl that gets a moped, so the travel is a bit more restrained
- Super Cub is far more about a depressed girl finally making meaningful connections thanks to her new moped.
- Super Cub is far more obviously advertising mopeds. That’s Journey is more about hyping up tourist destinations.
Sakura Quest
In the wake of a national movement during a Bubble economy period, a small town decides to revive its tourism program and hires five women as travel ambassadors.
Over the course of a year, the young women conquer the trials and tribulations that come with trying to reinvigorate a small town.
Similarities Between That’s Journey and Sakura Quest
- Working adult women whose lives are lightly a mess
- Struggling with their job, but still finding moments to enjoy outside of that in the natural landscape
- Adult women with adult friendships that are still reminiscent of Cute Girls Doing Cute Things
Differences Between That’s Journey and Sakura Quest
- Sakura Quest is about a group of women trying to find ways to boost tourism for a rural town, so it isn’t so much about traveling as much.
- Sakura Quest is firmly grounded in reality like That’s Journey, but some of their schemes can be wildly silly.
A Place Further Than The Universe
Upon discovering an old list she made in the last year of middle school, Mari Tamaki, who is now in her second year of high school, realizes she is not making the most of her youth. Whenever she tries to do something new, she is paralyzed with inaction.
Then one day she meets Shirase, a girl who’s mother went missing when she was in middle school on an expedition to Antarctica.
Knowing full well it is close to impossible, she works hard in order to go to search for her mother and invites Mari along for the ride.
Similarities Between That’s Journey and A Place Further Than The Universe
- Girls gone traveling
- On their travels, they learn more about themselves and have poignant experiences in the world
Differences Between That’s Journey and A Place Further Than The Universe
- A Place Further Than the Universe follows high school girls on a much less believable journey to Antarctica, but to its credit, depicts the journey in a realistically viable way.
- A Place Further Than the Universe is far more about its complicated characters and their various problems they are working through as they travel.
Do you have more anime recommendations like Zatsu Tabi: That’s Journey? Let fans know in the comments section below.
