What guidelines are there for writing?

The following guidelines apply to all content created on Japan Travel. Please take the time to review them when starting out, as well as any format-specific notes further below.

Editorial checklist

• Provide as much information and detail as you can, researching the place you are writing about, as well as sharing your experiences.
• Don't duplicate text from other sites or plagiarise at all – always write in your own words and submit original content.
• Keep in mind our readers are not all experts in Japanese culture, so try to link to other Japan Travel articles where possible or take the time to explain a particular Japanese term you may have used.
• If you must link to an external website, please only link to official websites for a tourist spot or business.
• Try to be succinct and avoid using redundant words or convoluted explanations. Keep paragraphs short to make it easier for the reader.
• Use "Title Case" for titles and "Sentence case" for sub-titles.
• Always include an SEO description of 20-25 words.
• Choose a category and sub-category to ensure your article is tagged accordingly.

Photo checklist

• Three or more high-quality photographs: focused, good lighting and composition and relevant to the article.
• We reserve the right to remove photos that are redundant or insufficient quality.
• The first photo has highest visibility so think about showcasing one of your best.
• Photoshop or editing is acceptable if you need to optimise photos, but we don't permit watermarks or datestamps.
• Please include a descriptive caption for every photo uploaded.
• Photographs must be your own, or you must have permission to publish if somebody else’s.
• If a photo is not your own, you must still provide an appropriate photo credit – even if you have permission to publish.

Location checklist

• All destination reports and event articles must have an address added.
• Map pins can be added via the Japanese address field. Only add this if the article is about one destination.
• Please add official website information – this allows us to quickly verify information too. Please don't link to non-official websites, as we cannot be responsible for the information they publish.
• Telephone numbers and e-mail addresses are also useful to our audience, so if you have this information, please input alongside your article.

For format-specific guidelines, please consult each format guidance page.

Last modified on 11/11/2020