Publications
This page lists a mix of completed, current, and possible/future publications, with links to individual publication pages where possible. If you have any specific questions/suggestions, or want to collaborate on something, please get in touch via the contact page. Completed publications are listed in chronological order of completion.
This page last updated 2026-04-08
Planned updates:
- Adding more publications
- Adding links to individual publication pages (currently under construction)
Publications
Completed Publications
How To Get Lost in Tokyo Like You Really Mean It
A compact guide to intentional urban exploration in Tokyo, with a core of concepts that can be applied anywhere. It covers a philosophy behind purposeful wandering, drawing on psychogeography and the Situationist tradition, and offers concrete methods for getting genuinely, productively lost: drifting, algorithmic navigation, dice-based decision-making, drift card decks, and more.
By David R Munson, originally published in January 2025. Available as an ebook and a DIY printable zine. Print run possible.
Rolling the Dice on Urban Experience
A guide to using ordinary physical objects as tools for deepening urban exploration: dice, a compass, a hand mirror, a magnifying glass, a tally counter, and others. Rooted in ideas drawn from psychogeography, mindfulness, and field ethnography, it makes the case for object-mediated experience as a way to break habitual perception, invite curiosity, and discover more in familiar and unfamiliar places alike.
By David R Munson, originally published in March 2026. Available as an ebook and a DIY printable zine. Print run possible.
Visibly Lost
A collection of personal essays, primarily drawn from a year-long writing experiment on the blog Somewhere in Japan. Short and observational in form, the essays explore everyday life as a long-term foreign resident in Japan, touching on place, attention, memory, nature, and the quiet texture of daily experience.
By David R Munson, originally published in April 2026. Available as an ebook and on-demand paperback.
Upcoming Publications
The Japan Travel Book (not the actual title)
This book projects represents an attempt by David R Munson to create the kind of travel book he wishes he’d had when he first travelled to Japan. It’s a combination of philosophical underpinnings, planning advice, and thoughts on how to be a good guest. The book project has its own site at https://davidwroteabook.com
Planned Publications
The Crowded Bowl
A collection of essays sharing miso soup as a central point of connection. Miso soup is typically taken as a simple sort of dish, but under closer examination, it blooms into an unexpected complexity, with every ingredient the source of multiple fascinating stories.
Shanghai Environment
A body of photographic work by David R Munson with an accompanying essay, representing a period of time in Shanghai largely spent attempting to find a sense of belonging in a place where he knew he wasn’t going to stay. For now, see the project page at https://davidrmunson.com/shanghai/
Possible Future Publications
Series: Aleatorist Asks
The idea is to produce a series of zines, with each one centered on a different central question or topic, with answers and stories contributed by community members and event participants.