I’m an award-winning writer, journalist, author, and filmmaker based in the UK and Tokyo. I grew up in Northern Ireland, but have spent most of the last decade writing about Japan, publishing stories on travel, arts and culture, current affairs, and international sporting events. I also write longform essays, creative non-fiction and travel books, and recently, directed and produced my first documentary short.

My writing has appeared in a range of national and international publications online and in print:

Tokyo Weekender, The Japan Times, Al Jazeera, The Belfast Telegraph, The Independent, The Irish Independent, Lonely Planet, CNN Style, CNN Travel, Deeper Japan Journal, easyJet Traveller Magazine, Wanderlust, Metropolis, Islands, InTouch Magazine, Intrepid Times, Frommer’s, Matador Network.

My first book, Intrepid Japan, was published in spring 2025 and won Travel Guidebook of The Year at the British Guild of Travel Writers awards. My second book, the first edition of Frommer’s Japan in over a decade, was published in December 2025.

I’ve also started a Substack, imagintively titled, David McElhinney’s Substack.