日治時期臺灣遊日作品的產生，反映臺灣歷史發展的特殊變化。殖民政權刻意運用法令阻礙既有與中國的活動，又運用行政資源鼓勵臺灣文人前往日本旅遊，帶動遊日作品的產生。透過這些遊日作品，可以窺探臺灣文人的世界觀，及其在日本殖民政權控制下所展現的獨特觀察。日治時期的遊日作品在早期帶有日本民族主義的色彩。因為殖民政權試圖藉安排臺灣士紳赴日旅行，強化殖民地民眾對日本母國的認同，並體認日本的現代化與強大，帶有形構民族主義的意圖。然而，臺灣旅人並非單方向接收蘊民政權所提供的資訊。其接受現代文明洗禮之餘，在旅遊日本時，開始實踐對現代化的追求，進而產生現代化的視野與反思。另一方面，其內心的鄉土經驗因應旅程而有種種觸發。有些在作品中進行異域與鄉土間的經驗對話﹔有些則是以異域風物做為觸媒，抒發對鄉土景物與歷史的想念。還有部分作品跳脫旅遊地的框架，而遙念臺灣原本的母國中國。日治時期的遊日作品不只反映了當時臺灣的建民社會，更成為臺灣文化一環。

During the Japanese colonial period, the colonial government introduced laws and regulations in an attempt to block the connections between Taiwan and Mainland China. Simultaneously, the government encouraged Taiwanese scholars to travel to Japan which drove the proliferation of Japan travel literature by Taiwanese writers. Taiwanese travelers to Japan expressed their love for the colonial government and described the history of Japan. Their work delivered an imagined community-Taiwan and Japan joined together as one nation. Moreover, those Taiwanese travelers experienced the modernity and strength of Japan which forced them to look at the undeveloped Taiwan in a new light. While the Taiwanese travelers were in Japan however, for some the scenery would evoke memories of Taiwan and the yearning pangs for the mother land-China. Some of these travelers considered Japan as a transit center to China and exploited the loophole in law to travel to China. The complex love triangles within China-Taiwan-Japan precisely reflected the unique emotions of Taiwanese people in Japanese-colonial period. In conclusion, Taiwanese scholars' work on Japan travel during the Japanese colonial period not only reflected the then Taiwan's colonial social structure, the travelers' keen observations have also become a unique part of Taiwan's culture.