Factbook

A Dynamic Compendium of Interesting Japanese Literary and Publishing Facts

If you would like to contribute to this compendium please submit your ideas here.
All will be considered for publication by our expert panel.

Category Index:

Factbook Keyword Search:
Search for:

Kafka a popular author and name amongst Japan’s creatives[UPDATED: 6-9-2018]

Kafka is a popular author and name amongst creatives in Japan. In 2007, an animated version of his 1917 short story A Country Doctor was produced by Koji Yamamura and the author’s name appeared in Haruki Murakami’s bestselling 2002 book titled: Kafka on the Shore. Two… Read more »
- TOPICS:
- Culture
Kafka a popular author and name amongst Japan’s creatives Posted March 23rd, 2017 by Richard Nathan
Japanese literature and creative writing is being exploited cleverly to attract more tourists to the country[UPDATED: 5-28-2018]

Literary tourism is now a growing part of what is known in Japan as kontentsu tsurizumu (contents tourism). The term is used to describe tourism inspired by popular culture and includes both literary tourism and film-induced tourism. It is defined by academics, who run The International… Read more »
- TOPICS:
- Culture
- Poetry
Japanese literature and creative writing is being exploited cleverly to attract more tourists to the country Posted January 3rd, 2018 by Richard Nathan
Books in Japan generally published as tanko-bon, bunko-bon or both[UPDATED: 5-19-2018]

There are two standard book formats in Japan tanko-bon and bunko-bon. Most works of fiction are initially published as tanko-bon and then after a given period, that can sometimes range from 1 to 4 years, as bunko-bon. The content of a book and the publisher… Read more »
- TOPICS:
- Book production
- Industry
Books in Japan generally published as tanko-bon, bunko-bon or both Posted May 3rd, 2017 by Richard Nathan
Totto-Chan is Japan’s all time bestselling novel[UPDATED: 3-27-2018]

Japan’s all time bestselling novel is Totto-Chan: The Little Girl at the Window, written by Tetsuko Kuroyanagi. It was originally published as a series of short stories by Kodansha in its magazine Young Women in 1979. At pixel time it has sold more than 5.8… Read more »
- TOPICS:
- Industry
Totto-Chan is Japan’s all time bestselling novel Posted March 23rd, 2017 by Koji Chikatani
Japan’s oldest publishing house, Hozokan, is more than 400 years old[UPDATED: 3-22-2018]

Hozokan, the Kyoto based Buddhist publisher can trace its roots back to 1602 and is considered to be Japan’s oldest publisher. It publishes books on Buddhism, targeting both specialists and general readers. Hozokan’s longevity, and the nature of its subject specialism, has not stopped it embracing… Read more »
- TOPICS:
- History
- Industry
- Religion
Japan’s oldest publishing house, Hozokan, is more than 400 years old Posted January 4th, 2018 by Richard Nathan
Encyclopedia, known as dictionaries of a hundred subjects, have been published in Japan for more than a thousand years[UPDATED: 3-22-2018]

In Japan encyclopedia are called hyakka jiten (百科事典), which literally means “dictionary of a hundred subjects”. They have been compiled and published since Japan’s Heian Period (794-1185). The first Japanese encyclopedia is said to be the Wamyo ruijusho published in 938. Other Japanese encyclopaedia are considered its descendants. It… Read more »
- TOPICS:
- Book production
- Culture
- Dictionary
- History
Encyclopedia, known as dictionaries of a hundred subjects, have been published in Japan for more than a thousand years Posted January 3rd, 2018 by Richard Nathan
Japan’s first detective story was published in 1889[UPDATED: 3-17-2018]

Ruiko Kuroiwa (1862-1913), who founded a newspaper and edited several others, is widely thought and cited as having written Japan’s first detective story, a classic whodunit short story titled Muzan (In Cold Blood), nine years after the first modern Japanese short story, Dancing Girl, by… Read more »
- TOPICS:
- Crime
- History
- Mystery
- Prizes
- Science Fiction
Japan’s first detective story was published in 1889 Posted January 4th, 2018 by Richard Nathan
Three books written by English speaking non-Japanese female writers have had a massive impact on creative writing in Japan[UPDATED: 3-11-2018]

According to industry experts and academics, the three most important books in Japanese publishing history written by non-Japanese women are: Wuthering Heights, by Emily Bronte; Anne of Green Gables, by LM Montgomery and JK Rowling’s Harry Potter series. After a false start in Japan’s Meiji Period (1868-1912), the… Read more »
- TOPICS:
- History
- Women Writers
Three books written by English speaking non-Japanese female writers have had a massive impact on creative writing in Japan Posted January 3rd, 2018 by Richard Nathan

Factbook

Kafka a popular author and name amongst Japan’s creatives[UPDATED: 6-9-2018]

Japanese literature and creative writing is being exploited cleverly to attract more tourists to the country[UPDATED: 5-28-2018]

Books in Japan generally published as tanko-bon, bunko-bon or both[UPDATED: 5-19-2018]

Totto-Chan is Japan’s all time bestselling novel[UPDATED: 3-27-2018]

Japan’s oldest publishing house, Hozokan, is more than 400 years old[UPDATED: 3-22-2018]

Encyclopedia, known as dictionaries of a hundred subjects, have been published in Japan for more than a thousand years[UPDATED: 3-22-2018]

Japan’s first detective story was published in 1889[UPDATED: 3-17-2018]

Three books written by English speaking non-Japanese female writers have had a massive impact on creative writing in Japan[UPDATED: 3-11-2018]

Newsletters