Factbook

A Dynamic Compendium of Interesting Japanese Literary and Publishing Facts
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    Japanese literature and novels littered with cats[UPDATED: 8-17-2017]

    There is a long tradition of cats within Japanese literature, folk stories and art. Many ‘cat books’ feature amongst the ranks of Japan’s bestselling titles. Soseki Natsume (1867-1916) wrote a highly regarded satirical account of the Meiji Era in Japan titled: I am a Cat,… Read more »
    Japanese literature and novels littered with cats Posted by Richard Nathan
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    One bookstore in Tokyo stocks & sells only one book at a time[UPDATED: 8-15-2017]

    Morioka Shoten located in Ginza in Tokyo, has a unique merchandising strategy. It only sells one book title at a time despite around 80,000 new books being published every year in Japan. The shop, which opened in May 2015, has a single book strategy of stocking… Read more »
    One bookstore in Tokyo stocks & sells only one book at a time Posted by Richard Nathan
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    China buying more Japanese books and publications[UPDATED: 8-14-2017]

    Japan’s book exports to China have grown significantly since 2001, when as a condition of joining the World Trade Organization (WTO), China was required to lift restrictions on the importation of books and publications. Despite rapidly growing interest in Japanese novels, and Japanese Crime Fiction in particular, China… Read more »
    China buying more Japanese books and publications Posted by Richard Nathan
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    Totto-Chan Japan’s all time bestselling novel[UPDATED: 8-14-2017]

    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 »
    Totto-Chan Japan’s all time bestselling novel Posted by Koji Chikatani
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    Japan not included on the list of key international publishing locations[UPDATED: 8-14-2017]

    The Tokyo International Book Fair (TIBF) is not included or even mentioned in the IPA Global Book Fair Report 2017, published by the International Publishers Association (IPA). Although, 75 international book fairs are listed in the IPA report whose introduction states that it “provides an… Read more »
    Japan not included on the list of key international publishing locations Posted by Richard Nathan
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    Japan’s most expensive book was published in 1984 with a retail price of US$17,000[UPDATED: 7-22-2017]

    Japan’s most expensive book, an edited collection of manuscripts by Claudius Ptolemaeus (100-168), was published in two-volumes by the Japanese publisher Iwanami Shoten in 1984, just before Japan’s infamous economic bubble (1986-1991), with a retail price of 1,930,000 yen. Ptolemaeus’ astronomical treatise, an astronomy textbook… Read more »
    Japan’s most expensive book was published in 1984 with a retail price of US$17,000 Posted by Richard Nathan
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    Oldest surviving book on Japan written in 712[UPDATED: 7-6-2017]

    The Kojiki, the Record of Ancient Things, compiled by Ono Yasumaru, was completed in 712 after the death of Emperor Temmu, Japan 40th emperor, who commissioned the book. The emperor is mentioned in the book’s preface. The Kojiki contains accounts of Japanese history including its… Read more »
    Oldest surviving book on Japan written in 712 Posted by Richard Nathan
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    Most frequently requested novel at Peking University library in 2016 was a translated Japanese crime fiction title[UPDATED: 7-3-2017]

    In 2016, a novel by the Japanese crime-writer Keigo Higashino, Mysterious Night, was the third most frequently borrowed book at Peking University Library. According to an analysis by the library, only two books, both non-fiction academic related titles, an introduction to psychology and an account… Read more »
    Most frequently requested novel at Peking University library in 2016 was a translated Japanese crime fiction title Posted by Richard Nathan