Factbook

A Dynamic Compendium of Interesting Japanese Literary and Publishing Facts

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Creative Writing

Banana Yoshimoto chose the pen name banana as it was gender neutral

[UPDATED: 2-22-2018]

Banana Yoshimoto, one of the most internationally recognised contemporary female Japanese writers established her career in 1988 with her debut novel Kitchen, which was nominated for various prizes, instantly putting her on Japan’s literary map. She wrote the novel while working as a waitress in a golf club.

She chose her pen name while at college before graduation choosing banana to replace her given name Mahoko as she liked banana flowers and thought the name was memorable, “cute”, and “purposefully androgynous.”

She comes from a very creative family. Her father Taaki Yoshimoto (1924-2012) was a well-known poet and literary critic and her sister is a well-known cartoonist.

Banana Yoshimoto chose the pen name banana as it was gender neutral Posted January 3rd, 2018 by Richard Nathan

More Facts:

The first modern Japanese short story was written by Ogai Mori and published in 1890[UPDATED: 3-3-2018]
- TOPICS:
- History
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Japan’s oldest continuously published magazines are Chuo-Koron and Toyo-Keizai launched in 1887 and 1895[UPDATED: 2-21-2018]
- TOPICS:
- Industry
- Magazines
Book prices in Japan are fixed[UPDATED: 2-14-2018]
- TOPICS:
- Industry
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For over a thousand years many of Japan’s emperors have played an active role in publishing: writing poems, books and even scientific papers[UPDATED: 5-2-2019]
- TOPICS:
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- History
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Winning the 1987 Japan Mystery Writers Association Prize put Miyuki Miyabe on the literary map triggering a boom in female crime writing in Japan[UPDATED: 3-5-2018]
- TOPICS:
- Crime
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- Prizes
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The two most prestigious Japanese literary prizes are the Akutagawa and the Naoki prizes[UPDATED: 2-11-2018]
- TOPICS:
- Fuminori Nakamura
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- Mitsuyo Kakuta
- pen names
- Women Writers

Factbook

Banana Yoshimoto chose the pen name banana as it was gender neutral

The first modern Japanese short story was written by Ogai Mori and published in 1890[UPDATED: 3-3-2018]

Japan’s oldest continuously published magazines are Chuo-Koron and Toyo-Keizai launched in 1887 and 1895[UPDATED: 2-21-2018]

Book prices in Japan are fixed[UPDATED: 2-14-2018]

For over a thousand years many of Japan’s emperors have played an active role in publishing: writing poems, books and even scientific papers[UPDATED: 5-2-2019]

Winning the 1987 Japan Mystery Writers Association Prize put Miyuki Miyabe on the literary map triggering a boom in female crime writing in Japan[UPDATED: 3-5-2018]

The two most prestigious Japanese literary prizes are the Akutagawa and the Naoki prizes[UPDATED: 2-11-2018]

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