Factbook

A Dynamic Compendium of Interesting Japanese Literary and Publishing Facts

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Only one author, Yoriko Shono, has won Japan’s Triple Crown of literary prizes to date[UPDATED: 4-17-2019]

The so-called Triple Crown of Japanese literary prizes for new authors consists of the Akutagawa Prize, the Yukio Mishima Prize and the Noma Prize. Yoriko Shono, author of Time Slip Kombinat, who describes her style of writing as ‘avant-pop’, is the only author to-date to… Read more »
- TOPICS:
- Industry
- Prizes
- Women Writers
Only one author, Yoriko Shono, has won Japan’s Triple Crown of literary prizes to date Posted March 23rd, 2017 by Richard Nathan
50 years before the first Michelin Guide, Tokyo already had a popular guidebook for its foodies[UPDATED: 4-14-2019]

It has been widely reported that for more than a decade Tokyo has had more Michelin-starred restaurants than any other city in the world. But what isn’t generally known is that Tokyo, or Edo as it was previously called, had its own guidebooks for Japanese… Read more »
- TOPICS:
- Food
- Guidebooks
- Tourism
- Travel
- UNESCO
50 years before the first Michelin Guide, Tokyo already had a popular guidebook for its foodies Posted April 11th, 2019 by Richard Nathan
Japan’s oldest poetry anthology is over a thousand years old[UPDATED: 4-14-2019]

The Manyoshu, Collection of Ten Thousand Leaves is Japan’s oldest surviving book of poetry. It was compiled during Japan’s Nara Period (710-794) when Japan’s capital was located in Nara. The Japanese capital subsequently shifted to Kyoto at the start of the Heian Period (794-1185), a… Read more »
- TOPICS:
- Culture
- History
- Poetry
Japan’s oldest poetry anthology is over a thousand years old Posted January 1st, 2018 by Richard Nathan
Japan’s first commercial publishing emerged in Kyoto in the early 17th century[UPDATED: 4-14-2019]

Following the arrival from Korea of movable type technology and the printing of the first book using the technology in 1593, after Japan’s invasion of Korea, a new industry emerged in Japan – commercial publishing. According to academics, such as Donald Keene, professor of Japanese at… Read more »
- TOPICS:
- Book production
- Industry
Japan’s first commercial publishing emerged in Kyoto in the early 17th century Posted January 3rd, 2018 by Richard Nathan
Japan’s most prolific male and female authors have written 1,000 books[UPDATED: 12-27-2018]

Jiro Akagawa and Kaoru Kurimoto are Japan’s most prolific authors and have written around 1,000 titles between them. Akagawa has written more than 530 books and sold millions of copies. His first published short story in 1976 Yūrei Ressha, Ghost Train, which was awarded the All Yomimono… Read more »
- TOPICS:
- Industry
- Prizes
- Retail
Japan’s most prolific male and female authors have written 1,000 books Posted January 3rd, 2018 by Richard Nathan
Japan runs a major trade deficit in books and publications[UPDATED: 12-25-2018]

Despite the growing interest in Japanese culture, Japan’s exports of publications, including books, is under half of the value of its imports, according to Ministry of Finance data. The top three nations Japan buys books and publications from, according to figures based on publications shipped… Read more »
- TOPICS:
- Exports
- Industry
- JETRO
Japan runs a major trade deficit in books and publications Posted March 25th, 2017 by Richard Nathan
Digital developments forced Japan to update its copyright legislation in 2014 and then again in 2018[UPDATED: 12-9-2018]

Japanese copyright law was updated in 2014 under the Revised Copyright Act and then revised again in 2018.Publishing rights, which have traditionally been limited in Japan to print or paper medium publications, were extended to cover e-books and the Internet for the first time under the… Read more »
- TOPICS:
- Copyright
- Industry
- Rights
Digital developments forced Japan to update its copyright legislation in 2014 and then again in 2018 Posted December 4th, 2017 by Richard Nathan
Honnomushi is Japanese for bookworm and there are hundreds of thousands of them in Japan[UPDATED: 11-8-2018]

The Japanese for an avid and devoted reader, honnomushi (本の虫), is similar to the word used in English and many other languages, bookworm. The direct translation of honnomushi is book insect or bug. Bookworm and honnomushi, as well as being the common informal term for bibliophiles, is used in both languages to describe any insect that is thought to bore… Read more »
- TOPICS:
- Culture
- Industry
Honnomushi is Japanese for bookworm and there are hundreds of thousands of them in Japan Posted January 1st, 2018 by Richard Nathan

Factbook

Only one author, Yoriko Shono, has won Japan’s Triple Crown of literary prizes to date[UPDATED: 4-17-2019]

50 years before the first Michelin Guide, Tokyo already had a popular guidebook for its foodies[UPDATED: 4-14-2019]

Japan’s oldest poetry anthology is over a thousand years old[UPDATED: 4-14-2019]

Japan’s first commercial publishing emerged in Kyoto in the early 17th century[UPDATED: 4-14-2019]

Japan’s most prolific male and female authors have written 1,000 books[UPDATED: 12-27-2018]

Japan runs a major trade deficit in books and publications[UPDATED: 12-25-2018]

Digital developments forced Japan to update its copyright legislation in 2014 and then again in 2018[UPDATED: 12-9-2018]

Honnomushi is Japanese for bookworm and there are hundreds of thousands of them in Japan[UPDATED: 11-8-2018]

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