SHOGAKUKAN
From the past 100 years to the next 100 years.

Inspiring the power to create new ideas.
Shogakukan was founded in 1922 as a publisher of educational magazines for preschool and elementary school students. Having celebrated its 100th anniversary
last year, Shogakukan has now established itself as a leading publisher of fiction, non-fiction, children’s books, art, photography, travel guides, dictionaries,
encyclopedias and other reference books. Renowned for its long tradition and expertise in the publishing industry, Shogakukan also produces a wide range ofother content across print, digital and audio—comic books for children and adults, educational and entertainment magazines and websites and apps. The wealth oforiginal content is further promoted through investment in film and TV productions, third-party adaptations, as well as extended reality (XR) projects. Honoring

outstanding works with the Shogakukan Children, Comics and Non-Fiction Awards, Shogakukan aims to actively foster diversity, inclusion and accessibility, andstrives for the advancement of education and learning.

For information, please contact:
Shogakukan Inc.
2-3-1 Hitotsubashi, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 101-8001, Japanwww.shogakukan.co.jp
rights_inquiry@shogakukan.co.jp

Company Name: SHOGAKUKAN Inc.
Headquarters: Tokyo, JapanFounded: August 8, 1922
President: Nobuhiro Oga
Capital: 147 million yen
Sales: 108.4 billion yen (2022 fiscal year)
Employees: 696 (as of March 2023)

2
Copyright ©2023 Shogakukan Inc. Front and back cover artwork by Rei Kurahashi. All rights reserved.

Contents
HIGHLIGHTS

04

FICTION

08

NON-FICTION

23

CHILDREN’S BOOKS

35

B AC K L I S T

58

3

HIGHLIGHTS

4

PAGE 13

PAGE 11

PAGE 10

PAGE 9FICTION HIGHLIGHTSThe Regret Ward

Sora’s Recipes

Kenji Ueda

Miu Kakiya

Sonoko Machida

PAGE 21

PAGE 15

PAGE 20

The Stationery Store in Ginza

Sosuke Natsukawa

PAGE 14

The Cat Who Saved You

The Incredible Nekomimi Café

The Coffee Man

What Did You Do That Day?

I Killed Our Teacher

Saki Murayama

Hika Harada

Toshika Masaki

Mina Sakurai
5

PAGE 28

PAGE 24

PAGE 25

NON-FICTION HIGHLIGHTSA Letter to the Next 100 Years

Ryuichi Sakamoto: A History in Music

Chair Meditation for a Simple Life

Yukimasa Ida

Eiichi Yoshimura

Shunmyo Masuno

6

PAGE 46

PAGE 42

PAGE 41

PAGE 37

CHILDREN’S HIGHLIGHTS

gahaku & brushSato the Rabbit, the Morning Sun

The Cabin Company

fancomiYuki Ainoya

PAGE 50

PAGE 48

PAGE 54

Melting into the Sunset

PAGE 47

I’m Home
Makiko Toyofuku

The Snow Theater

The Illustrated Guide to Major Crises

The Comet and the Last Dragon

The Garden

Ryoji Arai

Noritake Suzuki

Kyoko Imai and Miho Satake

Rui Kodemari
7

FICTION

8FICTION

The Cat Who Saved You
Kimi o mamoro to suru neko no hanashi / 君を守ろうとする猫の話

Sosuke Natsukawa
The long-awaited sequel to The Cat Who Saved Books, the international sensation that soldover 125,000 copies in Japan and was translated in 39 languages
A chronic asthma condition prevents 13-year-old Nanami from joining sports or hanging out with her friends
after school. However, she loves reading and is happy to spend most of her free time in the school library,cocooned by stacks of books in all directions. One day, Nanami notices that, despite the library remaining as
deserted as ever, her favorite Arsène Lupin, Gentleman Burglar, Anne of Green Gables and other classic worksof literature are gradually disappearing from the shelves. When she alerts the library staff, no one seems totake her seriously. Her concerns are brushed off as a product of her imagination. Just as Nanami is about togo back to her reading, she spots between bookshelves a suspicious man in a gray suit. She follows the man
hoping to find out what he is up to, but an asthma attack cuts the chase short and all that is left behind is a
Category: Trade Fiction
ISBN: To be confirmed
Pages: 250 pages
Printing: Black & White
Publication: February 2024
Agent: Emily Books Agency (World, excluding Asia)
English sample translation available on request.

mysterious light filtering through the library’s familiar passageways. That’s when, to the delight of readers allover the world, talking tabby cat Tiger comes once again to the rescue.
Will Nanami and Tiger overcome the challenges of the dangerous adventure ahead? Why are faceless graysoldiers burning books in a stone castle? And what happened to Rintaro, the socially withdrawn hero of thefirst novel? In the age of book banning, Sosuke Natsukawa urges us not to underestimate the power of great
literature and to be prepared to defend our freedom to choose.
Sosuke Natsukawa is a doctor and novelist based in Nagano, Japan. He was born in Osaka Prefecture in 1978 andgraduated from Shinshu University School of Medicine. While practicing the medical profession, he made his debut as awriter in 2009 with the multivolume novel Kamisama no karute (God’s Medical Records), which sold over three million
copies in Japan and was adapted into a film. His most famous work, published in English as The Cat Who Saved Books (tr.
Louise Heal Kawai), was an international bestseller and won several prizes both in Japan and abroad.

9

FICTION

The Stationery Store in Ginza
Ginza “Shihodo” bunboguten / 銀座「四宝堂」文房具店

Kenji Ueda
Miracles of the Namiya General Store meets Before the Coffee Gets Cold
Tucked away down an alley in Tokyo’s most exclusive shopping district, stands a three-story stationery store
dating back to the early 19th century. “Shihodo” read the golden letters on the glass front door and, despite
the old letterpress in the basement, customers setting foot in the store are greeted not by spiderwebs anddust but a composed, awe-inspiring sense of history. The Takarada family has been running Shihodo forgenerations, skillfully sourcing both from Japan and further afield a wide assortment of notebooks, writing
utensils, letter sets, scissors and more. But make no mistake, Shihodo is no ordinary stationery store, just as
Ken Takarada, the current owner, is no ordinary clerk. City dwellers wandering the busy streets of Ginza insearch of super-efficient, speedy customer service should turn to the nearby department store. At Shihodo,
Ken offers nothing but warmth, affability and an in-depth knowledge of every single item he sells.
A thank-you letter from a company employee to the grandmother who raised him as her own child on the day
Category: Trade Fiction
ISBN: 978-4-09-407192-4
Pages: 320 pages
Printing: Black & White

Publication: October 2022
Agent: Emily Books Agency (World, excluding Asia)
Rights Sold: Chinese (Traditional)
English synopsis and sample translation available on request.

of his first paycheck. A resignation form from the hostess of an elegant club to the manager who dissuaded
her from giving up her day job upon graduation. A notebook for the captain and vice-captain of a high-school
archery team to exchange notes about day practice. A tin full of postcards handed to a husband on the day of

the funeral of the wife he repeatedly betrayed. An invitation to the opening of a new high-end sushi bar froma formerly homeless sushi chef to the man who gifted him his first knife. By attending with care to customers’
wishes, Ken unintentionally unravels their troubled hearts and unearths the true feelings behind the stationery
items they seek. As posts, images and videos endlessly scrolling on social media lure us into a state ofconstant distraction and emotional detachment, The Stationery Store in Ginza reminds us to look at the simple
objects we hold every day in our hands and reflect on how they connect us to our loved ones.
Kenji Ueda is a Japanese novelist known for blending fantasy with the charm of everyday life. Born in Tokyo in 1969, hemade his debut as a writer in 2021 with Teppan (The Iron Griddle), the revised version of a work he wrote in 2019 for the
1st Japan Delicious Fiction Award.

10

FICTION

The Regret Ward
Kokai byoto / 後悔病棟

Miu Kakiya
If you could live your life all over again and correct past regrets, would you?
125,000 copies sold in Japan
Rumiko has been treating terminally ill cancer patients for nearly ten years. Although she has already cared for
hundreds of patients, she lacks confidence in her skills as a doctor. As an experienced practitioner she isexpected to understand how her patients feel, but every time she is in front of a patient she can’t help fretting
and blurting out something inappropriate. Much more talented doctors and nurses have either left their jobs
after having children or changed careers and she is at a loss over whether she should stay. One day, while sheis quickly polishing off her lunch on a bench in the hospital’s courtyard, she notices in the flowerbeds a shiny
object which turns out to be a stethoscope. This apparently unremarkable find marks for Rumiko thebeginning of a strange new journey of self-discovery and growth. By placing the stethoscope on her patients’chests, Rumiko can hear their thoughts. The stethoscope also opens a door to the past and gives patients theCategory: Trade Fiction
ISBN: 978-4-09-406409-4
Pages: 392 pages
Printing: Black & White

Publication: April 2017
Rights Sold: Korean
Agent: Emily Books Agency (World, excluding Asia)
English synopsis available on request.

chance to experience the life that would have been possible had they made different choices.
What if Satoko had not given up on her dream of becoming a great actress like her mother? Keiichi is about
to die, so why can’t his wife stop talking about money? What if Chitose had not opposed her daughter’smarriage and could now hold a grandchild in her arms? What if in junior high Koji had taken the blame for thegirl he loved stealing money from a teacher’s purse, instead of his best friend Sumio? At various stages of ourlife, we all get stuck on the thought of what we should have done differently. By exploring the possible
alternatives, Miu Kakiya’s new book gives us the courage to look back on our lives and understand theimportance of owning the choices we made no matter their outcome.
Miu Kakiya was born in Hyogo Prefecture in 1959. Her debut work, Tatsumaki garu (Tornado Girl), was published in 2005
and won the Mystery Novel Newcomer Award. Her books include Rogo no shikin ga arimasen (I Don’t Have Any Money
Left in My Retirement Account) adapted into the 2021 homonymous film. The Regret Ward is the first installment in athree-volume series, followed by The Hope Ward and The Prison Ward.

11

FICTION

The Candy Shop’s Backroom
Kasugai shokudo / かすがい食堂

Keiichi Kakoya
A kids-only cafeteria serving up delicious and heartwarming dishes of meddlesomeness!
Fourth grader Kakeru walks in the Kasugai candy shop at the same time every evening, buys exactly threecoins worth of sweets and walks away. Sixth grader Akane is repeatedly seen picking up candies from the floor
and popping them into her mouth. Teenage idol, Karen, eats nothing at all after a trivial comment by a TV
personality pushed her into anorexia. These are the names and faces 25-year-old Fuko Kasugai catches sightof in and around her grandma’s candy shop in downtown Tokyo, as the disappointment of a botched career inthe film industry gradually fades away through her interactions with regular customers.
Fuko learns from Kakeru that the three coins worth of sweets he buys every evening function as his dinner anddecides to use those three coins to buy ingredients for a meal Kakeru, Fuko and her grandma can enjoy
together in the candy shop’s backroom. When Kakeru’s mother accuses the shop of treating her child as an
object of pity and charity, the response is prompt: “This is the Kasugai Cafeteria, an authentic kids-only
Category: Trade Fiction
ISBN: 978-4-09-406891-7
Pages: 224 pages
Printing: Black & White
Publication: March 2021

cafeteria!”
Juicy hamburger steaks, stir-fried vegetables with plenty of rice, a hot pot for all to gather around, The Candy
Shop’s Backroom depicts Japan’s kodomo shokudo, or children’s cafeterias, a fast-growing grassroots

movement to fight child poverty and social isolation by offering children low-cost, nutritious meals and a safe
place to stay. This is the first installment of a three-volume series. The first volume tackles issues such as
bullying, child neglect and poverty, the second focuses on diversity and discrimination, while the third portrays
young carers of family members unable to cope on their own due to illness or other problems. A
heartwarming series about eating well and connecting with society.
Keiichi Kakoya was born in Osaka in 1972. His debut work Pachipuro kodo (The Pachinko Player’s Code) was published in2010 and won the This Mystery Is Excellent! Grand Prize. His many books include Nen’neko shobo nazotoki (The Nenneko
Mystery Solving Bookstore) about the owner of an antiquarian bookstore solving mysteries in Tokyo’s Jimbocho book
district.

12

FICTION

Sora’s Recipes
Sora gohan / 宙ごはん

Sonoko Machida
Japan Booksellers’ Award winner Sonoko Machida explores the community’s crucial role inaddressing maternal ambivalence in contemporary Japan
Sora, from the Japanese word for “air,” has two mothers, a birth mum and the mother who lovingly raised her
until she had to move to Singapore due to her husband’s job transfer. Before starting elementary school, Sora
could not believe her luck at having two mothers. She did not live with Kano, her birth mum, but they met
regularly and she was immensely proud of her beautiful looks, sweet disposition, and talent as an illustrator.
However, when the mother who raised her moves abroad and Sora is forced to live with Kano, the situation
drastically changes. When it comes to her work, Kano is considered a distinguished illustrator, but she hasnone of the qualities usually associated with a “normal mother.” She is not particularly good at cooking andlacks the confidence and special attention needed to raise a child.
In dire need of help through the chaos of newfound motherhood, Kano decides to rely on old friend Saeki, achef at a local restaurant. She asks Saeki to cook daily meals for Sora and keep an eye on her. From Saeki Sora
Category: Trade Fiction
ISBN: 978-4-09-386645-3
Pages: 368 pages
Printing: Black & White

learns not only how to cook, but also how pouring all her heart into the making of a dish has the power toheal people’s souls. A touching story depicting the rebirth of a dysfunctional family through food.

Publication: May 2022
Agent: Emily Books Agency (World, excluding Asia)
Rights Sold: Chinese (Traditional), Italian, Korean, Thai
English synopsis and sample translation available on request.

Sonoko Machida is an award-winning Japanese author, born in 1980 in Fukuoka Prefecture. In 2016, she won the By
Women for Women R-18 Literature Prize for her Kamerun no aoi sakana (Blue Fish of Cameroon). Her masterpiece 52
herutsu no kujira-tachi (The 52-Hertz Whales), won the 2021 Japanese Booksellers’ Award and became a bestseller with
about half a million copies sold in Japan. Her novels Hoshi o sukuu (Scooping Up the Stars) and Sora gohan (Sora’s
Recipes) were nominated for the award respectively in 2022 and 2023.

13

FICTION

The Incredible Nekomimi Café
Fushigi kafe NEKOMIMI / 不思議カフェNEKOMIMI

Saki Murayama
A black cat, a flying car and an itinerant café—the Japanese master of fantasy writing takes us
on a magical new adventure
Ritsuko, a woman in her fifties living on her own, leads the most uneventful life one could ever think of. She

works every day as diligently as she can and spends her spare time reading books or listening to music whilesipping her favorite teas. One day she gets a terrible headache and is told that she is due to pass away thatsame night. Her life will only be spared is she accepts to shed her human nature and become a wizard.
That’s how Ritsuko acquires the magical power to make people’s wishes come true. With her black cat Melody
by her side, Ritsuko embarks on an exciting new journey that will lead her to open the itinerant Nekomimi
Café and meet all sorts of customers over tea and delicious handmade treats. The apparently unremarkable
lives of those forgotten in secret corners of the world and in between the interstices of time swirl at the gentle

touch of Ritsuko’s magic. Interspersed into the book are delicate, black and white line drawings by popular
Japanese illustrator, Rei Kurahashi.
Category: Trade Fiction
ISBN: 978-4-09-386668-2
Pages: 296 pages
Printing: Black & White
Publication: January 2023

Agent: Japan Uni Agency (World, excluding Asia)
English synopsis and sample translation available on request.

Saki Murayama was born in Nagasaki in 1963 and graduated from the
Department of Japanese Literature at Kwassui Women’s University. A masterof fantasy writing, she won the 15th Mainichi Fairy Tale Newcomer Awardand the 4th Hatoju Muku Children’s Literature Award for her 1993 picturebook Chiisai Eri-chan (Little Eri). She was twice shortlisted for the Japan
Booksellers’ Award, in 2017 for Ofudo monogatari (The Tale of Ofudo) andin 2018 for Hyakka no maho (The Magical Department Store), which wastranslated into Italian among other languages. In recent years, her series ofnovels Konbini Tasogare-do (The Tasogare Convenience Store) and Kafe
Kamome-tei (The Kamome Café) set in the fictional city of Kazahaya wasreceived with both critical and popular acclaim.
14

FICTION

The Coffee Man
Kissa ojisan / 喫茶おじさん

Hika Harada
The bestselling author of How to Use 3,000 Yen explores food’s power to redeem people
Despite being fifty-seven years old, Junichiro Matsuo has no job prospects or hobbies of his own. He took
early retirement from a major construction company and is currently unemployed. His wife, Akiko, moved into
the apartment of their daughter, second-year university student Arisa, and so, for about six months, he has
been living on his own.
One day he casually wanders into a coffee shop and orders an egg sandwich with a cup of coffee. He has sucha pleasant time that he decides he might as well look for another place to eat. That’s when the idea springs to
mind. “From now on, this will be my hobby. I will visit coffee shops, especially the classic, old-fashioned ones
where no alcohol is served!” Higashi-ginza, Shimbashi, Gakugei Daigaku, Ameyoko, Shibuya, Ikebukuro,
Kyoto...“This taste, this taste. Delicious!” Junichiro travels around the country and enjoys the signature coffee
flavor of various establishments. But his new hobby hides a bitter past. Despite the objections of his wife, heCategory: Trade Fiction
ISBN: 978-4-09-386696-5
Pages: 258 pages
Printing: Black & White
Publication: October 2023

had used his severance pay to start a coffee shop, which he had to shut down in half a year.
His estranged daughter, his wife, an old colleague and all the other people he meets tell him the same thing.
“You don’t understand anything.” And yet, through old school friends, he starts helping out at a local coffee

shop and eventually lands a job as a sales representative at a new company. From January to December, The
Coffee Man follows a year in the life of Junichiro Matsuo, a middle-aged man who, bouncing from one coffee
shop to the other, navigates the challenges of maintaining meaningful human connections in the later part ofhis life.
Hika Harada was born in Kanagawa Prefecture in 1970. In 2005, she received the NHK Original Radio Drama Grand Prize
for Ritoru purinsesu 2 go (Little Princess No. 2) and in 2007, the Subaru Literary Prize for Hajimaranai ti taimu (The Tea
Time That Never Comes). Her 2018 novel San zen en no tsukaikata (How to Use 3,000 Yen) has sold over 750,000 copies todate in Japan and has been translated in English among many other languages.
15

FICTION

Piano Man

The Story of Blue Giant’s Yukinori
Piano man BLUE GIANT Yukinori no monogatari / ピアノマン 『ＢＬＵＥ ＧＩＡＮＴ』雪祈の物語

Eito Nanba
Turn up Piano Man’s volume and let words drown out all other sounds
A spin-off of the record-breaking, award-winning manga Blue Giant about high-school student Dai and hisjourney to become the greatest saxophone player in the world. This novel focuses on the life of pianist
Yukinori, one of the members of Dai’s jazz band. As a young boy, Yukinori learned sounds before he evenlearned words. Music appeared in front of his eyes as a limitless variation of colors. Eventually Yukinori
became fascinated with jazz music and dreamt of changing the jazz scene in Japan by performing at the best
jazz clubs in the country. However, the night before the band achieved their goal of performing at Japan’s

number one jazz club, So Blue, Yukinori is run over by a truck at his part-time job at a construction site andloses the use of his right arm. The three members of the band decide they will perform no matter what. Will
Yukinori still be able to prove his worth in a solo? Will his perseverance earn him a standing ovation?
Category: Trade Fiction
ISBN: 978-4-09-386676-7
Pages: 400 pages
Printing: Black & White
Publication: February 2023

Rights Sold: Chinese (Traditional)

Praise for the Blue Giant manga“Ishizuka’s page-turner applies the gung-ho spirit of action manga to an unlikely subject: jazzmusic…Combining optimistic storytelling with intense emotion, this bighearted musicalcelebration is a delight.” Publishers Weekly
Eito Nanba is a Japanese manga artist, an editor and a scriptwriter. In close collaboration with Shinichi Ishizuka, hedeveloped both the story for the popular manga Blue Giant, which sold more than eleven million copies in Japan, and thescript for the homonymous movie. This is his first full-length novel.

16

FICTION

Happiness Ending Corporation
Hapinesu endingu kabushiki gaisha / ハピネスエンディング株式会社

Toianna
A normal internship, at a company for not quite so normal funerals!
Second-year university student Tomoya decides to intern at the Happiness Ending Corporation, a company
that performs mock funerals for people who want to cut ties with their parents. The nature of the work
horrifies Tomoya, who having grown up in a peaceful home struggles to understand the company’s motives.
However, after witnessing the actual funerals, Tomoya is shocked by what the clients reveal about their past.
Excessive parental interference, corporal punishment, sexual abuse, rape…Tomoya soon discovers that these
seemingly disturbing funeral services have the power to set people free. The popular Japanese author andcolumnist with over 70,000 followers on Twitter tackles the sensitive subject of toxic parenting and shows how
its effects can be overcome.

“Far preferable to dying or being killed. This novel offers tips for survival.” Suzumi Suzuki,
Akutagawa Prize nominated novelist
Category: Trade Fiction
ISBN: 978-4-09-386683-5
Pages: 210 pages
Printing: Black & White
Publication: April 2023

Toianna is a Japanese businesswoman, writer and romance columnist. Born in 1987, after graduating from the
Department of Political Science at Keio University, she worked in the marketing department of a multinational consumer

goods corporation. She currently runs a content agency providing professional writing services to businesses andindividuals. Toianna is the author of a wide range of books, from essays and manuals to novels.

17

FICTION

Whiskers and Pads
Hige to napukin / ヒゲとナプキン

Hirotada Ototake, Fumino Sugiyama“What are we afraid of? What are we protecting? This is what I want you to rethink.” Ryuchell,
TV personality and LGBTQ+ rights advocate
Trans man Itsuki wants to marry his girlfriend, Satoka, but with same-sex marriage not an option in Japan, hewould have to change his sex officially for that to be possible. The other issue is that in Japan, trans people
face a lot of barriers to changing their sex. For one thing, Itsuki would have to get his uterus removed to belegally recognized as a man. It turns out what Satoka wants most of all is to have children, which is a wholeother challenge. Sperm donation from a relative of Itsuki’s would mean they could both have blood ties to thechild, but he hasn’t talked to his father in eight years.
Work, love, family, will Itsuki be able to find a path forward after facing in the flesh the unreasonableness ofestablished social norms and the anguish they entail? The author who redefined the meaning of “normal” withhis six-million-copies bestseller No One’s Perfect, captures what it’s like for trans men in contemporary Japanand questions our assumptions about what it means to be a man, to be a woman and ultimately to be a family.
Category: Non-Binary Fiction
ISBN: 978-4-09-386584-5
Pages: 256 pages
Printing: Black & White
Publication: October 2020

English synopsis and sample translation available on request.
Listen to an extract read by English translator Emily Balistrieri, here.

Hirotada Ototake was born in Tokyo in 1976. Due to a congenital condition called tetra-amelia, he was born with almost
no arms and legs. In 1998, while he was still a student at Waseda University, his memoir Gotai fumanzoku (published in
English as No One’s Perfect, tr. Gerry Harcourt and John Brennan) became a six-million-copy bestseller. Following
graduation, he worked jobs such as sports writer and elementary school teacher. Other books include Jibun o ai suru
chikara (The Power to Love Yourself) and Sharin no ue (Over Wheels).
Fumino Sugiyama is a Japanese transgender activist, born in Tokyo in 1981. Co-representative director of the NPO Tokyo
Rainbow Pride and former member of Japan’s women’s Olympic fencing team, he learned gender studies in graduate
school and wove what he studied in with his personal experience of gender dysphoria to write Daburu happinesu (Double
Happiness). Other works include Moto joshikosei ga papa ni naru (A Former High-School Girl Becomes a Father) andSannin de oya ni natte mita (We Tried Being Parents as a Trio).
18

FICTION

Family for Beginners
Biginazu kazoku / ビギナーズ家族

Dan Osano
The touching story of a family breaking a new path to love and acceptance
Born into a celebrity family, Aki lives a quiet life with his same-sex partner, Tetsuhiro. But after the sudden
death of his biological father, destiny’s path opens up before him as he discovers that he has a 2-year-old
half-brother, Ren. Under Japanese law, Aki and Tetsuhiro cannot marry and have long given up on the idea ofstarting a family. But under the encouragement of his mother Chika, Aki decides to become Ren’s guardianand give the life he has always dreamt of a try. Unfortunately, unexpected challenges lie in wait.
Heiress to one of the most prestigious families in Japan, Chika demands that Ren is enrolled in the private
missionary elementary school both she and Aki graduated from. Aki doubts a school founded on traditionalfamily values will accept a child raised by a same-sex couple and is worried about his sexual identity being put
on public display, but follows the advice of his former homeroom teacher, a reformist in the school, andtransfers Ren to a private kindergarten with a reputation for preparing students for prestigious elementary
Category: Non-Binary Fiction
ISBN: 978-4-09-386685-9
Pages: 320 pages
Printing: Black & White
Publication: May 2023

school entrance examinations.
As muffled remarks and outright scandals start to threat Ren’s peaceful upbringing, Aki’s enthusiasm for thisnew path of life gradually fades. Stuck in a hotel at the foot of Mount Fuji, bad weather preventing the climb,

Aki, Tetsuhiro and Ren open up about their true feelings and realize for the first time that they have alreadybecome the “real family” they were waiting for others to acknowledge.
Dan Osano is a Japanese poet, author and entrepreneur. Born in Tokyo in 1983, he graduated from the Faculty of
Economics at Keio University. He is currently based in Taiwan where he runs Tsujiri, a century-old Japanese tea house anddessert chain with branches all over the world. In 2017, he won the 60th Newcomer Award for the Study of Tanka for
Mukuna Nihon de (In Innocent Japan) and in 2018 he published his first poetry collection, Metarikku (Metallic). He is theauthor of six novels, including Boku wa nakushita koi shika utaenai (I Can Only Sing About Lost Love) and Shajiku (Axle)
whose film adaptation was released in Japan in September 2023.
19

FICTION

What Did You Do That Day?
Ano hi, kimi wa nani o shita / あの日、君は何をしたToshika Masaki
A gripping mystery delving into the clashing emotions of two mothers whose ideal family
image is suddenly shattered
Over 300,000 copies sold in Japan
Izumi Mizuno’s uneventful life as an ordinary housewife drastically ends when her son, junior-high-school
student Taiki, is mistaken for a suspect in a serial murder case for acting suspiciously late at night. When thepolice tries to question him, he flees on his bicycle, crashes into a parked truck and tragically dies. What was
Taiki up to the night he snuck out of the house and rode away on his bicycle?

Fifteen years later, a young woman is stabbed in her apartment in Tokyo. The man she was cheating with,
Tatsuhiko Momoi, a company employee, goes missing, so the police consider him a key witness. Frustrated by
his wife’s indifference, Tatsuhiko’s mother, Chie, desperately tries to find him.
As detectives Mitsuya and Tadokoro proceed with their investigation, it soon becomes clear that the two
Category: Crime & Mystery
ISBN: 978-4-09-406791-0
Pages: 368 pages

Printing: Black & White
Publication: July 2020

mothers’ feelings for their sons are intertwined and the shocking truth that links the two seemingly unrelatedcases comes to light. Prolific mystery writer Toshika Masaki investigates one of the most difficult relationships
in the world, the one between a parent and a child.

Rights Sold: Chinese (Traditional), Korean
Agent: Emily Books Agency (World, excluding Asia)
English sample translation available on request.

Toshika Masaki was born in 1965 and currently resides in Sapporo. She won the Hokkaido Shimbun Literature Award in2007 for her story Chiru saku meguru (Fall Bloom Repeat). The next year the story was collected in her first book Yoru no
sora no hoshi no (Of Night, of Sky, of Stars). Renown for writing mysteries with a heavy emphasis on psychologicaldepictions, her latest novel published by Shogakukan is Kanojo ga saigo ni mita mono wa (What Was the Last Thing She
Saw?).

20

FICTION

I Killed Our Teacher
Watashi ga sensei o koroshita / 私が先生を殺した

Mina Sakurai
The dark specter of youth violence looms over a classroom just like any other“Hey...is someone up there?” The students of a high school are assembled in the courtyard for an evacuation
drill when one of them points to the rooftop. Jun Okuzawa, the most popular teacher in the school, has
climbed over the fence and is about to jump. “Don’t do anything stupid!” Students and teachers scream, but
amid the shocked looks of them all Okuzawa’s body flutters in the air.
What could have pushed the 27-year-old teacher to such an act? An earlier graduate of that same school andclose in age to the students, Okuzawa was known among other veteran teachers for taking great care of his
students. He would offer advice to those in need and tutor students whose grades were falling behind. Utter
disbelief seems the only reaction possible, when the words “I killed our teacher” are found written on theblackboard of Okuzawa’s classroom. Who is the “I” behind the teacher’s death?
Narrated in alternating voices, different versions of the same tale exquisitely intertwine in student’s separate
Category: Crime & Mystery
ISBN: 978-4-09-407250-1
Pages: 416 pages
Printing: Black & White
Publication: May 2023

accounts of the incident, until the last chapter told from Okuzawa’s point of view brings the whole heartwrenching truth to light. Reminiscent of Kanae Minato’s bestselling thriller Confessions, this gripping andprofoundly unsettling new novel by Mina Sakurai delves into the darkest corners of human psyche.
Mina Sakurai debuted in 2013 with Kijikakushi no niwa (Garden of Asparagus Fern), which won the 19th Dengeki Novel
Prize, the largest prize for light novels in Japan. Her most famous work is Hei no naka no biyoshitsu (Beauty Salon in Prison,also known as The Depth of the Sky), whose manga adaptation, illustrated by Marco Kohinata, received an ExcellenceAward at the 24th Japan Media Arts Festival in 2021.

21

FICTION

The Murdered Husband Returns
Koroshita otto ga kaette kimashita / 殺した夫が帰ってきました

Mina Sakurai
For fans of Natsuo Kirino and Hideo Yokohama
170,000 copies sold in Japan
Mana Suzukura, the young employee of a clothing manufacturer in Tokyo, is troubled by the persistentadvances of Hodaka, one of her clients. One day, on her way home, Mana is ambushed by Hodaka, who tries
to force himself into her house, ignoring her pleas to stop. At that moment, a man claiming to be Mana’shusband appears and turns Hodaka away. There is no doubt the man is Kazuki Suzukura, Mana’s husband.
However, Mana does not feel relieved. She is terrified. Wasn’t Kazuki the husband who subjected her to themost horrific domestic violence? Wasn’t he the same man she pushed off a cliff and killed five years ago?
Kazuki claims to have lost all memories of their past life together due to an accident. There seems to be notrace of violence in his calm and kind demeanor, so Mana reluctantly agrees to have him move back into theirformer home. Just as Mana settles into the life she always wished for and her desire to trust Kazuki grows
Category: Crime & Mystery
ISBN: 978-4-09-407008-8
Pages: 304 pages
Printing: Black & White
Publication: April 2021
Rights Sold: Korean

stronger, a letter from an unknown sender is delivered. “I know about Mana Suzukura’s past.” Around thesame time, a detective informs Mana that Kazuki’s skeletal remains have been found in the mountains of
Miyagi Prefecture.

Who is the man at Mana’s side? What terrible secret does a wife who cannot recognize her husband’s facehide? A page-turning psychological thriller whose plot twists and questionable characters will leave you
breathless.
Mina Sakurai debuted in 2013 with Kijikakushi no niwa (Garden of Asparagus Fern), which won the 19th Dengeki Novel
Prize, the largest prize for light novels in Japan. Her most famous work is Hei no naka no biyoshitsu (Beauty Salon in
Prison, also known as The Depth of the Sky), whose manga adaptation, illustrated by Marco Kohinata, received an
Excellence Award at the 24th Japan Media Arts Festival in 2021.
22

NON-FICTION

23

NON-FICTION

A Letter to the Next 100 Years
100-nen go e no okitegami / １００年後への置き手紙

Yukimasa Ida
A rare look into the creative process of one the most promising contemporary artists in JapanThe work of contemporary Japanese artist Yukimasa Ida has been in the spotlight in recent years for its highprices fetched at overseas art auctions. Despite being still in his early thirties, Ida became the first Asian artist
to hold a solo exhibition at the Picasso Museum in Spain and his works were not only exhibited in galleries allover the world, but also brought to the International Space Station (ISS). This book is published in conjunction
with Panta Rhei – For as long as the world turns, Ida’s first solo exhibition in Japan, initially held in his
hometown at the Yonago City Museum of Art from July 2023 and then at the Kyoto City KYOCERA Museum ofArt from September 2023. Paintings, sculptures, screen prints, photographs, sketches as well as lines of poetry
and handwritten notes are scattered throughout this compact monograph, highlighting the multifaceted
nature of Ida’s accomplishments and the distinctive character of his aesthetic choices. Inspired by theJapanese concept of “ichi-go ichi-e (one time, one meeting),” Ida’s work strives to capture the unrepeatable
Category: Art
ISBN: 978-4-09-682434-4
Pages: 192 pages
Printing: Color

nature of a moment and, oscillating between realism and abstraction, questions the impermanence of ourexistence. The result is truly a once-in-a-lifetime experience.

Publication: July 2023

Yukimasa Ida is a Japanese artist born in Tottori Prefecture
in 1990. He graduated in 2019 with a Masters in Oil Painting
from Tokyo University of the Arts. In 2016, Ida won the CAF
Special Jury Award and in 2018, he was selected as one ofForbes Japan’s “30 Under 30” in the art category. Major
exhibitions include King of limbs (Kaikai Kiki Gallery, Tokyo,2020), Here and Now (Mariane Ibrahim Gallery, Chicago,“Be humble for we are made of the earth
yet be noble for we are also made of stars.”
Yukimasa Ida

2021), YUKIMASA IDA visits PABLO PICASSO (Picasso

Birthplace Museum, Malaga, 2022), and Now is Gone
(Mariane Ibrahim Gallery, Paris, 2022).

24

NON-FICTION

Ryuichi Sakamoto: A History inMusic
Sakamoto Ryuichi Ongaku no rekishi / 坂本龍一 音楽の歴史

Eiichi Yoshimura
Biography, complete discography and photobook available for the first time in a deluxe
boxed-set edition
Ryuichi Sakamoto was the trailblazer of Japan’s contemporary music scene, winning global fame for the powerof his music to cross musical and cultural boundaries. An academically trained musician, as well as an
Academy Award-winning composer, producer, actor and environmental activist, Ryuichi Sakamoto reshaped

and pioneered a wide range of musical genres and the influence of his work both as a solo artist and as amember of the techno-pop group Yellow Magic Orchestra (YMO) continues to the present day.
Few artists have a career as rich and eclectic as Ryuichi Sakamoto’s and this biography, published on theoccasion of his 70th birthday, aims to be the first and definitive account of his entire musical history from
Category: Art
ISBN: 978-4-09-388882-0
Pages: 448 pages
Printing: Black & White
Publication: February 2023

when he first fell under the spell of English rock as a child. The book is packed with rare firsthand accounts,
previously unpublished episodes, handwritten notes, interviews, articles expertly woven together by Eiichi
Yoshimura, a writer who has followed Ryuichi Sakamoto for many years and published extensively on hismusical undertakings. Ryuichi Sakamoto: A History in Music is also available in a deluxe, boxed-set edition that
includes, alongside the biography, a complete discography and a never-before-seen collection of eighty
black-and-white photographs.
Eiichi Yoshimura was born in 1966 in Fukui Prefecture. After working as an editor for Kokoku Hihyo, a leading Japanesemonthly trade magazine focusing on advertisement, he became a freelance editor, writer and copywriter. Eiichi
Yoshimura’s books include Deviddo Boi Nihon ni oritatta iseijin (David Bowie: The Alien That Landed in Japan), Merry
Christmas, Mr. Lawrence, which explores the collaboration between David Bowie, Ryuichi Sakamoto and Takeshi Kitano in
Nagisa Oshima’s 1983 film, and YMO 1978-2043, a history of the Yellow Magic Orchestra.
25

NON-FICTIONSHIRIAGARI × HOKUSAI

Nearly Thirty-Six Somewhat Ridiculous Views
Shiriagari×Hokusai Chotto okashina hobo sanjyukkei / しりあがり×北斎 ちょっと可笑しなほぼ三十六景

Kotobuki Shiriagari
Contemporary manga artist Kotobuki Shiriagari meets Edo-period ukiyo-e master Katsushika
Hokusai
Manga artist Kotobuki Shiriagari presents his comical take on the world of ukiyo-e master Katsushika Hokusaiwith eighty works, including parodies of masterpieces such as Thirty-Six Views of Mount Fuji. This volume
brings together the works from the 2018 exhibition Hommage à Hokusai, Nearly Thirty-six Mischiefs ofShiriagari Kotobuki and the 2021 exhibition Shiriagari-san & Hokusai-san: Show Time, with a Giggle! both held
Category: Art
ISBN: 978-4-09-682378-1
Pages: 220 pages
Printing: Color

Publication: February 2022
Bilingual Edition: Japanese and English

at the Sumida Hokusai Museum in Tokyo.
The combination of Hokusai’s masterful woodblock prints, vividly depicting common people, with Shiriagari’s
imaginative and mischievous contemporary caricatures conveys the timeless power of laughter while giving abroad overview of Hokusai’s wide-ranging artistic activities.
Kotobuki Shiriagari, pseudonym for Toshiki Mochizuki, is a Japanese manga artist born in Shizuoka City in

1958. After graduating from Tama Art University, he started his career as a manga artist in 1981 under thename “Kotobuki Shiriagari,” while working at a food company in the field of design, advertisement andproduct development. In 1994, he established his own studio, Saruyama Hagenosuke Co., Ltd. He received the46th Bungeishunju Manga Award in 2000, the 5th Tezuka Osamu Cultural Prize in 2001 and the 15th JapanMedia Arts Festival Excellence Award in the Manga Division in 2011. In addition to creating manga in a wide
range of genres from comedy to social commentary, he is also active in various other fields including video,
theater, computer games and contemporary art. In 2014, the Japanese government awarded him the Medalwith Purple Ribbon for his artistic accomplishments.

26

NON-FICTION

Miniature Trip in Japan

Miniature Trip Around theWorld

Tatsuya Tanaka

Tatsuya Tanaka

Experience the four seasons in Japan with Tatsuya
Tanaka’s unique miniature art

Take a seat and get ready to fly anywhere you want.
“It’s a small world after all.”Over 20,000 copies sold in Japan
A collection of photographs by miniature artist, Tatsuya Tanaka,

In this second volume, Tatsuya Tanaka leaves the familiar shores

who rose to international fame in the summer of 2021 with his
Category: Art
ISBN: 978-4-09-682318-7
Pages: 132 pages
Printing: Color
Publication: November 2019
Bilingual Edition: Japanese and English
Rights Sold: Spanish

sport-themed miniature art celebrating the Tokyo Olympic

of his home country to take us on a trip around the world.
Category: Art

Games. In order to convey the appeal of traditional Japanese

ISBN: 978-4-09-682421-4

culture to foreign visitors, works that represent events typical of

Printing: Color

the Japanese year are collected in the form of a saijiki, a poetic
dictionary that lists words and phrases related to the seasons.
The book illustrates traditional crafts, national sports andpopular dishes of the Japanese cuisine.

Pages: 128 pages
Publication: February 2023
Bilingual Edition: Japanese and English

Featuring ninety full-color photographs of newly shot works,
the book is divided in eleven major regions. From Asia andOceania to South and North America going through Europe andAfrica, Tanaka focuses his gaze on motifs that anyone canunderstand, regardless of their age, gender or nationality.
Rather than highlighting the cultural uniqueness of eachcountry, his work intentionally seeks aspects we all share, such

Tatsuya Tanaka is a miniature artist and photographer, born inas the universal roundness of manholes or the flavor of

Kumamoto Prefecture in 1981. In 2011, he began his Miniature Calendar

McDonald’s fries. By making the similarities of our common

project, in which he posts on a daily basis everyday objects recreated inhuman experience visible in his art, Tanaka hopes to create aminiature form through unusual, alternative items. His exhibition,
Miniature Life, held both in Japan and overseas, had a total of over 2

sense of sympathy and closeness among his readers.

million visitors and his Instagram account (@tanaka_tatsuya) has over 3.6

Tatsuya Tanaka is a miniature artist and photographer, born inmillion followers to date. In 2020, Tanaka’s miniature installations were

Kumamoto Prefecture in 1981. In 2011, he began his Miniature Calendar

showcased in the Japan Pavilion at the Dubai International Expo.

project, in which he posts on a daily basis everyday objects recreated inminiature form through unusual, alternative items. His exhibition,
Miniature Life, held both in Japan and overseas, had a total of over 2
million visitors and his Instagram account (@tanaka_tatsuya) has over 3.6

million followers to date. In 2020, Tanaka’s miniature installations wereshowcased in the Japan Pavilion at the Dubai International Expo.

27

NON-FICTION

Chair Meditation for a Simple Life
Ikiru no ga raku ni naru isu zazen / 生きるのがラクになる椅子坐禅

Shunmyo Masuno
A step-to-step guide to achieving the unwavering mind of a Zen monk
10,000 copies sold in Japan
Popular Zen monk and million-copy bestselling author, Shunmyo Masuno, argues that the key to solving our
problems and the pain and suffering that arise from them lies in “zazen (seated meditation),” a meditative
discipline that is typically the primary practice of the Zen Buddhist tradition. According to Shunmyo Masuno,
zazen releases the tension in our mind, regulating mental patterns and cognitive functions. However, it is also
true that those not familiar with Zen practice might perceive zazen as difficult to approach. This book intends toaddress such concerns and offer a simple alternative, easily available to all.
With plain black-and-white line drawings and succinct instructions, Shunmyo Masuno introduces readers to
the little-known techniques of “chair zazen,” a style of Zen meditation that, as the name suggests, can bepracticed while sitting on a chair. The book shows how incorporating as little as ten minutes of chair zazen in
Category: Self-Help
ISBN: 978-4-09-388398-6
Pages: 160 pages
Printing: Black & White
Publication: January 2015

our daily routine directly affects our mind helping us to cope with the inevitable difficulties and hardships thatmar our everyday life. By simply sitting on a chair, stop running away from pain and learn to accept it as an
essential element of life.

Agent: TUTTLE-MORI AGENCY (World, excluding Asia)
Rights Sold: Vietnamese

Shunmyo Masuno is a Japanese monk and garden designer, born in 1953 in Yokohama. He is chief priest of the Soto
Zen temple Kenkoji, professor at Tama Art University, and president of a garden design firm, Japanese LandscapeConsultants, that has completed numerous projects in Japan and overseas. Recognized as Japan’s leading garden
designer, he has lectured at universities such as Cornell, Harvard, the University of British Columbia and the University of
London. He is the author of Zen, shinpuru seikatsu no susume (The Art of Simple Living), Zen no niwa: Masuno Shunmyo
no sekai (Zen Gardens: The World of Shunmyo Masuno) and Okoranai Zen no saho (Anger-Free Zen Practice) among
other bestselling books.

28

NON-FICTION

10-Minute Bedtime Yoga
Fall Asleep as If by Magic

Neru mae juppun maho no neochi yoga / 寝る前１０分 魔法の寝落ちヨガ

B-lifeRelaxing yoga for a good night’s sleep. Over 90,000 copies sold in Japan!
By popular demand, the bedtime relaxation routinethat helped thousands of viewers fall asleep during
live-stream lessons is finally available in bookform. Clear away the stress and fatigue of a long
day and learn how to gently fall asleep.
Ninety percent of the yoga poses can be done
while lounging on the floor or lying down on a bed,
so you can fall asleep right where you are. Change
into your pajamas and get ready for a good night’s
Category: Self-Help
ISBN: 978-4-09-310674-0

sleep.

Pages: 144 pages
Printing: Color
Publication: January 2021
Rights Sold: Spanish

B-life is one of the most popular yoga YouTube channels
in Japan. Started in 2016 by yoga instructor Mariko andher husband Tomoya, as of July 2023 the number ofsubscribers to the channel exceeds 1.97 million. Theirbooks include Jiritsu shinkei mirumiru totonou maho noyoga (Magical Yoga for Autonomic Nervous System

Regulation), Mirumiru bi bodi maho no piratisu (Magical
Pilates for a Beautiful Body) and B-life Mariko no saikyo!
Bi fukkin toreningu (B-life Mariko’s Strongest! Beautiful
Abs Training) among many others.
29

NON-FICTION

Boost Your Beauty with the Magic
Two Ingredient Salad
Tatta 2-ko no shokuzai de kirei ni nareru maho no “niko sarada” / たった２コの食材でキレイになれる魔法の“ニコサラダ”

Noriko Monji
What if you could make a delicious, stylish, beauty-boosting, nutrient-rich salad with just two
ingredients?
Over 180 nutritionally balanced and colorful recipes that with just two ingredients will not only improve thehealth of your skin, body and mind, but will also have you smiling as you eat them. Popular health and beauty
writer Noriko Monji proves that depending on the combination of ingredients and seasoning, the possible saladvariations are endless. The book is organized in sections focusing on key “beauty foods,” such as avocado,
tomatoes, carrots, kale, root vegetables, herbs, eggs, tuna and tofu. Each salad is accompanied by icons
indicating its beauty benefits: moisturized and translucent skin, anti-aging, a toned body, healthy-looking hair,detoxifying. At the end of the book, tools and favorite utensils, as well as an index organized by ingredient, are
Category: Food, Crafts & Hobbies
ISBN: 978-4-09-310691-7
Pages: 128 pages

included for ease of use. Throw your shopping list to the wind with these easy, cost-effective recipes just aboutanyone can make!

Printing: Color
Publication: October 2021

Noriko Monji is a freelance editor and writer. She is in charge of content planning, art direction and writing for fashion andlifestyle magazines for women such as Biteki and Oggi. Her articles cover a wide range of topics, from beauty, nutritionand cooking to travel, fashion and golf. She is the author of Taipei higaeri dangan tabi tabemakuri! 1-nen 12-kai (One-Day
Trip to Taipei: Never Stop Eating! 12 Times in a Year) and Dangan torabe raita no Taiwan moso tabi gohan (The Travel
Writer’s Dream Gourmet Trip to Taiwan), both published by Shogakukan. She can be found on Instagram at@norikomonji.

30

NON-FICTION

Category: Food, Crafts & Hobbies
ISBN: 978-4-09-311532-2

Pages: 112 pages
Printing: Color
Publication: November 2022

High-Protein, Veggie-Rich:
50 Microwave Recipes

High-Protein, Veggie-Rich:
50 Salads

Renchin bejitan 50 / レンチンベジたん５０

Bejitan sarada 50 / ベジたんサラダ５０

AtsushiAtsushiSlim down and tone up with Japanese lifestyle guru,
Atsushi!

The days of boring salads carelessly dished out before the main

Directly from Japan comes an easy and healthy way to lose

and a wide variety of other ingredients are combined in recipes

weight. The latest addition to Atsushi’s Bejitan (High-Protein,that are at the same time nutritious, beautiful to look at and

Veggie-Rich) series of cookbooks includes fifty new recipes low

rich in flavor. Focusing on foods that contain natural digestivein carbohydrates and rich in protein and dietary fiber.

enzymes, Atsushi’s salads specifically address common beauty

Combining principles of Chinese medicine and nutritional

meal are finally over. Vegetables, meat, grilled fish, canned tuna

Category: Food, Crafts & Hobbies

science, the recipes in this book are specifically designed to

ISBN: 978-4-09-310682-5

ease minor ailments such as cold, swelling, fatigue, irritability,

Printing: Color

Pages: 128 pages
Publication: May 2021

concerns and promise moist, brighter and poreless skin,
swelling prevention, healthy-looking hair, anti-aging care andbody strength.

anemia and insomnia. Simply cut the ingredients, place them ina heatproof bowl and microwave! The result is so tasty and fullof flavor that you will hardly believe it was made in a microwave.

High-Protein, Veggie-Rich:
50 Soups

Atsushi is a Japanese lifestyle guru, who is active in a variety of fields
including fashion, beauty and nutrition. After handling public relations forinternational fashion brands such as Diesel, D&G, and Versace, hebecame an independent producer of content and products related to

Bejitan supu 50 / ベジたんスープ５０

health and wellness. In particular, he rose to fame in Japan for his

Atsushihealthy approach to weight loss, which has been widely publicized not
only in books and women’s magazines, but also on TV and social media.
He runs the natural skincare brand “abotanical” and, in 2016, became a

Tired of buying expensive beauty products that never quite

professional vegetable sommelier after obtaining a degree in Chinese

seem to deliver? What if something as simple as a bowl of soupherbal medicine. He is the author of Maho no eijingu kea reshipi (Magicalcould make you thin and beautiful in one go? Mushroom andAnti-Aging Recipes) and the Bejitan (High-Protein, Veggie-Rich) series of
cookbooks published by Shogakukan, among many other books. He can

avocado potage, squid and pumpkin soy milk curry, tofu andbe found on Instagram at @atsushi_416.

cauliflower soup—Atsushi’s recipes suggest creative new
combinations of ingredients that will keep you amused andCategory: Food, Crafts & Hobbies
ISBN: 978-4-09-310652-8
Pages: 112 pages

Printing: Color
Publication: May 2020

satisfied at the same time. Just chop the ingredients, put themin a pot, and in under ten minutes get ready to enjoy a healthyand delicious meal.

31

NON-FICTION

Jiro Gastronomy

Jiro Philosophy

Sushi Sukiyabashi Jiro / 鮨 すきやばし次郎

Takumi Sukiyabashi Jiro / 匠 すきやばし次郎

Jiro Ono

Jiro Ono

All you need to know about the world’s greatest
sushi in a compact handbook

A visual guide to the philosophy of internationallyrenowned sushi craftsman, Jiro Ono

Ever since the success of the documentary Jiro Dreams of Sushi,

This bilingual handbook details the principles, style andaround the world ordinary people and top chefs alike have

philosophy behind the craftsmanship of Sukiyabashi Jiro. In

become fascinated with Sukiyabashi Jiro and its culinary

addition to chef Jiro Ono’s sayings, food critic Masuhiro

philosophy. In this practical handbook, readers will learn the

Yamamoto reviews the master’s career and the secrets behindsecrets behind the flavors, sushi dining dos and don’ts, as well
Category: Food, Crafts & Hobbies
ISBN: 978-4-09-388385-6
Pages: 96 pages
Printing: Color

Publication: September 2014
Bilingual Edition: Japanese and English

his craft. Will the apprentices working under the tutelage of theas information on reservations and dress code. The images ofCategory: Food, Crafts & Hobbies

leading

Pages: 96 pages

master’s secrets and continue creating the world’s finest sushi?

complement the foreword by renowned food critic Masuhiro

Printing: ColorThis beautifully illustrated book, full of hints about Jiro’s work

Yamamoto. With bilingual Japanese and English text, this is a

Bilingual Edition: Japanese and English

photographers

Hiroshi

Suga

and

Kenta

Izumi

ISBN: 978-4-09-388497-6

Publication: July 2016

world’s greatest sushi craftsman Jiro Ono be able to absorb theand work ethics, makes an ideal gift.

must-read for sushi enthusiasts and anyone who loves trying
out new dining experiences.

Jiro Ono was born in 1925 in present-day Hamamatsu, Shizuoka

Jiro Ono was born in 1925 in present-day Hamamatsu, Shizuoka

restaurant-inn. He was so skilled that, by the time he was thirteen, he

Prefecture. At the age of eight, he became an apprentice at a local

was in charge of creating the cuisine for wedding banquets. At sixteen herestaurant-inn. He was so skilled that, by the time he was thirteen, he

was sent to work in a munitions factory and at nineteen joined thewas in charge of creating the cuisine for wedding banquets. At sixteen hemilitary. Following the war, he became a sushi craftsman at the famous

was sent to work in a munitions factory and at nineteen joined the

Yoshino restaurant in Kyobashi, Tokyo. In 1965, he struck out on his own

military. Following the war, he became a sushi craftsman at the famous

and, for over fifty years, he has been the chef and owner of Sukiyabashi

Yoshino restaurant in Kyobashi, Tokyo. In 1965, he struck out on his own

Jiro, a Japanese sushi restaurant in Ginza, Tokyo. He was awarded

and, for over fifty years, he has been the chef and owner of Sukiyabashi

Prefecture. At the age of eight, he became an apprentice at a local

Japan’s prestigious Medal with Yellow Ribbon for dedication to his

Jiro, a Japanese sushi restaurant in Ginza, Tokyo. He was awarded

profession and is regarded by his contemporaries as one of the greatest

Japan’s prestigious Medal with Yellow Ribbon for dedication to his

living sushi craftsmen and innovators.

profession and is regarded by his contemporaries as one of the greatest
living sushi craftsmen and innovators.

32

NON-FICTION

Food with a Face
Kao gohan to kao oyatsu / 顔ごはんと顔おやつ

PeroriFun, simple ideas for food that winks right back at you
Sesame seed eyes on a bowl of white rice. Corn grain lips on fried
eggs. Pinkish ham noses on Chinese dumplings. Chocolate chipears on freshly baked cookies. Simple and effective food-decorating
techniques and examples to make every meal bright and fun. With
full-color, step-by-step instructions and recipes for all sorts ofoccasions from packed lunches to home parties, even the busiest ofparents will be tempted to give it a try. All you need to capture yourCategory: Food, Crafts & Hobbies
ISBN: 978-4-09-310681-8

Pages: 100 pages
Printing: Color

child’s attention and help them eat properly is a cute face smilingright back at them!

Publication: April 2021

Perori is the nickname of former figure skater Momoe Nagumo. Her Instagram account (@peroriiiiii) is popular for the cuteand sometimes humorous faces she adds to her meals such as rice balls and steamed Chinese dumplings. With hercreations she hopes to bring a smile to her followers’ faces and lighten up their day. She is currently a figure-skatingcoach and lives in Tokyo with her husband and son.

33

NON-FICTION

How to Get Started with
Embroidery

An Embroidered Book of
Natural History Motifs

Shishu no hajime kata / 刺繍のはじめかた

Shishu hakubutsu-zu / 刺繍博物図

atsumiatsumiA basic introduction to the refined minimalist worldof Japanese embroidery artist, atsumi
Back in print by popular demand, an expanded new edition of
How to Get Started with Embroidery, the basic introduction to
the skills and techniques of the craft by popular Japanese
Category: Food, Crafts & Hobbies
ISBN: 978-4-09-307011-9
Pages: 144 pages

Printing: Color
Publication: April 2022

A collection of embroidery designs inspired by natural history.

embroidery artist, atsumi. The book contains a detailed
explanation of thirty-nine basic embroidery stitches and how

Category: Food, Crafts & Hobbies

they can be used individually or in combination. It also includes

Pages: 128 pages

eight new designs with notes on how to embroider them, as

Publication: April 2019

ISBN: 978-4-09-310886-7
Printing: Colorwell as clear and detailed instructions on the materials and tools

Plants, leaves, flowers, fishes, shells, ores, snow crystals, minerals,
this book will challenge your assumption of what can beachieved with embroidery thread and needle. Modern, stylish
and fun designs to make or simply look at.

required. It will inspire not only those who are just starting
embroidery, but also more experienced crafters who want tobrush up their techniques, broaden the range of their stitch use

An Embroidered Book of
Natural History Motifs 2

and look for patterns that are clean and simple.

atsumi studied at Tama Art University in Japan. After working with

Shishu hakubutsu-zu 2 / 刺繍博物図 ２

textiles, she became an embroidery artist and in 2009 established her

atsumiown embroidery brand, Itos. In addition to holding solo exhibitions of herembroidery-based work, she also collaborates with various artists,
provides materials for animations, creates illustrations and conducts
workshops.

A new collection of natural history motifs imbued with atsumi’s
Category: Food, Crafts & Hobbies
ISBN: 978-4-09-307010-2
Pages: 128 pages
Printing: Color

Publication: December 2021

sense of appreciation and fascination for nature. Insects, spiders
and other arthropods, plants and fungi, rare vegetables, birds,
amphibians and reptiles, mammals and fishes—this bookcollects all those beautiful things “we don’t want to see
disappear.”34

CHILDREN’S
BOOKS

35

CHILDREN’S BOOKS
Look
InsideWhere Did the Mosquito Go?
Ka doko itta? / カ どこいった？

Noritake Suzuki
Turn the page and snap! A new type of interactive picture book
A mosquito landed on my hand. Ready, turn the page and snap! Ah, it escaped. Where did the mosquito go?
On the building blocks. One more time, turn the page and snap! It escaped again. From the bestselling authorof The Illustrated Guide to Major Crises and the Workplaces series, a new type of interactive picture book,
simple yet packed with interesting ideas. Read the story and try to catch the mosquito by turning the thick,hefty pages with a mighty snapping sound. A perfect summer read-aloud, with humorous illustrations andCategory: Early Years

repetitive text to help children focus on the activity at hand and share in the fun. A surprise awaits at the end!

ISBN: 978-4-09-726820-8
Pages: 32 pages
Printing: Color
Publication: November 2018
Rights Sold: Chinese (Simplified)Age: 0+Noritake Suzuki was born in 1975 in Hamamatsu, Shizuoka Prefecture. After working as a company employee andgraphic designer, he became a picture book author. He won the Readers’ Prize at the Japan Picture Book Awards for
Boku no toire (My Toilet) and the Shogakukan Children’s Publishing Culture Award for Shigotoba Tokyo Sukai Tsuri(Workplaces: Tokyo Sky Tree). Major works include the Shigotoba (Workplaces) series, Kawa (River), and Oshiri o shiritai(I Want to Know More About Butts). Daipinchi zukan (The Illustrated Guide to Major Crises), published by Shogakukan in
2022, sold 400,000 copies to date in Japan and was awarded the Miraiya Picture Book Grand Prize, the Libro PictureBook Award Grand Prize and the MOE Picture Booksellers’ Grand Prize.

36

CHILDREN’S BOOKS
Look
InsideI’m Home
Tadaima / ただいま

Makiko Toyofuku
A gentle story celebrating the comfort to be found in kindness and care for others
Pon is a plush raccoon, with a soft fluffy tail.
One day, he is abruptly packed into a box andsent to a toy hospital, the tail he always
considered his pride and joy completely torn
off and packed in the box right beside him. At
the hospital, Pon encounters many other toys
waiting to be treated—a toy truck with a
missing tire, a marionette with torn strings, adoll with ripped lace on its French-madeintricate dress.
Category: Early Years
ISBN: 978-4-09-725234-4
Pages: 40 pages
Printing: Color
Publication: July 2023
Age: 3+As the damaged toys are gently laid in wicker baskets by the toy doctor, Pon starts sharing with his fellow

inpatients the thoughts that have been troubling him since his arrival. The two children in his family tore off his
tail while pulling him back and forth in a fight. Is the family now trying to get rid of him? Will he ever be able toreturn? A heartwarming story whose soft water-colored illustrations and simple narrative help children address
feelings of insecurity and anxiety and reassure them of their family’s unshakable love.

Makiko Toyofuku is a Japanese author whose works range from picture books to illustrations for newspapers andmagazines. She was born in Tokyo and graduated from the College of Art and Design at Musashino Art University. After
working as a graphic designer at an advertising agency, she became a freelance illustrator. Odoritai no (I Want to Dance)
published by Kane Miller Books in 2020 is her first book to be translated in English.

37

CHILDREN’S BOOKS
Look
InsideWelcome Back, Kirby
Okaeri Kabi / おかえりカービィ

Written by Asami Taniguchi, Illustrated by Karameru
Kirby is lost in outer space. Will he be able to find his
way home?
While playing along the Milky Way, Kirby falls asleep and gets
swept away by the Sea of Stars. “Where am I?” As much as hetries to get his bearings, Planet Popstar, Kirby’s home planet, isnowhere to be found. So, Kirby hops on a bright yellow star andstarts his long journey back home. On the way, he experiences
Category: Early Years

ISBN: 978-4-09-725230-6
Pages: 18 pages
Printing: Color
Publication: July 2023
Age: 3+

Sweet Dreams, Kirby
Illustrated by RURUTEAThe Gift of a StarTake Courage

Illustrated by RURUTEA

Illustrated by HYOGONOSUKE

Thank YouA Hug from Kirby

life on all sorts of different planets. Planet Robostar, Burgerstar,
Fluffystar, Playstar…Will Kirby make it home safely or will he be
tempted to stay? In the latest installment in the popular It’s
Kirby Time series, Kirby explores the outer space for the firsttime. Illustrated throughout in bright, lively colors and with an
extraordinary wealth of landscapes and characters drawn inpainstaking detail, this is a story about returning to that
“important place” we all hold dear in our hearts.

Asami Taniguchi is a manga artist born in Tokyo in 1981. She is notablefor being the author of the Kirby of the Stars! Moretsu Pupupu Hour!
manga series. In her occasional manga appearances, she draws herself
in a kimono with an Asian conical hat with the characters of her surname

Kirby’s Tiny World

Illustrated by HYOGONOSUKE

Illustrated by RURUTEA

Together with Kirby

Kirby’s Birthday

Illustrated by Caho(谷口) imprinted on it and a large fountain pen. In 2002, she won anhonorable mention in the children’s section of the Shogakukan New
Comic Award and, in 2003, made her debut in Bessatsu CoroCoro
magazine.

Illustrated by Karameru

Illustrated by Caho

Kirby’s Alone Time

Illustrated by HYOGONOSUKE

38

CHILDREN’S BOOKS
Look
InsidePikachu’s First Friends

Look
InsidePikachu to hajimete no tomodachi / ピカチュウとはじめてのともだち

Pikachu to yoru no tanken / ピカチュウとよるのたんけん

Rikako Matsuo

Rikako Matsuo

Will Pikachu be able to make any new friends?

Time to venture out into the night!

The first picture book series released by monpoké, the official

The second installment of the popular monpoké series takes

Pokémon brand for babies. Babies can now explore theplace on the night of a full moon, ideal for ghosts and otherwonderful world of Pokémon with Pikachu and his friends!
Category: Early Years
ISBN: 978-4-09-725136-1
Pages: 32 pages
Printing: Color

Traveling on a small boat, Pikachu discovers an island where
many Pokémon live, called monpoké Island. As Pikachu wanders

Pages: 32 pages

ISBN: 978-4-09-725187-3
Printing: Color
Publication: September 2022

Makkuroyama, the so-called pitch-dark mountain. In addition to
Pikachu, Dedenne, and Eevee, the book features many otherPokémon that can be encountered at night.

Rights Sold: English

Rights Sold: English
Age: 3+

Rikako Matsuo was born in 1989 and currently lives and works in Tokyo.

はま べにscary surprises. Pikachu and his friends decide to climb
Category: Early Years

around the island, he meets a very special friend.

Publication: December 2021

Pikachu’s Night Adventure

ふねを

めのま え に は

おおき な

Rikako Matsuo was born in 1989 and currently lives and works in Tokyo.

A graduate of the printmaking course at the Joshibi University of Art andA graduate of the printmaking course at the Joshibi University of Art and

Design in Tokyo, she has loved Pokémon since she was a primary school

Design in Tokyo, she has loved Pokémon since she was a primary school

student. Her most famous picture books include Itsutsugo usagi nostudent. Her most famous picture books include Itsutsugo usagi no

kissaten (The Coffee Shop of the Quintuplet Bunnies), Itsutsugo usagi tokissaten (The Coffee Shop of the Quintuplet Bunnies), Itsutsugo usagi to

umi no hoseki (The Quintuplet Bunnies and the Sea Gem), Takaramono noumi no hoseki (The Quintuplet Bunnies and the Sea Gem), Takaramono noanata (You Are My Treasure), Ofuro daisuki! Shirokuma kyodai! (The Polaranata (You Are My Treasure), Ofuro daisuki! Shirokuma kyodai! (The Polar

Bear Siblings Love Taking Baths!), Sutekina okurimono nakami wa nani?

Bear Siblings Love Taking Baths!), Sutekina okurimono nakami wa nani?

(What Is in This Beautiful Gift?).

(What Is in This Beautiful Gift?).

と めま し た 。

ぽっ かり

Age: 3+ヒ ュ ー ヒ ュ ーとい わの

ト ン ネ ル。

©2023 Pokémon. ©1995-2023 Nintendo/Creatures Inc./GAME FREAK inc.
TM, ®︎, and character names are trademarks of Nintendo.

ピ カ チ ュ ウを

かぜが

ふき

よ んで い る よ う で す。

39

CHILDREN’S BOOKS
Look
InsideLet’s Get Striped!

Look
InsideShima shima shimasho / しましましましょ

Nojo ni sumu neko / のうじょうにすむねこ

Jin Kitamura

Nachio Nakanishi

How about we all get striped together?

Let’s go for a stroll around the farm and meet cat’s
animal friends“Let’s get striped!” A zebra runs at full gallop through the pages
Category: Early Years

ISBN: 978-4-09-725110-1
Pages: 28 pages
Printing: Color
Publication: June 2021
Age: 0+

The Cat on the Farmof the book and, as if in response to its call, a cat, a fish, tree

Category: Early Years

trunks, grass, people, houses, cars, trains, the sky, the sea, thePages: 32 pages

ISBN: 978-4-09-725130-9whole world around the zebra gets striped. Jin Kitamura’s line

Printing: Colordrawings have a calming effect on the reader, while the fast-

Age: 0+Publication: February 2018

A cat lives on a farm. When it wakes up in the morning, it takes
a walk and greets the various friends it encounters. Birds,
goats, buffaloes, horses, rabbits, chickens—all the animals on
the farm are introduced from the cat’s unique perspective. The

paced crescendo of the story creates a fun sense of rhythm thatchildlike, playful illustrations featuring richly textured collages

is perfect for reading aloud.

where animals take the center stage will appeal to both children
and adults alike.

Jin Kitamura was born in Tokyo in 1981. After graduating from the
Department of Arts at the School of Humanities and Culture at Tokai

Nachio Nakanishi was born in Kochi Prefecture and is both a chef andUniversity, in 2006 he started his career as a freelance illustrator. His

an illustrator. Since 2007, she has been running Toraneko Bonbon, an

work can be found across various media such as picture books, bookitinerant restaurant that changes its menu according to the season andcovers, merchandising and other products. The minimalist style of his

location Nakanishi travels to. As an illustrator, she is active in a wide

crayon drawings is inspired by everyday life and aims to celebrate thevariety of fields, including children’s books and other goods. She is thebeauty of the ordinary. He was awarded the bronze prize at the 2007

author of Neko goyomi 365 nichi (365 Romantic Cat Days) and Toraneko

competition of the Tokyo Illustrators Society (TIS) of which he is a

Bonbon no omotenashi (Toraneko Bonbon’s Hospitality).

member and is currently a lecturer at the Kobe Design University.

40

CHILDREN’S BOOKS
Look
InsideMelting into the Sunset
Yuyake ni tokete iku / ゆうやけにとけていく

The Cabin Company

Category: Picture Books
ISBN: 978-4-09-725229-0
Pages: 31 pages
Printing: Color
Publication: July 2023
Age: 3+

Birds aiming at the sun, a train rushing in the distance, the glow of the setting sun enfolds joy
and sorrow alike
As the sun sinks beyond the horizon, a boy playing freely on a jungle gym, a girl kicking bitterly at a stone, aparent and child coming home from the grocery store…scenes that take in the spectrum of human emotion
are depicted against the warm glow of the sunset in the background. Rich hues of red, orange, pink andyellow gradually melt into deep shades of green, turquoise, blue and purple until under a myriad of twinklingstars all is dark and quiet. “The joy and sorrow of people living here and there today turn into a stream of lightthat melts into the sky. And that’s how this quiet night sky came to be. Sleep tight.”
The Cabin Company is the nickname of Kentaro Abe and Saki Yoshioka, a duo of children’s book artists. Both were bornin Oita Prefecture in 1989 and graduated from the Faculty of Education and Welfare Science at Oita University. They are
active in a wide range of fields, mainly in their hometown of Oita, including exhibitions, picture books, illustrations andworkshops in galleries and shops. They are currently working in a former elementary school, which they renovated into
their studio. Previous books published by Shogakukan include Pokémon no shima (Pokémon Island), Yubisashi-chan(Fingertippy), Nyo-! (Swoosh!) and Nen neko (It’s Bedtime for Kitten) among many others.

41

CHILDREN’S BOOKS
Look
Insidegahaku & brush
Gahaku to burashi / ガハクとブラシ

fancomi

A day in the life of Gahaku the painter and his beloved dog BrushOne day, Gahaku the painter and his beloved dog Brush find a nice spot to paint outdoors. They are preparing
their tools when all sorts of different creatures come out and ask to be painted. An elephant and a giraffecome running from far away and strike a weird pose. “Paint us!” They request in unison. “No, no, paint us!”Category: Picture Books
ISBN: 978-4-09-725225-2
Pages: 32 pages
Printing: Color
Publication: July 2023
Age: 3+Prairie dogs and moles pop out of the dirt one by one and state in reply. Then trees, clouds, thunders, rivers,
fishes and birds, a mountain and the sun itself all fiercely ask for their portrait to be taken. Gahaku finishes up
all their paintings amid a great hubbub of excitement, but in the end which is his favorite? The latest picturebook by one of the most in vogue contemporary Japanese illustrators enchants readers with brightillustrations and a funny, rhythmical story.
fancomi is the nickname of illustrator and designer Jun Omori, born in Saitama Prefecture in 1980. After graduating in
2004 from the Department of Design at Tokyo Zokei University, he joined the A&A Masuteru Aoba Design Office. He iscurrently active as a freelance illustrator and designer in a wide variety of fields, ranging from product packaging,advertising, magazine and book design. He was a finalist in the 3rd “1_WALL” Graphics Competition. His books include
Boku no hon (My Book) and Sore wa mata betsu no hanashi (That’s a Different Story), as well as the bilingual (Japaneseand English) Small Story and Neko ga taiyaki tabechatta (The Cat Ate the Taiyaki).
42

CHILDREN’S BOOKS
Look
InsideCategory: Picture Books

The Dinosaur Audition

Look
InsideThe Dinosaur Sports Day

Kyoryu odishon / きょうりゅうオーディション

Kyoryu undokai / きょうりゅううんどうかい

Chisato Tashiro

Chisato Tashiro

Welcome to dinosaur paradise!

At sports day it is dinosaur galore!

The dinosaur audition is held under the light-hearted supervision

In this follow-up to The Dinosaur Audition, Ankylosaurus,of Fukuivenator, a small dinosaur measuring 245 centimeters inPachycephalosaurus, Psittacosaurus and a total of other twenty-

length and weighing 25 kilograms. Various dinosaurs, keen to

one dinosaurs, pterosaurs, and sea creatures gather for sports

take part in his new musical, come to show their special skills. A

day. Under the watchful eye and lively commentary of

long-necked Brachiosaurus, a Triceratops with a large bony frill

Fukuivenator, dinosaurs challenge each other in all sorts of races

and three horns, a singing Tyrannosaurus with a huge

Category: Picture Books

Pages: 32 pages

mouth…Who will win the competition and take part in the final

Pages: 40 pages

rope and speed racing. Is the Tyrannosaurus really faster than

Printing: Colormusical? Based on throrough research at the Fukui Prefectural

Printing: Color

the Mamenchisaurus? Japan Picture Book Award-winning author,

Dinosaur Museum, one of the world-leading dinosaur museums,

Age: 5+

ISBN: 978-4-09-726718-8

Publication: June 2017
Rights Sold: Chinese (Simplified), Chinese(Traditional)
Age: 5+

ISBN: 978-4-09-725309-9

Publication: September 2023

from carrying eggs while flying and rolling ammonites to pulling

Chisato Tashiro, creates patterns and collages through humble

The Dinosaur Audition is representative of Chisato Tashiro’s

materials such as wood, stones, and leaves to vividly depict theaward-winning work, for the use of a variety of materials anddinosaurs’ endearing adventures and give a sense of just how

painting methods such as printmaking and collage. In particular,

long ago the dinosaurs lived.

the bow tie of the Fukuivenator, the audition’s judge, is madefrom fossils excavated by Tashiro herself at the museum.

Chisato Tashiro is a children’s book author and illustrator, born in Tokyoin 1969. She illustrated the picture book Mori no koe (Voices of the

Chisato Tashiro is a children’s book author and illustrator, born in Tokyoin 1969. She illustrated the picture book Mori no koe (Voices of theForest) for EXPO 2005 in Aichi, Japan. Her 2003 picture book Boku wa
kamereon (Chameleon’s Colors) was published in English by NorthSouth Books (tr. Marianne Martens) among other languages. In 2011,
Hikkoshi daisakusen 5 hiki no sutekina nezumi (Five Nice Mice Build aHouse), published in English by minedition, won the Japan Picture Book

Forest) for EXPO 2005 in Aichi, Japan. Her 2003 picture book Boku wa
kamereon (Chameleon’s Colors) was published in English by NorthSouth Books (tr. Marianne Martens) among other languages. In 2011,
Hikkoshi daisakusen 5 hiki no sutekina nezumi (Five Nice Mice Build aHouse), published in English by minedition, won the Japan Picture Book
Award. Her work was selected for the 21st Bratislava World Picture Book
Original Illustration Exhibition.

Award. Her work was selected for the 21st Bratislava World Picture Book
Original Illustration Exhibition.

43

CHILDREN’S BOOKS
Look
InsideBonbalbon, the World’s Kindest
Monster
Sekai ichi reigi tadashii kaiju bonbarubon / せかいいちれいぎただしいかいじゅう ボンバルボン

Q-raisCute, funny, and a little surreal—a new monster is in town!
One day, a humongous, enormous monster emerges from the sea. The
town is in an uproar. With courage in hand, the mayor boards a helicopter
and approaches the terrifying sea creature. Just as he is about to plead
for the safety of the town and its people, the monster bows deeply andoffers gifts. “I’d like to bask in the sun a little. May I come ashore?” He
asks. How humble! How sweet! How polite! The mayor is impressed andwelcomes the monster in town. Will the mayor regret his decision? Will
the town come through unscathed? Rumble, rumble, the ground vibrates
Category: Picture Books
ISBN: 978-4-09-725233-7
Pages: 40 pages
Printing: Color

once again…Meet Bonbalbon, the latest surprising new character bypopular Japanese artist Q-rais.

Publication: July 2023
Age: 3+

Yusuke Sakamoto, better known as Q-rais, has been making short animations since high school. After graduating from
Tokyo Zokei University, he worked at Tohokushinsha Film Corporation and has been a full-time freelance animator,
cartoonist and illustrator since 2017. He was the grand prize winner of the 19th DigiCon6 ASIA for his film Kamo ga suki (ILike Ducks). His picture books include Chikyu-chan (Earthy), Don Ussa sora o tobu (Don Ussa Flies Up to the Sky) and
Abare neko (Rough Cat).

44

CHILDREN’S BOOKS
Look
InsideWhat’s for Lunch?
Obento nani ireyo? / おべんとう なにいれよう？

Ikeda Mame
Is it a hamburger or a spaghetti kind of day?
Mixed sandwiches for a playdate at the park. Fried chicken with plenty of rice and vegetables to take along on
sports day. Sushi rolls with a sprinkling of pink petals to savor beneath the blooming cherry trees. Let’s packour own lunch boxes and go on an adventure! Includes a board book with four different lunch boxes andeighty-five cut out sheets with a large variety of fish, meat, fruit and vegetables to choose from. Cut yourfavorite foods with scissors, tear the paper rice and seaweed with your hands and place them in the lunch box
that most inspires you. By putting together their own meals children are encouraged to think about what foods
they like, what colors they want to use, and how to organize the space in their lunch boxes. This book not only
stimulates parent-child communication, but teaches children to appreciate the warmth and love that goes into
the preparation of a homemade meal. Part of Shogakukan’s Paperpuntas series of activity books that allow
young children (and children at heart) to experience the excitement of manipulating paper and creating
Category: Picture Books

something new with their own hands. Tear, cut, fold—the possibilities are endless!

ISBN: 978-4-09-725217-7
Pages: 54 pages
Printing: Color
Publication: April 2023
Age: 3+

Ikeda Mame is a Japanese manga artist and illustrator, born in Izumo City, Shimane Prefecture, in 1992. After graduatingfrom high school, she worked as assistant chef for three years before moving to Osaka to paint. Her work mainly focuses
on illustrations for book covers and exhibitions. In 2016, she was awarded the Masayoshi Nakajo Award at the HB File
Competition. Her books include Aji ga aru (Tasty), Onaka ga hetta (I’m Hungry), Watashi no kangaeru kotto (This Is How I
Feel About Antiques), Ekiben to fukei (Station Lunch Boxes and Landscapes). Eggs are her favorite food.

45

CHILDREN’S BOOKS
Look
InsideSato the Rabbit, theMorning Sun
Usagi no Sato-kun asahi / うさぎのさとうくん あさひ

Yuki Ainoya

Sato the Rabbit
Usagi no Sato-kun / うさぎのさとうくん

Yuki Ainoya
Category: Picture Books
ISBN: 978-4-09-727490-2

One day Sato decides to become a rabbit and a rabbit hehas been ever since. Welcome to the whimsical world ofSato the rabbit, where the ordinary becomes extraordinary!
In this fourth installment of the endearingly surreal Sato theCategory: Picture Books
ISBN: 978-4-09-725202-3

can be manipulated as a physical object and used in ways wePrinting: Colorwould never have thought of. In the first half of the book,

Age: 6+

Printing: Color
Publication: April 2006
Rights Sold: Catalan, English, Romanian, Spanish
Age: 6+

Rabbit series, Yuki Ainoya explores the theme of light, how it

Pages: 40 pages

Publication: December 2022

Pages: 60 pages

entitled Asahi (Morning Sun), Sato grabs the slit of morning

Sato the Rabbit, the Moon

sunlight peeking through the curtains of his room and uses it as

Usagi no Sato-kun tsuki yo / うさぎのさとうくん つきよa tool for various purposes. He stirs with it his coffee, scoops up

Yuki Ainoya

sparkles from the river, lights a fire with it, cooks and eventuallyeats it. By the time the slit of sunlight is all gone, night has
fallen and it is dark again. In the second and last story of theCategory: Picture Books
ISBN: 978-4-09-726352-4
Pages: 60 pages

book, entitled Todai (Lighthouse), Sato’s room turns into a

Printing: Colorlighthouse quietly floating in the sea. The sound of the waves,

Rights Sold: English, Romaniancuriously shaped clouds and an enchanting sunset are only

Publication: September 2008
Age: 6+some of the wonders Sato discovers inside the seashells hefinds on his way.
Praise for the English edition of the series“Charming artwork illustrates the interconnectedness
among nature, children, and creativity…Sweet, surreal, andcontemplative.” Kirkus Reviews“A surreal symphony of vibrant colors and images…asatisfying ode to the deep power—and beauty—of theimagination.” Nanette McGuiness, World Kid Lit

Sato the Rabbit, a Sea of Tea
Usagi no Sato-kun kocha no umi / うさぎのさとうくん こうちゃのうみ

Yuki Ainoya
Category: Picture Books
ISBN: 978-4-09-726552-8
Pages: 60 pages

Yuki Ainoya was born in Yokohama and studied Japanese Art in the Art& Design Department of Tama Art University. She was the winner of the
Crayon House Children’s Book Grand Prize in 1990 and the Japanese

Printing: Color
Publication: September 2014
Rights Sold: English, Romanian
Age: 6+

Children’s Book Award in 2007 for the original Japanese edition of Satothe Rabbit. In her spare time, she likes playing the accordion and huladancing.

46

CHILDREN’S BOOKS
Look
InsideCategory: Picture Books
ISBN: 978-4-09-725193-4
Pages: 32 pages
Printing: Color
Publication: October 2022

The Snow Theater

Look
InsideYuki no gekijo / ゆきのげきじょう

Ippiki okami to ohoshi-sama / いっぴきおおかみとおほしさま

Ryoji Arai

Maiko Matsumura

Under a blanket of white snow, a warm and gentle
tale unfolds

A magical story about the healing power of twinklingstars shining bright in the sky

An illustrated book of butterflies is a father’s most treasured

On a clear, starry night a lone wolf running free through thepossession. Yellow, red, white, orange, green butterflies…On awoods meets a star shining bright in the sky. The star is a little

cold, snowy day a boy shows the book to his friend andtired of always shining in the same fixed place and longs to be

together they marvel at the beautiful colors. The boy’s friend

as free as the lone wolf. Meanwhile, the wolf admits that it iswould love to borrow the book and take a closer look, but hesure fun to be free, but sometimes a hollow feeling creeps up intugs it a little too hard and a page suddenly rips. Can his father

Category: Picture Books

the pit of its stomach. “Let’s run together!” The wolf suggests.

ever forgive him?

ISBN: 978-4-09-725211-5

But how could the star break free from its constellation? That’s

The boy puts on his skis and ventures out in the snow. Troubled

Printing: Colorwhen they come up with an ingenious idea that will allow them

Publication: February 2023

to enjoy some time together.

thoughts spinning in his head, he suddenly falls in a hole andAgent: Japan Uni Agency (World, excluding Asia) right in front of him, nestled in the snow, a tiny theater appears.
Rights Sold: Chinese (Simplified), Chinese(Traditional), English, Korean
Age: 3+

The Lone Wolf and the Star

Pages: 32 pages

Age: 3+With

delicatebrushstrokes

andvibrant

colors,Maiko

Snow ballerinas twirl at the soft tune of little snowmen singing.

Matsumura makes light shine through the darkness. At a time

As more and more snow continues to fall, the theater magicallywhen interpersonal relationships have been weakened by thegrows bigger and bigger. The boy is lost in the majestic scene,

pandemic, her book reminds us of the tenderness and kindness

until—“Hey!” A familiar voice suddenly calls from afar andto be found in friendship and mutual care.

before he knows it, his father is by his side.
Maiko Matsumura was born in Nara in 1985. She graduated from the
Ryoji Arai is a Japanese picture book artist living in Tokyo. Born in 1956

Faculty of Design at Kyoto Seika University and in 2009, just before

in Yamagata Prefecture, he majored in design at Nihon University

completing her studies, her work was selected for the Bologna

College of Art. He published his first picture book, Melody, in 1990. Since

International Picture Book Original Drawing Exhibition. She subsequently

then, he has published more than sixty picture books and illustrated more

moved to Tokyo where she worked for an import book company. She isthan two hundred other children’s books. Ryoji Arai has also worked withcurrently a full-time mother, as well as a painter and an author of picture

advertising, magazine illustration and theatre set design. He has received

books. For Iwanami Shoten she illustrated the Japanese edition of A

many honors in Japan and overseas, including the IBBY Honor List andPicture Book Without Pictures by Hans Christian Andersen. Her books

the Bologna Ragazzi Award. His art has been exhibited in more than ten

include Anata wa sekai no kodomo (You Are a Child of the World) andBiennial of Illustrations Bratislava (BIB) as the artist representing Japan.

the self-published Hajimaru hajimari (The Beginning of the Beginning).

In 2005, Ryoji Arai became the first Japanese author to be awarded the
Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award. The poem Almost Nothing, yet
Everything: A Book about Water (Enchanted Lion Books, 2021) written
by Hiroshi Osada and illustrated by Ryoji Arai was selected as a USBBY
Outstanding International Book of 2022.

47

CHILDREN’S BOOKS
Look
InsideThe Illustrated Guide to Major
CrisesDaipinchi zukan / ⼤ピンチずかん

Noritake Suzuki
The picture book that took post-COVID Japan by storm for teaching children easy but
effective stress-coping techniques
Over 400,000 copies sold in Japan
In this illustrated guide, the many possible major
crises faced by children in their daily life arecategorized according to “level of emergency”
Category: Picture Books
ISBN: 978-4-09-725138-5
Pages: 48 pages
Printing: Color
Publication: February 2022
Rights Sold: Chinese (Simplified), Korean
Age: 5+and “likelihood of occurrence,” from the least
urgent crisis to the most serious one. In addition,
each occurrence is accompanied by a descriptionof a similar crisis and suggestions on how to copewith it. With this one book, children will be
prepared to overcome whatever obstacle comes
your way.
Noritake Suzuki was born in 1975 in Hamamatsu, Shizuoka Prefecture. After working as a company employee andgraphic designer, he became a picture book author. He won the Readers’ Prize at the Japan Picture Book Awards for
Boku no toire (My Toilet) and the Shogakukan Children’s Publishing Culture Award for Shigotoba Tokyo Sukai Tsuri(Workplaces: Tokyo Sky Tree). Major works include the Shigotoba (Workplaces) series, Kawa (River), and Oshiri o shiritai(I Want to Know More About Butts). Daipinchi zukan (The Illustrated Guide to Major Crises) was awarded the Miraiya
Picture Book Grand Prize, the Libro Picture Book Award Grand Prize and the MOE Picture Booksellers’ Grand Prize.
48

CHILDREN’S BOOKS
Look
InsideVroom Vroom, Splosh

Look
InsideBuroron dororon / ブロロンどろろん

Ushi tozan / うしとざん

Nao Takabatake

Nao Takabatake

A car is speeding by and there is paint on the road.
Can you guess what will happen next?

2021 Sankei Juvenile Literature Publishing Culture Award
2021 Shogakukan Children’s Publishing Culture Award

On the sidewalk a can of paint has fallen over, spilling paint on

Cows are easy to climb. Let’s give it a try. Grab and hold on

the main road. When cars rush by, over and over people on thetight! Grab and hold on tight! By grabbing on to the hair of the

sidewalk are splashed with colorful paint. Every time you turn

cow’s front hooves, up the man climbs. What will he find oncethe page, you will be amazed by the outlandish shapes people’ssilhouette leave impressed on the wall. Welcome to theCategory: Picture Books

spontaneous and richly imaginative world of Nao Takabatake.

ISBN: 978-4-09-725149-1
Pages: 36 pages
Printing: Color
Publication: March 2022

Climbing a Cow

Nao Takabatake was born in Gifu Prefecture in 1978 and graduated fromthe Department of Fine Arts at Tokyo Zokei University. In 2003, he won

Rights Sold: Chinese (Simplified)

the Kodansha Award for New Writers of Children’s Literature for Mukatta

Age: 3+saki wa (The Destination) and in 2013, he received the Japan Picture Book
Award for Kaeru no odekake (Frog’s Day Out). He is the son of Jun
Takabatake, one of Japan’s best-loved illustrators of children’s literature.

he reaches the top? Why is he climbing a cow?
Category: Picture Books

ISBN: 978-4-09-725085-2

Nao Takabatake’s unique charm is on full display in this eccentric

Pages: 32 pages

and unexpected story that will make you smile no matter how

Printing: Colormany times you read it.

Publication: December 2020
Age: 3+

Nao Takabatake was born in Gifu Prefecture in 1978 and graduated fromthe Department of Fine Arts at Tokyo Zokei University. In 2003, he won
the Kodansha Award for New Writers of Children’s Literature for Mukattasaki wa (The Destination) and in 2013, he received the Japan Picture Book
Award for Kaeru no odekake (Frog’s Day Out). He is the son of Jun
Takabatake, one of Japan’s best-loved illustrators of children’s literature.

49

CHILDREN’S BOOKS
Look
InsideThe Comet and the Last Dragon
Suisei to saigo no ryu / 彗星とさいごの竜

Written by Kyoko Imai, Illustrated by Miho Satake
A sweet dragon and a clever young girl team up in an epic mission to save planet Earth
In a faraway land, lost deep in the mountains, lives the last dragon. “Whatever you do, never stop being proudof who you are,” his mother told him. But having lost his parents before he could even learn to fly, he never
had any pride to begin with. He simply doesn’t know what being a real dragon is supposed to feel like. One
day as he is napping in the chest-high water of the marsh, a strangely dressed girl frightens him awake. “Youcan fly, can’t you?” She is staring so intently at him that he thinks he might be about to be sold to a circus or
to a zoo. As it turns out, the girl is on a mission. A large comet is about to destroy planet Earth. But, having
come from a family of famous astronauts, astrologers, computer scientists and whatnot, the brave girl is notabout to give in. She has a plan to correct the comet’s orbit and avoid a collision with planet Earth. The only
missing piece in her plan is the legendary star-swallowing dragon…With only seven days left before the end of
all life on planet Earth, will the dragon learn to fly? Award-winning author of children’s literature, Kyoko Imai,
Category: Chapter Books / Fantasy
ISBN: 978-4-09-289329-0
Pages: 120 pages

and master of fantasy illustration, Miho Satake, take us on a magic adventure showing the power of truefriendship.

Printing: Black & White
Publication: June 2023
Age: 7+

Kyoko Imai is a Japanese author of children’s literature, born in Hiroshima Prefecture in 1949. In 1984, she started writing

essays and novels, and later turned to children’s literature. She is the recipient of many awards including the 2003 Ogawa
Mimei Literary Award for Aruki dasu natsu (Walking Summer). In 2018, Konpira inu (Konpira Dog) won the JapaneseChildren’s Literature Association Award, the Sankei Juvenile Literature Publishing Culture Award and the Shogakukan
Children’s Publishing Culture Award.
Miho Satake is a Japanese artist and illustrator, born in Toyama Prefecture. She first made her debut as an illustrator in
the science fiction magazine Kiso Tengai (Fantastic) and created numerous works in the fields of science fiction andfantasy. She is best known for illustrating the Japanese editions of several classic children’s books including Howl’sMoving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones, Kiki’s Delivery Service by Eiko Kadono, and the 20th anniversary edition of the
Harry Potter series. The English-language edition of Kimyoji yokocho no natsu (Temple Alley Summer, tr. Avery Fischer
Udagawa) written by Sachiko Kashiwaba and illustrated by Miho Satake won the 2022 Mildred L. Batchelder Award.

50

CHILDREN’S BOOKS
Look
InsideEerie Tales
Fushigi soshi / ふしぎ草子

Written by Yoko Tomiyasu, Illustrated by Koji Yamamura
A collection of eight stories of the eerie and strange
Strange noises coming from an unused music room. What is it that lurks inside, waiting behind its doors? A
football kicked in a deserted park during morning practice disappears into the heavy fog. Driving towards a
hot spring in the middle of a blizzard, the road becomes narrower and narrower until it is impossible to move.
While playing on a swing, a little girl’s shoe flies into the air and lands in a witch’s garden...
With stunning black and white illustrations by internationally-acclaimed animation artist Koji Yamamura andreferences to contemporary issues such as global warming and declining birthrate, this collection of eightchilling (yet totally plausible) short stories will make you shiver with fear and excitement.
Yoko Tomiyasu is a fantasy writer of children’s literature, born in Tokyo in 1959. Deeply attracted to stories of ghosts andogres since she was a child, in her works she often adapts characters from Japanese folktales and legends. She is therecipient of the Newcomer Award from the Japanese Association of Writers for Children and the Shogakukan Children’sCategory: Chapter Books / Mystery
ISBN: 978-4-09-289324-5
Pages: 192 pages
Printing: Black & White
Publication: April 2023
Age: 9+Publication Culture Award for Kunugi bayashi no zawazawa so (Noisy House in the Chestnut Woods), the Sankei Juvenile
Literature Publishing Culture Award for Sora e tsuzuku shinwa (The Nature God of the Skies), the 2002 IBBY Honor List
Literature Award for Yamanba yama no mokko-tachi (Mokko in Mount Yamamba) and the Noma Prize for Juvenile

Literature for Bon maneki (Invitation to the Summer Festival of Bon). She currently lives in Osaka with her husband andtwo sons.
Koji Yamamura is an animation artist and illustrator of children’s literature. He was born in Nagoya in 1964 and studied
painting at Tokyo Zokei University. His most famous films are the 2002 Atama yama (Mt. Head) nominated for the
Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film and winner of the Short Film Award at the Annecy International AnimatedFilm Festival, and the 2007 animated adaptation of Franz Kafka’s A Country Doctor, winner of the Ottawa Grand Prize. He
is the only director to win the Grand Prize at all four major animation festivals in the world and in 2021 was selected as

one of the 25 best short-film directors of the past 25 years. In addition, his picture book Oyasai, oyasai (Vegetables,
Vegetables) written by Chihiro Ishizu has become a long-seller, having sold over 460,000 copies in Japan to date.

51

CHILDREN’S BOOKS
Look
InsideGold Kingdom and Water Kingdom
Kin no kuni mizu no kuni / 金の国水の国

Written by Yui Tokiumi, Illustrated by Nao Iwamoto
The manga that for the first time in history topped Japanese
bestselling charts for two consecutive years comes to life in a
new romantasy novel!
In a faraway land, war breaks out between two neighboring countries, the Gold Kingdom andthe Water Kingdom, whose rulers are quarreling over trivial matters. The Gold Kingdom isrich and wealthy, but is on the verge of extinction due to a severe water shortage. On theother hand, the Water Kingdom boasts luxurious nature and water reserves, but its people
are poor and out of work. Eventually the gods intercede and order that the most beautiful
girl in the Gold Kingdom should marry the wisest young man in the Water Kingdom.
Princess Sarah is asked to travel to the Water Kingdom, but the Gold Kingdom actually sends a cat. A
charming man named Naranbayar is chosen from the Water Kingdom, but a dog is sent to the Gold Kingdom
instead. Fearing the truth might lead to a resurgence of war, Sarah and Naranbayar act as a married couple
and pretend to be in love. This is the story of two intelligent and kind-hearted people whose plan to stop theCategory: Chapter Books / Fantasy
ISBN: 978-4-09-231437-5
Pages: 192 pages
Printing: Black & White
Publication: January 2023
Age: 9+conflict between their countries and open diplomatic relations, ends up moving their own hearts as well.
Yui Tokiumi was born in Nagano Prefecture. Before becoming a novelist, she worked at a history museum, where she
was involved in the excavation of archaeological sites and in the research and study of historical and folklore materials.
She is known for her adaptation of manga series, video games and other classics into literary form. Shigatsu wa kimi nouso (Your Lie in April), a light-novel spin-off of Naoshi Arakawa’s homonymous manga series, was published in English by
Vertical in 2014.
Nao Iwamoto is an award-winning manga artist born in Okayama Prefecture. In 2009, she won the Shogakukan MangaAward for Machi de uwasa no tengu no ko (Tengu Child of Town Rumors). Her manga Marronnier okoku no shichinin no
kishi (Seven Knights of the Marronnier Kingdom) is currently being serialized in the monthly magazine Flowers. The anime

film adaptation of Kin no kuni mizu no kuni (Gold Kingdom and Water Kingdom) was released in Japanese theaters inJanuary 2023 and the English edition of the manga is scheduled for publication by Seven Seas Entertainment inNovember 2023.

52

CHILDREN’S BOOKS
Look
InsideThe Merry-Go-Round of Lost Stars
Maigo no hoshi-tachi no meri go raundo / 迷子の星たちのメリーゴーラウンド

Written by Rieko Hinata, Illustrated by Munashichi
Unravel the mystery of a never-aging girl living alone in an abandoned amusement park
Haunted by the ghost of its founder, used as a base by aliens…the abandoned amusement park has been foryears the object of all sorts of rumors. Mika, a mysterious girl who stopped growing at the age of three afteran accident took place fifteen years ago, lives there alone. When the demolition of the park is finally approved,
the local elementary and junior high schools are forced to close due to a series of strange incidents. Then,
during summer vacation, in response to the girl’s call five children with special powers gather at the park andthrough the diaries they keep the truth starts to unravel. Does Mika really hold the key to all the mysteries
surrounding the abandoned amusement park!?
The five children’s strange powers—communicating with whales, entering a bewildering world with fish heads
in a shrine at night—evoke the loneliness many children experience as a consequence of being perceived as
strange or living isolated in their communities. The extraordinary events taking place in the park, will inspireyoung readers to appreciate their individuality and help them understand that in our own peculiar way we all
Category: Chapter Books / Fantasy
ISBN: 978-4-09-227245-3

have a chance to find happiness.

Pages: 256 pages
Printing: Black & White
Publication: March 2021
Age: 11+

Rieko Hinata is a Japanese author of children’s literature. Her books include Amefuru
hon’ya (The Rainy Bookshop), Maho no niwa e (To the Magic Garden) and Nichiyobi no
okoku (The Kingdom of Sundays). In 2023, her series of fantasy novels Hikari no o (TheFire Hunter) was adapted into an anime TV series.
Munashichi is an illustrator well known in the anime and gaming industry for the concept
design of the acclaimed video games Tales of Zestiria and Tales of Berseria and theconcept artwork for the anime TV series Princess Principal. Popular for drawing extremely
detailed retrofuturistic fantasy worlds, his books include The Art of Munashichi and Entotsu
machi no puperu (Poupelle of Chimney Town).
53

CHILDREN’S BOOKS
Look
InsideThe Garden
Niwa / 庭

Rui Kodemari
In the lush Hawaiian nature, a mixed-heritage girl embarks on a journey to find her roots“I used to think of myself as fun. But I don’t like what I have become. Oh, I wish I could escape to a desert
island.” In her second year of junior high, Mana is bullied by her Japanese classmates on social networking
sites for her Hawaiian origins and correct English pronunciation. Her best friend fails to defend her, the two
drift apart and eventually Mana stops going to school.
During spring break, in desperate need of a change of scenery, she heads on her own to Hawaii, her father’s
homeland, for a brief stay. The intoxicating fragrance of flowers, the bright blue sky, the seemingly limitless
expanse of the ocean…Will Mana be able to find her place in the magnificent Hawaiian landscape?
Mana’s grandmother Heidi is blind and lives with her family in a remote location. Every morning the two stepout into the garden and as she cuts weeds, removes older flower stems, and tends to unruly branches Mana
learns to listen to the voice of nature and to the voice of her own heart. Against the backdrop of Hawaii’s rich
Category: Chapter Books / Coming of Age
ISBN: 978-4-09-289311-5
Pages: 224 pages

nature and cultural heritage, Rui Kodemari introduces young readers to the complex and often difficult historyof immigration in Hawaii.

Printing: Black & White
Publication: June 2021
Age: 11+

Rui Kodemari is a Japanese novelist, poet and essayist, born in Okayama Prefecture in 1956. Based in the U.S. since
1992, she writes novels, poems, fairy tales and picture books, while living in the New York State’s woodlands. In 2019, she
won the Shogakukan Children’s Publishing Culture Award for Aru hareta natsu no asa (On a Bright Summer Morning)
about eight American high school students of various descent debating the rights and wrongs of the atomic bomb blasts
on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. An English edition of the same book (tr. Glenn Sullivan) was published in 2021.

54

CHILDREN’S BOOKS
Look
InsideBirds
Tori / 鳥

Rui Kodemari

A delicate exploration of the friendship between two young girls spreading their wings acrossdifferent continents
Fourteen-year-old Chika lives with her mom and dog Poirot in the woods of New York State, where her mom
runs Nanae’s House, a secluded bed-and-breakfast in close contact with nature. Chika’s parents divorced
when she was five years old and her Japanese father has been living in Japan ever since. When she travels to
Japan, Chika always visits her father’s new family and is particularly close to her stepsister Erina, who is about
Category: Chapter Books / Coming of Age
ISBN: 978-4-09-289328-3
Pages: 224 pages
Printing: Black & White
Publication: May 2023
Age: 11+

her age. From the first time they were introduced, the two hit it off and began corresponding via e-mail. Since
they both share a love for birds, they also formed the “Little Bird Society” with just the two of them asmembers. Erina is the head of the society’s Japanese branch and Chika is the head of the American branch. In
their exchanges, they compare events in their daily routine to those in the life of a bird, talk about love andsend each other poems. Seven o’clock in the morning on the East Coast of the U.S. corresponds to eighto’clock in the afternoon in Japan, so Chika always starts her mornings by reading the e-mail she just received
from Japan. When Chika’s dog Poirot suddenly passes away at the end of the book, how will the two girls
learn to accept the transience of life? By verbalizing their thoughts and feelings to one another, the two young
girls learn not only to care for each other, but also to treasure the nature and living beings that surround them.
Rui Kodemari is a Japanese novelist, poet and essayist, born in Okayama Prefecture in 1956. Based in the U.S. since
1992, she writes novels, poems, fairy tales and picture books, while living in the New York State’s woodlands.
55

CHILDREN’S BOOKS
Look
InsideLove Problems Never End
Ren’ai mondai wa tomaranai / 恋愛問題は止まらない

Mariko Yoshino
Love is like a rollercoaster—buckle up and enjoy the ride!
Rumor has it that the coach of the school’s baseball teamordered all players to shave their heads by next week. They
have been slacking off lately and the new hairstyle ought
to strengthen their spirit. “Uesato has to shave off his soft
curls?? I’ll never allow that to happen!” Captain andattacker number four of the team, Uesato is everyone’s
dream boyfriend.
He claims to love baseball more than anything. But he andthe head of his fan club are the official couple of the school.
Is this true love? Will their relationship stand the test of time?

Category: Chapter Books / Romance
ISBN: 978-4-09-289318-4

Thirty-four episodes told from the point of view of thirty-fourPages: 256 pages
Printing: Black & White

different schoolmates. Master Japanese screenwriter Mariko

Publication: May 2022

Yoshino skillfully navigates the daily ups and downs ofAge: 11+school, love and friendship at a local junior high school.

Mariko Yoshino is a Japanese novelist and screenwriter, born in 1970 in Kanagawa Prefecture. After graduating from theFaculty of Humanities at Sophia University, she studied screenwriting in Osaka and worked in publishing. In 2005, she
won the 1st Shincho Entertainment Award for Aki no daisankaku (Autumn Triangle) and has been writing literature forchildren and adults ever since. She won the Utsunomiya Children’s Award and the Noma Prize for Juvenile Literature forboth Gekidan 6-nen 2-kumi (Theater Company Year 6, Class 2) and Himitsu no kotei (The Secret Schoolyard). Her
screenplay 73-nen mae no kamifusen (The Paper Balloon from 73 Years Ago) won the Excellence Award in the Radio
Drama Division at the 73rd Japan Arts Festival.

56

CHILDREN’S BOOKS
Look
InsideThe Canned Mackerel that
Became Space Food
Uchu-shoku ni natta saba kan / 宇宙食になったサバ缶

Yasuyuki Kosaka, Yoshiko Besshi
The high school project that delivered food to space
8,500 copies sold in JapanIn November 2020, astronaut Soichi Noguchi released a video on YouTube in which he sampled in gravity-free
conditions a dish of canned mackerel developed by high school students and praised it as “delicious.” The
Canned Mackerel that Became Space Food covers the efforts of the over 300 students of Wakasa High School
in Fukui Prefecture, who over the course of fourteen years turned canned mackerel into space food. The

project started in 2006 with the simple suggestion of a student to develop a seafood product featuring the
local specialty. But what kind of flavor would an astronaut want to taste in space? This is the story of a groupof students who despite facing seemingly insurmountable difficulties were driven by their love for scientific
Category: Chapter Books / Non-Fiction
ISBN: 978-4-09-227258-3
Pages: 176 pages
Printing: Color
Publication: June 2022
Age: 8+

exploration to persevere and make their shared dream come true. Their brainchild, a mackerel can reinforcedby kudzu powder and strongly flavored with soy sauce, was granted Japanese-style space food status in 2018
by the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA). The book also includes a list of other Japanese-style space
food in the JAXA-certified menu and essays on nutrition and health in space.

Yasuyuki Kosaka holds a Ph.D. in Bioresources and teaches a Marine Science Course at Wakasa High School in Fukui
Prefecture. “Learning because it’s fun!” is his motto as he engages in marine education and inquiry-based learning. He
has led marine restoration projects in cooperation with local communities and product development using local ingredients.
Yoshiko Besshi was born in Fukui Prefecture. A member of the Japanese Association of Writers for Children and of theJapan Juvenile Writers Association, in 2014, she won the Ogawa Mimei Literary Award for Excellence for Ototsu aiueo notegami (The Embossed Letter). Her non-fiction works include Kami ga tsunagu monogatari (Stories Connected by Hair).
57

BACKLIST58

FICTION BACKLISTThe Cat Who Saved Books

Days at the Morisaki
Bookshop

Hon o mamorou to suru neko no hanashi / 本を守ろうとする猫の話

Sosuke Natsukawa

Morisaki shoten no hibi / 森崎書店の日々

Satoshi Yagisawa“Enchanting” Observer“Quirky and heartwarming in equal measure, The Cat Who
Saved Books invites us to remember the joy of curling up
with a favorite book.” Japan Times“A slender book, but one rich in experience, exactly like thetiny, crammed Morisaki Bookshop itself.” New York Journalof Books“Combine The Elegance of the Hedgehog with Mr.
Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore and you might get a feel forthis delightful novel.” Washington Post

“Yagisawa’s prose is clean and direct even as he describes
the Morisaki Bookshop and the city that surrounds it withextraordinary care and detail. Readers will want to linger inthis world. They will want more when this concise taleends.” Booklist

Sosuke Natsukawa is a doctor and novelist based in Nagano, Japan. He
Category: Trade Fiction
ISBN: 978-4-09-386463-3
Pages: 224 pages
Publication: January 2017
Agent: Emily Books Agency (World, excluding Asia)

Rights Sold: Arabic, Armenian, Bulgarian, Catalan,
Chinese (Simplified, Traditional), Croatian, Czech,
Danish, Dutch, English(UK, US), Estonian, Finnish,French, German, Greek, Hungarian, Indonesian, Italian,
Korean, Latvian, Lithuanian, Macedonian, Polish,
Portuguese (Brazil, Portugal), Romanian, Russian,
Serbian, Slovak, Slovene, Spanish, Swedish, Thai,
Turkish, Ukrainian, Vietnamese

made his debut as a writer in 2009 with the multivolume novel Kamisama
no karute (God’s Medical Records), which sold over three million copies in

Category: Trade Fiction
ISBN: 978-4-09-408545-7

Japan and was adapted into a film. The Cat Who Saved Books (tr. Louise

Pages: 208 pages

Heal Kawai), his novel about a talking cat and the young owner of aAgent: Emily Books Agency (World, excluding Asia)

second-hand bookshop going on an adventure to protect books, was aninternational bestseller and was translated into 39 languages.

Publication: September 2010
Rights Sold: Catalan, Chinese (Simplified), Chinese(Traditional), Croatian, Czech, Dutch, English(UK),English(US), French, German, Greek, Hebrew,
Hungarian, Indonesian, Italian, Korean, Malay, Polish,
Portuguese (Brazil), Portuguese (Portugal), Romanian,Russian, Spanish, Slovene, Thai, Turkish, Vietnamese

The Kamogawa Food
Detectives

by a local winery and decides she must bet her future on thatheavenly taste. Naoki Prize-winning author Masumi Oshima
masterfully portrays the sense of stagnation and insecurity sorecreating special dishes from their customers' past that holdprominent in our time and offers younger generations an

the key to unlocking forgotten memories and future happiness.

example of hope and resilience in the face of seemingly

A mouth-watering series celebrating the power of a delicious

Agent: Emily Books Agency (World, excluding Asia)
Rights Sold: Catalan, Czech, Chinese (Simplified),
Chinese (Traditional), English(UK), English(US), French,
German, Greek, Hungarian, Italian, Korean, Lithuanian,
Polish, Portuguese (Portugal), Russian, Spanish, Thai,
TurkishCategory: Trade Fiction
ISBN: 978-4-09-386656-9

Hisashi Kashiwai was born in 1952 and graduated from Osaka Dental

Pages: 256 pages

University in 1976. He runs his own private dental clinic and also writes

English synopsis available on request.

essays and novels about Kyoto, food and travelling. He is the author of
Ohitori kara no himitsu no Kyoto (Exploring Secret Kyoto on Your Own)
among many other books.

and a sequel was published in 2011.

is drowning in despair, she stumbles upon a grape juice madeeatery down a quiet backstreet in Kyoto are capable of

Publication: November 2013

Literary Prize, it became a publishing sensation. It was adapted into a film

When the pandemic brings the world to a standstill and Mizuki

ingenious investigations the owners of this inconspicuous

Pages: 208 pages

Jimbocho book district, is his debut novel. After winning the Chiyoda

Masumi Oshima

Taste one more time the food of your memories. ThroughISBN: 978-4-09-388334-4

Bookshop), a tale of new romantic and family beginnings set in Tokyo’s

Tatoeba, budo / たとえば、葡萄

Hisashi Kashiwai

meal.

from Nihon University. Morisaki shoten no hibi (Days at the Morisaki

For Example, Grapes

Kamogawa shokudo / 鴨川食堂

Category: Trade Fiction

Satoshi Yagisawa was born in 1977 in Chiba Prefecture and graduatedPublication: September 2022

unsurmountable obstacles.
Masumi Oshima won the Naoki Prize in 2019 for her novel Uzu:
Imoseyama onna teikin, Tamamusubi (Whirlpool: Husband and Wife
Mountains, A Mirror of Virtuous Women, Requiem). Her novel Nijiiro tenkiame (Rainbow Weather) and its sequel Bita Shuga (Bitter Sugar), wereadapted into a 2011 NHK TV series.

59

FICTION BACKLIST

Category: Trade Fiction
ISBN: 978-4-09-386655-2
Pages: 306 pages
Publication: September 2022
Rights Sold: KoreanLife in the Share House

Endless Night

Wakaba-so no kurashi / 若葉荘の暮らし

Yako / 夜行

Tomomi Hatano

Tomihiko Morimi

A realistic portrait of the struggles faced by different

Over 260,000 copies sold in Japangenerations of Japanese women in a country marred by

Ohashi goes to Kyoto to attend the Kurama Fire Festival witheconomic stagnation and gender inequality. Women in their 40s

some friends he hasn’t seen in ten years—Nakai, Takeda,

that entered the workforce after the burst of the bubble

Fujimura, and Tanabe. The last time the five of them went, there

economy, women in their 50s at the mercy of the controversial

was a sixth—Hasegawa, but on the night of the festival, she1986 Equal Employment Opportunity Law and women in theirdisappeared. Do the By Night and Dawn Light copperplate60s who had no choice but to conform to traditional genderengravings in the local gallery hold the key to the mystery?

expectations, all come to find in Residence Wakaba a safe
haven where they can define happiness on their own terms.
Tomomi Hatano is a Japanese novelist born in Tokyo in 1979. Her debut
work, Kokudo zoi no famiresu (Family Restaurant on the National
Highway), won the Shosetsu Subaru New Writers Award in 2010 and she

Category: Mystery & Crime
ISBN: 978-4-09-386456-5
Pages: 256 pages
Publication: October 2016
Rights Sold: Chinese (Simplified), Chinese (Traditional),
KoreanEnglish synopsis and sample translation available
on request.

Tomihiko Morimi’s works have won important prizes and been

adapted into critically acclaimed anime series and films. In 2010,
Penguin Highway was awarded the Japan SF Grand Prize and in 2023,
the English edition of The Tatami Galaxy (tr. Emily Balistrieri) was
shortlisted for the PEN Translation Prize.

was twice nominated for the Eiji Yoshikawa Literary Prize for New Writers.

The Troublesome Dining
Table

3,000 Words Left to Live
Yomei 3000 moji / 余命3000文字

Gyatei Murasaki

Yakkaina shokutaku / やっかいな食卓

Akari Mikimoto

What fate awaits a man who has been told by his doctor that hehas only 3,000 words left to live? What if a boy were to receive“Why not all move in together?” Carefree mother-in-law Rinko

on his birthday a rare Japanese “wild rich man,” a finicky

and career-oriented daughter-in-law Yuki agree to move increature that only accepts expensive goods from Ginza? What

together under the condition that dining tables are to be kept

decision will a fetus take after being stuck in its mother’s belly

separate. However, as soon as the two families start living underfor six years, refusing to be born? Twenty-six short stories thatthe same roof, “troublesome” incidents start to occur. The two

will transport you from uncontainable laughter to heart-

dining tables clash and the boundaries between meals become
Category: Trade Fiction

blurred. An exhilarating, laugh-out-loud read.

ISBN: 978-4-09-386653-8
Pages: 240 pages
Publication: September 2022
English synopsis available on request.

Category: Trade Fiction
ISBN: 978-4-09-406849-8

Akari Mikimoto is the pen name of essay writer Chizuko Kamiya. After

Pages: 288 pages

her husband was transferred overseas, she resigned from her job at NHK

Rights Sold: Chinese (Simplified)and spent the next twenty-tree years living in nine different countries as
the wife of a diplomat. This is her first novel.

Publication: December 2020
English synopsis available on request.

wrenching grief in just under five minutes.
Gyatei Murasaki was born in Kumamoto Prefecture in 1994. His shortstories initially posted on a literary website attracted a great deal ofinterest and were turned by Shogakukan into the 5-Minute Reads series.

60

FICTION BACKLIST

Buddha on the Waterside

Disconnect

Mizube no Buddha / 水辺のブッダ

Zetsuen / 絶縁

Durian Sukegawa

Sayaka Murata, Alfian Sa’at, Hao Jingfang, Wiwat
Lertwiwatwongsa, Hon Lai Chu, Lhacham Gyal,
Nguyen Ngoc Tu, Lien Ming Wei, Chung SerangInternational bestselling author of Sweet Bean Paste
On the banks of the Tama River on the outskirts of Tokyo,“The gap between the ’self’ and the ‘other,’ widened by thethree-year pandemic and the precarious relationships
between neighboring countries, is seen in this bookthrough the sensitive eyes of a group of novelists...A uniqueanthology.” Hankyoreh

disgraced white-collar worker Bota and his high-schooldaughter Eri, who had a history of abuse, find a route to escapethe darkness in their hearts, forever changing their fates. A gritty
but authentic portrayal of homelessness, sex and violence inAgainst the backdrop of the global pandemic and thecontemporary Japan with an uplifting message of hope forresurgence of war, nine Asian writers born between the lateanyone struggling to rise above difficult circumstances.
Category: Literary Fiction

Category: Literary Fiction

ISBN: 978-4-09-386541-8

Durian Sukegawa is renowned as a writer of non-fiction, essays andISBN: 978-4-09-356745-9

novels championing society’s disadvantaged and downtrodden. His novel

Publication: December 2022

Pages: 320 pages
Publication: May 2019
Agent: Japan Uni Agency
Rights Sold: ItalianEnglish sample translation available on request.

Sweet Bean Paste was an international bestseller, translated into 19

Pages: 416 pages
Rights Sold: Korean, Thai, Vietnamese
English synopsis available on request.

languages and adapted into the homonymous film. He is the recipient ofEgoistEgoisuto / エゴイスト

Akiko Kawasaki

Makoto Takayama

Shortlisted for the 2022 Naoki Prize“Groundbreaking…Raw and immediate.” Japan Times
Kosuke,1979. In 2019, she won the Oyabu Haruhiko Prize for Nikudan (Human

editor,becomes

it is driven by ego and self-interest? Makoto Takayama’s
autobiographical novel is a much-needed investigation of
Category: Non-Binary Fiction
ISBN: 978-4-09-407175-7
Pages: 192 pages

Akiko Kawasaki is a multi-award-winning author, born in Hokkaido inmagazine

single mother, Kosuke steps in. Can love ever be authentic when

so many sufferings, could Misae have possibly been happy? Her
retracing the steps of his birth mother.

fashionhe has been a sex worker since his teens to support his ailingdaughter’s suicide, parting with her son forever…After a life ofPages: 432 pages

wealthy

When Ryuta abruptly breaks off the relationship, confessing thatchildhood spent like a slave, a marriage anything but happy, her

son Yusuke sets out on a journey to find his own life path byaromantically entangled with his new personal trainer, Ryuta.

as a servant. Awaiting her were days of unimaginable cruelty. A

English synopsis available on request.

Simultaneously published in Korean by Munhakdongne and in

Shimegoroshi no ki / 絞め殺しの樹

she was only 10 years old, she was sold to the Yoshioka family

Publication: December 2021

their experience of disconnectedness and social isolation.

The Strangling Tree

Misae has no recollection of her parents’ faces. In 1945, when

ISBN: 978-4-09-386626-2

cohesion in their countries and expose the shared nature ofJapanese by Shogakukan.

the Prix Littéraire Domitys and Prix des Lecteurs du Livre de Poche.

Category: Literary Fiction

1970s and early 1980s reflect on the increasing erosion of social

Publication: August 2022
English synopsis available on request.

economic disparity in contemporary Japan and the struggles
sexual minorities face with family and finances in an
unaccepting society.

Bullet). In 2020, she won the Nitta Jiro Literary Award and was nominatedMakoto Takayama was a prolific writer of essays among other types offor the Mishima Yukio Prize for Tsuchi ni aganau (Redeeming the Earth).

books and also worked as an editor at a publishing company.

61

NON-FICTION BACKLISTThe Delusion of Inferiority

Zen and Food

Rettokan to iu moso / 劣等感という妄想

Zen to shoku / 禅と食Shunmyo Masuno

Shunmyo Masuno

As social media increasingly shape our relationships with others,

Zen and Food introduces readers to the basic principles of theit has become difficult not to wonder if we are measuring up.

Zen diet, originally conceived for Buddhist monks in training,

Masuno admonishes readers with the Zen expression “makuand shows how they can easily be adapted to everyday living.

mozo (have no delusions)” and urges them to cast off their

Masuno explains the Zen Buddhism commandments of notsuffering by clearly separating themselves from others: “I am meeating meat or fish, striving to use all parts of an ingredient andand they are them.” With his usual knack for explaining the

not strongly flavoring food. From the mental attitude of theteachings of Zen in terms anyone can understand, Masuno

cook to food preparation and table manners, these apparently

reveals the true nature of inferiority complexes, and shows how
Category: Self-Help
ISBN: 978-4-09-388438-9
Pages: 194 pages

the ideas and practices of Zen can break the cycle of negative
thinking and open the way to a re-energized life.

Pages: 194 pages

Printing: Black & White
Publication: December 2015
Agent: TUTTLE-MORI AGENCY (World, excluding Asia)
Rights Sold: Chinese (Traditional), Korean, Vietnamese

simple rules for eating are meant as rules for living.
Category: Self-Help

Shunmyo Masuno is a Japanese monk and garden designer. He is themillion-copy bestselling author of The Art of Simple Living.

ISBN: 978-4-09-388322-1
Printing: Black & White
Agent: TUTTLE-MORI AGENCY (World, excluding Asia)

Rights Sold: Vietnamese

Tono Cuisine
Tono kyuijinu / 遠野キュイジーヌ

Yotaro Sasaki

Nagameru Zen / 眺める禅

Shunmyo Masuno“[Yotaro Sasaki] has created a repertoire of impressive
originality and left-field maverick magic.” Japan Times

Praise for Shunmyo Masuno
ISBN: 978-4-09-388346-7
Pages: 96 pages
Printing: Color

Publication: December 2013
Agent: TUTTLE-MORI AGENCY (World, excluding Asia)

The city of Tono, a rural location in Iwate Prefecture, has in“Does for mental clutter what Marie Kondo has done
for household clutter.” Publishers Weekly

recent years established a reputation both in Japan andoverseas as a gourmet destination thanks to the efforts of

By encouraging connectedness, harmony and tranquility, gardening

Yotaro Sasaki and his restaurant Tonoya Yo. In this book,

teaches us the sacredness of the everyday and a sense ofcomplemented by stunning visuals throughout, Yotaro Sasaki

respect for the environment at large. With stunning pictures of

the gardens Masuno has designed and accompanied by
Masuno’s words of wisdom, just by gazing at an open page ofthis book every day before bedtime, worries and troubles will
slip away.
Shunmyo Masuno is a Japanese monk and garden designer. He is themillion-copy bestselling author of The Art of Simple Living.

million-copy bestselling author of The Art of Simple Living.

Publication: September 2013

Zen Contemplation for a
Lighter Heart

Category: Photography

Shunmyo Masuno is a Japanese monk and garden designer. He is thereveals for the first time from production to consumption all
Category: Photography
ISBN: 978-4-09-311515-5
Pages: 192 pages
Printing: Color
Publication: May 2022

aspects of his remarkable philosophy that promises to bring
Japanese food traditions into the 21st century while helping tobuild a sustainable future for Japanese agriculture.
Yotaro Sasaki is a chef, organic rice farmer and brew master, who hasearned international acclaim for his contribution to gastronomy.

62

NON-FICTION BACKLIST

Speaking Up

How the Unification Church
Penetrated Japan’s Ruling
Liberal Democratic Party

Koe o agete / 声をあげてRina Gonoi
Named by the Financial Times as one of the twentyfive most influential women of 2022

Jiminto no Toitsu Kyokai osen / 自民党の統一教会汚染

Eito Suzuki

As a young girl Rina Gonoi dreamed of joining Japan’s SelfDefense Forces. In March 2011, at the age of 11, she was among

In 2022, former prime minister Shinzo Abe was fatally shot during athecountry’s

campaign rally in Nara. The assassination raised questions about

devastating earthquake and tsunami and at the evacuation

Japan’s ruling party’s association with the South Korean religious

center she would look in admiration at the female soldiers asgroup known as Unification Church, which was said to be the killer’s

thousandsofchildrendisplacedbythethey carried water for survivors to bathe. But her dream came tomotive. Was Abe’s relationship with the group a rushed

an abrupt end when shortly after joining the forces she was

Category: Current Affairs

Pages: 240 pages

sexually assaulted. She reported the assault, but was repeatedly

Pages: 322 pages

Printing: Black & White

silenced. She then decided to appeal to the media with her real

Category: Current Affairs
ISBN: 978-4-09-389104-2

Publication: May 2023

ISBN: 978-4-09-380123-2
Printing: Black & White
Publication: September 2022

name and face. This is the story of Rina Gonoi, whose courage

assumption, or can the group’s influence on his political career bebacked up with a degree of certainty? This book traces the
trajectory that led to the murder of the longest-serving leader inmodern Japan.

inspired officers in Japan and beyond to demand change. As

Eito Suzuki is a freelance journalist and anti-cult activist.

Japan embarks on an unprecedented increase of its military

Cult Children

spending in the face of China and North Korea’s military threats,
Rina Gonoi’s campaign draws yet again attention to the

Ogawa Sayuri, shukyo 2-sei / 小川さゆり、宗教２世

worldwide issue of sexual violence in the armed forces and the

Sayuri Ogawa

urgent need for reform.

“In a male-dominated society where sexual abuse
victims face backlash for speaking out…Gonoi wants
public accountability and systemic change within the
military.” Washington Post

Sayuri Ogawa’s parents joined the Unification Church at around theage of twenty and were married through one of its mass weddings.
A so-called child of god, as a little girl Sayuri saw the church as the“Gonoi’s fight was a rare public reckoning with sexualassault in Japan, where the #MeToo movement met a
muted response and government data shows just 4%
of rape victims report the crime.” Japan Timesvery foundation of her existence. Why did she decide to leave andwhat path did she follow to build an independent life? As the fatalshooting of former prime minister Shinzo Abe sheds light on theplight of thousands of children of church adherents who faced
Rina Gonoi is a former Japanese soldier born 1999. In 2022, she started apublic campaign about the sexual abuse she was subjected to by fellow
members of the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force. She is the first survivorof sexual assault to gain public attention in Japan since journalist Shiori
Ito’s 2017 rape accusations against a prominent TV journalist turned her
into a symbol of the country’s #MeToo movement.

abuse and neglect, Sayuri Ogawa shares a firsthand account of theCategory: Current Affairs
ISBN: 978-4-09-380125-6
Pages: 266 pages

heartbreaking first half of her life.

Printing: Black & White

Sayuri Ogawa is the pseudonym of a second-generation member of the

Publication: March 2023

Unification Church, who after the murder of Shinzo Abe decided to
publicly discuss the extreme hardship she endured as the daughter of
devout followers and called for the disbandment of the group.

63

CHILDREN’S BACKLIST

Category: Picture Books
ISBN: 978-4-09-725205-4
Pages: 36 pages
Printing: Color
Publication: November 2022

Age: 3+

Chit, the Witch in Training

The Pumpkin Soup BathChibikko majo no chitto / ちびっこまじょのチット

Kabocha supu no ofuro / かぼちゃスープのおふろ

Akiko Tanji

Keiko Shibata

Chit dreams of becoming a witch as skilled as her teacher and is

On their way home, three good friends—a polar bear, an alpaca

determined to practice as hard as she can to make her dream

and a cat—are led astray by a delicious smell floating in the air.

come true. However, as the day of her first test draws near, no

The smell comes from a huge pumpkin brimming with warm,

matter how hard she tries the magical spell to turn a stone into

creamy soup. A sign perched on the pumpkin reads, “Pumpkin

a cake just does not seem to work. Strawberry shortcakes,

soup bath. Please come in and warm yourself up, but under no

blueberry pies, after tasting the gorgeous creations of the othercircumstances are you to drink the soup!” Will the three friends

aspiring little witches, what will the teacher think of Chit’s

be able to control their appetites? A laugh-out-loud picture

shapeless blob? A book about the happy place in between
success and failure.
Akiko Tanji is an illustrator and picture book author born in 1972. She
currently lives in Tokyo with her cat, who is often portrayed in her
artwork.

Category: Picture Books
ISBN: 978-4-09-725207-8
Pages: 40 pages
Printing: Color
Publication: November 2022
Rights Sold: Chinese (Simplified), Korean
Age: 3+

book exploring what happens when one is told not to dosomething but can’t help doing it anyway.
Keiko Shibata is an illustrator and picture book author based in Kochi
Prefecture. She is the author of the Pan dorobo (Bread Thief) series thathas sold more than 1,600,000 copies in Japan and won numerous
awards.

Friends

I Miss You So Much

Tomodachi / ともだち

Aitakute aitakute / 会いたくて会いたくて

Written by Shigenori Kusunoki, Illustrated by Megu Yoshimura

Written by Shigeru Muroi, Illustrated by Yoshifumi Hasegawa

On a bright sunny day, a little boy of about Mizuki’s age moves

An official selection of the Japan School Library Association
40,000 copies sold in Japan

into the house next door. Mizuki walks by timidly and says hello.

Kei loves his grandmother and wishes they never had to be

When the boy responds with a strange hand gesture, Mizuki
Category: Picture Books
ISBN: 978-4-09-725141-5
Pages: 32 pages
Printing: Color

the nursing home where she lives. After several unsuccessful

the house. With an illustrated guide to simple one-word signs,

attempts to meet her, he finds a toilet paper core tied to a red

this book introduces young children to sign language.

Publication: March 2022
Age: 3+apart. One day he sneaks out after school and heads straight topulls a face that startles the boy and makes him run back into

Shigenori Kusunoki is a popular author of children’s books and a

Category: Picture Books

ISBN: 978-4-09-725096-8

string hanging from her window. He holds it against his ear, andas if by magic he can finally hear his grandmother’s voice.

lecturer. His bestselling books Okodademasen-yoni (I Hope I Don’t Get

Pages: 32 pages

Scolded) and Megane o kaketara (When She Put On Her Glasses) have

Publication: January 2021

Shigeru Muroi is an award-winning actress, as well as the author of

Rights Sold: Korean

many picture books. Yoshifumi Hasegawa made his debut as a picture

been translated into many languages. Megu Yoshimura is a Japanese

Printing: Color

Age: 3+illustrator, who won in 2019 the MOE Picture Booksellers’ Grand Prize forbook author in 2000. In 2008, he was awarded the Japan Picture Book

Mamezara-chan (The Bean Plate), written by Masumi Asano. For

Award and the Shogakukan Children’s Publishing Culture Award for Boku

Shogakukan she has illustrated a series of children’s books written by

ga ramen tabeteru toki (When I Eat Ramen).

Eiko Kadono.

64

CHILDREN’S BACKLIST

Category: Picture Books
ISBN: 978-4-09-726671-6
Pages: 40 pages
Printing: Color
Publication: October 2016

My First Orchestra

The Mischievous Architect

Hajimete no okesutora / はじめてのオーケストラ

Itazura no sukina kenchikuka / いたずらのすきなけんちくか

Written by Yutaka Sado, Illustrated by Koshiro Hata

Written by Tadao Ando, Illustrated by Koshiro Hata

A six-year-old girl has a conductor for a father. But what does a

Set in Nakanoshima Children’s Book Forest, the new library in

conductor do? What does “orchestra” mean? When the

Osaka Tadao Ando specifically dedicated to children, with floor-occasion finally arrives to attend her father’s concert, all theto-ceiling, outward-facing books. As two elementary school

family dresses up and heads to the concert hall. The hall ischildren are shown around by a mysterious man who looks very

brimming with musicians. As the stage goes dark and the girl’smuch like Mr. Ando, many questions surface. Why do you makefather takes the podium, the magic begins...The first picture

these buildings? What does an architect do? The guidebook by world-renowned conductor, Yutaka Sado.

thoughtfully responds.

Yutaka Sado graduated from the Kyoto City University of Arts andstudied under the late Leonard Bernstein and Seiji Ozawa, among
others. Guest conductor of many prestigious orchestras in Europe,

Rights Sold: Chinese (Simplified), French, Korean

including the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, in September 2015 he was

Age: 6+appointed as Music Director of Austria’s Tonkünstler Orchestra. Koshiro

Category: Picture Books
ISBN: 978-4-09-726842-0
Pages: 40 pages
Printing: Color
Publication: March 2019

Category: Picture Books
ISBN: 978-4-09-725056-2
Pages: 40 pages
Printing: Color
Publication: February 2020
Rights Sold: Chinese (Simplified), Chinese (Traditional),
KoreanAge: 6+

Tadao Ando is a self-taught architect, who at the age of twenty-eightestablished the Tadao Ando Architectural Institute. The Church of Light,
the Pulitzer Arts Foundation and the Chichu Art Museum are among his
most representative works. He was awarded numerous prizes, including
the AIJ Prize and the Pritzker Architecture Prize. Koshiro Hata is a

Hata is a picture book author, illustrator and book designer.

picture book author, a illustrator and book designer.

EarthyThe Space Department Store

Chikyu-chan / ちきゅうちゃん

Uchu hyakkaten / うちゅうひゃっかてん

Written by Shigesato Itoi, Illustrated by Q-raisMayu Kuroiwa

One day, a boy receives a strange gift from his father. His nameWelcome to the Space Department Store, where evenis Earthy and his round head looks just like planet Earth withscreaming children can’t hold back their laughter! Make yourself

oceans, mountains and people all peacefully living together on

comfortable and enjoy the best selection of goods andits surface. As days go by, the boy grows increasingly fond of

hospitality in the whole wide world. With a satisfied look on his

his new friend. When the boy wonders what he can do for

face, the director monitors from his office customers from

Earthy, a voice suddenly responds, “Why don’t you just love

different planets as they swarm in and out of the various

him?” Shigesato Itoi’s gentle but profound words remind us toCategory: Picture Books

show appreciation and love to the precious beings that

ISBN: 978-4-09-725115-6

surround us.

Printing: Color

Age: 3+

Shigesato Itoi is a copywriter, essayist, lyricist, and actor, but outside

Pages: 32 pages
Publication: July 2021
Age: 3+sections of his store. But does the entire universe express
happiness with a smile?
Mayu Kuroiwa is a contemporary artist whose works have been
exhibited in galleries throughout Japan, including the Tokyo Metropolitan

Japan he is best known as the game designer of Nintendo’s EarthBoundArt Museum and the Tokyo Metropolitan Theatre. In her first picture

series of games. Q-rais is a full-time freelance animator, cartoonist andbook, Uchu hyakkaten (The Space Department Store), she transposes

illustrator.

onto paper the bewitching atmosphere of her art installations.

65

CHILDREN’S BACKLIST

Category: Early Years

Fingertippy

Pokémon Island

Yubisashi-chan / ゆびさしちゃん

Pokémon no shima / ポケモンのしま

The Cabin Company

The Cabin Company

Fingertippy’s black and round face hides in unexpected corners

A young boy reaches Pokémon Island on his small boat. Asof the page. Point your finger and find her! The act of pointing

soon as the anchor is dropped, the boy and the Pokémon are

is an important developmental milestone for babies. With

best friends and enjoy their time together. They fly in the sky,playful and fun illustrations, this picture book encourages early

dig holes, take naps in the fields, and eat curry. All too soon the

shape and color recognition.

ISBN: 978-4-09-726752-2
Pages: 24 pages
Printing: Color
Publication: November 2017
Age: 0+Category: Picture Books
ISBN: 978-4-09-725058-6

The Cabin Company is the nickname of creative duo Kentaro Abe andSaki Yoshioka. They are active in a wide range of fields, mainly in theirhometown of Oita, including exhibitions, picture books, illustrations andPages: 36 pages
Printing: Color
Publication: March 2020

Age: 5+workshops in galleries and shops. They are currently working in a former

time comes to say goodbye, but the time spent together isnever to be forgotten. Don’t miss the breathtaking scene where
151 Pokémon appear. A picture book for Pokémon fans of allages.
The Cabin Company is the nickname of creative duo Kentaro Abe andelementary school, which they renovated into their studio.

Saki Yoshioka. They are active in a wide range of fields, mainly in theirhometown of Oita, including exhibitions, picture books, illustrations andworkshops in galleries and shops. They are currently working in a former
elementary school, which they renovated into their studio.

Category: Early Years
ISBN: 978-4-09-726774-4
Pages: 32 pages
Printing: Color

Hoo Hoo

Swoosh!

Hoho / ほーほーNyo-! / にょっ！

The Cabin Company

The Cabin Company

The owl goes “hoo hoo hooooo,” the frog “ribbit ribbit.” Babies

Beneath the surface of the beautiful sea, “swoosh” andwon’t be able to resist the colorful costumes and amusing

something appears. A silhouette is barely visible. “What is that?”

expressions of these cute animals, each emitting its own sound.

is the question posed asked at every page. This picture bookAs their eyesight develops, babies begin to respond to colors

with its question-and-answer format and creative ideas will flex

other than black and white. This new book by The Cabinthe muscles of your imagination.

Company with its rich and beautiful tints is sure to nurture yourbaby’s emotional development.

The Cabin Company is the nickname of creative duo Kentaro Abe andCategory: Picture Books

Publication: February 2018

ISBN: 978-4-09-726690-7

Age: 0+Pages: 34 pages

The Cabin Company is the nickname of creative duo Kentaro Abe andSaki Yoshioka. They are active in a wide range of fields, mainly in theirhometown of Oita, including exhibitions, picture books, illustrations andPrinting: Color
Publication: December 2016
Rights Sold: Chinese (Simplified)

Saki Yoshioka. They are active in a wide range of fields, mainly in theirhometown of Oita, including exhibitions, picture books, illustrations andworkshops in galleries and shops. They are currently working in a former
elementary school, which they renovated into their studio.

Age: 3+workshops in galleries and shops. They are currently working in a former
elementary school, which they renovated into their studio.

66

CHILDREN’S BACKLISTThe Animal Cracker Zoo

Touch and Feel Mazes

Okashi no dobutsuen / おかしのどうぶつえん

Sawaru meiro / さわるめいろ

Junko Murayama

Junko Murayama

Explore the paths of this deliciously intricate zoo by tracing the

Recommended by the International Board on Books for
Young People (IBBY)

embossed animal crackers with your fingertips. Elephants, lions,giraffes, zebras, rhinos, hippos and other irresistible animal-shaped

ISBN: 978-4-09-725195-8
Pages: 12 pages
Printing: Color
Publication: September 2021
Age: 3+

ISBN: 978-4-09-726497-2

crackers are lined up in clearly distinct sections and are easily

Pages: 12 pages

recognizable thanks to their different shapes. Published in

Publication: February 2013

collaboration with the Association for the Publication andCategory: Braille Picture Books

Category: Braille Picture Books

Printing: Color
Rights Sold: Chinese (Traditional), English, German
Age: 5+Dissemination of Braille Picture Books in Japan, Junko Murayama’s
unique tactile books with accordion-style binding can be enjoyed
together by blind, visually impaired and sighted children.
Junko Murayama became a book designer after graduating from the
Department of Visual Communication Design at Musashino Art University.

Touch and Feel Mazes 2
Sawaru meiro 2 / さわるめいろ２Junko Murayama

The award-winning three volumes of the Sawaru meiro (Touch and Feel
Mazes) series were her first braille picture books.

Category: Braille Picture Books
ISBN: 978-4-09-726575-7

Fish
Sakana / さかな

Pages: 12 pages
Printing: Color

Publication: January 2015
Rights Sold: Chinese (Simplified), Chinese (Traditional), German
Age: 5+

Junko Murayama
Discover amazing aquatic creatures with your fingertips. White
sharks, coelacanths, seahorses, flying fish and boxfish, more thantwenty species of marine fish are included in this new illustrated
tactile book by Junko Murayama. The surprising shape of bodies,
scales and thorns will blow you away. Published in collaboration
with the Association for the Publication and Dissemination of Braille
Category: Braille Picture Books
ISBN: 978-4-09-725101-9
Pages: 12 pages
Printing: Color
Publication: September 2021

Picture Books in Japan, Junko Murayama’s unique tactile books with

Touch and Feel Mazes 3
Sawaru meiro 3 / さわるめいろ３

Junko Murayama
Category: Braille Picture Books
ISBN: 978-4-09-725011-1

accordion-style binding can be enjoyed together by blind, visually

Pages: 12 pages

impaired and sighted children.

Publication: September 2019

Age: 3+

Printing: Color
Age: 5+

Junko Murayama became a book designer after graduating from the
Department of Visual Communication Design at Musashino Art University.
The award-winning three volumes of the Sawaru meiro (Touch and Feel
Mazes) series were her first braille picture books.

67

Shogakukan Inc.
2-3-1 Hitotsubashi, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 101-8001, Japanwww.shogakukan.co.jp
rights_inquiry@shogakukan.co.jp