#Japanese book

[heaveninawildflower]

'The Snow Woman' (1922) from the book 'Dai Chikamatsu Zenshû' by Uemura Shôen (Japanese, 1875–1949).

Woodblock print. Blockcutter: Yamagishi Kazue (Japanese, 1891–1984). Printer: Nishimura Kumakichi (Japanese, active 1920s).

Image and text information courtesy MFA Boston.

[kumabenkyou]

Scanned book : にほんちずえほん (Japan illustrated map)

A book for kids about Japan geography, each page is dedicated to a prefecture and everything is written with hiragana and pictures help a lot to understand words. Sentences are also easy to understand and are adapted for N5 learning people.

It's also a good resource if you want to learn more about japan prefectures, cities and local facts.

I will scan and post pages, with their translation and vocabulary.

I choose Narita prefecture as a 1st page because it's a main access to Japan as a foreigner with the なりたくうこう (Narita Airport) :)

Each page of the book has always the same presentation with the name of the prefecture (けん), the number of inhabitants (じんこう) and the area (めんせき).

しょうゆ : soy sauce

ちばし : Chiba city

なりたこくさいくうこう (Narita International Airport)

なりたしにあるよ。ここからたくさんのひこうきががいこくやこくないをいったりきたりするよ。

It's in the city of Narita. From here, many planes leave and arrive from foreign countries or the interior of Japan.

らっかせい : peanuts

Please feel free to download and use this scanned content for you! Have fun reading!

[jareckiworld]

Setsu Asakura (1922-2014) "Switchyo Cat" Japanese Picture Book, 1971.

[redsamuraiii]

Strange Tales From Japan : 99 Chilling Stories of Yokai, Ghosts, Demons and the Supernatural

I like how to book starts with the author storytelling how his hiking and pilgrimage experience in the countryside of Japan lead him into writing this book.

Hearing tales from the locals sparks his interest and curiosity into knowing more about them as he discovers that each prefecture has its own unique tales.

So he began curating and translating various stories he heard and documents he acquired, consolidating them into 99 short stories, complete with illustrations and paintings.

What’s unique and interesting about Japanese folktales is that the ghosts are like humans. Some are good, some are bad. The problem is knowing which is which.

So the stories have a mix of variety. Some are tragic that it breaks your heart, some are funny or wholesome that it makes you smile, some are terrifying that it freaks you out.

Despite of how the stories are categorised based on its genre, I still can’t tell how each story goes and how it will end until i finish each chapter. The outcome is always unexpected.

Sometimes it’s good, with a happy or satisfying ending. Sometimes it’s bad, with a sad ending. Sometimes it even end with a cliffhanger leaving you to your own conclusion.

But nonetheless, it’s an enjoyable read as it also provides insight into the unique culture of each prefecture in Japan, making you understand why some customs are that way.

I feel like a Ronin traveling across Japan reading this, with each chapter taking me to a different town, with different characters, ghosts and stories as I try to figure out what’s going on.

If you feel like reading something thrilling and unexpected, going on misadventures, this is for you. Don’t worry, nothing in this book is more terrifying than toxic people. 🤭

[kimosaka]

Japanese Folding Book for BiDamas Art Gallery Book Project

[quoth-the-worm]

“But I wasn’t crying because I was sad. I guess I was crying because we had nowhere else to go, no choice but to go on living in this world. Crying because we had no other world to choose, and crying at everything before us, everything around us.”

― Mieko Kawakami, Heaven

[nostalgiahime]

Pokemon Gold & Silver Cartridge Stickers included on the first page of the Japanese strategy guide "Pokémon Gold and Silver Adventure Clear Guide" (1999) [✩]

[oldbrain]

忘れはやするミス・ニューヨカー（For ladies） 常盤新平 by Shinpei Tokiwa Japanese book that analyzes America and the women who lived in New York. - Published in 1977.

(Source)

[muramatsu-takehiko]

東京デザインセンター 33周年記念年譜 1992-2024 H297 × W192mm（本文＝H297 × W190mm）

[heaveninawildflower]

Wood block prints taken from 'The Insect Book' by Utamaro Kitagawa (1753?-1806).

Wikimedia.

[wildbeautifuldamned]

Kobunsha Kappa Comics Astro Boy #8 CGC SS 5.0 Sketch Mari Shimizu Rare 1964 ebay TM

[theinyshlobster]

butter by asako yuzuki [review]

read from august 6th - august 19th

review:

i really dont know how to explain *why* i enjoyed this book so much. all i know is that it made me cry and i had a good time and i didnt expect a book about food to do this to me. i think this book hit so hard as i did relate to rika quite a bit - daddy issues & perpetual feelings of loneliness? yeahhhh we're twinning. i really enjoyed how she was written, and could put myself in her shoes constantly. she was incredibly likeable and probably contributed to >90% of my enjoyment of reading this. side characters such as reiko & shinoi were also well-written, as was the star of this book, kajii.  i found kajii intriguing, as it was difficult to tell her underlying motives. just like rika, im sitting here contemplating the kajii beyond what she display(ed) to the public. truly fascinating character, and i especially liked her ending. and in general i loved this book's ending. felt like a nice full-circle. speaking of, not only did i not expect to love a book about food, but i really loved how the book centers itself on relationships. relationships in terms of friends, family, and lovers, were superbly covered in this book. ngl i think the ending regarding rika's relationships is what made me cry. idk i didnt expect it and it hit me Hard. what else did i like? i mean there really wasnt a plot if im honest. yeah sure we're following kajii & rika.... but there's no logical flow. there's no beginning, middle & end to this. it follows rika and honestly that was fascinating. seeing rika switch between admiring to fearing to resenting to loving kajii was great. honestly i think the no-plot only works because rika is written so well and is very relatable. without it, i think i would've dnf'd this a chapter in. i really like how the book lowkey changes halfway through. it was unexpected yet it felt realistic based on the setting and characters' presented. especially with reiko's chapter, i liked how the story turned into something else. now the real question is - why is this not a 5-star if i seemed to live laugh love everything? well im ngl but even though rika is so likeable so i said the no-plot wasnt an issue.... it kind of is. there's almost no resolution regarding the plot proposed to readers for the first half of this book. im not saying i needed a "where are they now" of kajii and a complete resolution - i understand it was likely written as ambiguous or not mentioned at all to fit rika's characterisation at the time. still, as a reader, i can't lie and say it didnt annoy me slightly. plus, as much as i loved the passages with rika & her foodgasms, after the first 4 paragraphs about how great butter is i was.... not bored? moreso it felt redundant. girl i know butter is orgasmic u said so literally 2 sentences ago. can we move on to the actual story staring me right in the eye. i mean i didnt hate the food chapters, but i didnt love them. they were... fine.  anyways im so serious after reading this ive had to contain myself from not going to the shops to buy a ridiculously expensive butter to see if rika is actually just a weirdo or if butter is *that* good. lock ur doors yall if you have butter in ur fridge the clobster is coming to yoink it all tonight 😈

[redsamuraiii]

When the book character went places you’ve been to recently. 🥹 懐かし! Natsukashi! (Nostalgic!)

Writer wasn’t kidding about Kyoto being cold to the bones. My gloves felt insufficient, I wore a mask to cover my nose from the freezing wind of the mountains (top right picture you can see the mountain at the center in the distance), had to wear layering, autumn in Japan was much colder than expected but I’m not complaining, I prefer freezing my hands off than sweating in my hot and humid country.

The atmosphere was very therapeutic at the temple and the Kamogawa river towards Demachiyagi was less crowded than the one near Gion. The river is popular among the locals who picnic, jog and cycle. Thinking about those places again makes me feel less hot. That’s why I love reading books that make me forget the present. It feels like I get to travel through the pages without leaving my home.

[liddopixie]

Rosen Blood (1) - Manga Review and My Thoughts *SPOILER FREE*

[quoth-the-worm]

“Because we’re always in pain, we know exactly what it means to hurt somebody else.”

― Mieko Kawakami, Heaven

[reading-marika]

"Le cose non si risolvono dicendo che sono inevitabili. A un certo punto bisogna capire quanto è sbagliato credere che si possa essere felici mettendo qualcuno in disparte."

Il Giovane Robot - Sakumoto Yosuke