Books Kinokuniya, a Japanese bookstore chain founded in 1927, launched a permanent section in its Books Kinokuniya Tokyo on August 20 to showcase a variety of publications form Taiwan, which previously shared the shelves with ones from China, giving Taiwanese books a greater exposure in Japan.
Books Kinokuniya Tokyo manager Funaki Mikio (舟木幹男) said the purpose of the designated section, named "Taiwanese Books," is to provide Japanese people who are fond of Taiwan and Taiwanese living in Japan with recently published books from Taiwan.
After its launch on Aug. 20, "Taiwanese Books" has received responses that exceed his expectation, Funaki said, noting that illustration books are hot sellers. The manager said, while the Books Kinokuniya Tokyo will introduce more Taiwanese books to readers in Japan, he hopes that when the epidemic stabilizes, the bookstore can cooperate with the Taiwan Cultural Center in Tokyo to invite Taiwanese writers for book signing events and promotional activities.
Previously displayed in the corner of the Books Kinokuniya Tokyo, Taiwanese books are now taking the center stage for the first time, under the label "Taiwanese Books." The section offers a total of 3,000 books carefully selected by Books Kinokuniya's branches in Taiwan.
Directly imported from Taiwan, the bestselling books are of a variety of genres, including fiction, non-fiction, illustration, and children's book.
The Taiwan Cultural Center in Tokyo, a platform for the promotion of Taiwanese culture in Japan, said it has pro-actively promoted Taiwanese literature in Japan in recent years and has won over a lot of hearts of Japanese readers.
Riding on the rise of Taiwanese culture's popularity in Japan, the center strives to introduce Taiwan's creation to the East Asian country through establishing partnerships with major distribution channels in Japan, enhancing the international profile of Taiwan Brand.
While visiting the bookstore on August 24, Taiwan's representative to Japan Frank Hsieh (謝長廷) highlighted the significance of the section's establishment. With frequent exchanges between Taiwan and Japan, there are more and more Japanese who wish to gain knowledge of Taiwan's history and culture, he said.
This newly launched section, Hsieh noted, not only introduces Taiwan's diverse-themed books, but also helps enhance the depth and breadth of cultural ties between the two countries.
In addition to the Books Kinokuniya Tokyo that sells a collection of Taiwanese publications, Eslite Spectrum Corp., which runs the Eslite bookstore chain in Taiwan, opened its first outlet in Tokyo in 2019, offering Taiwanese and Japanese selected books and miscellaneous goods.