I love the idea of Cool Ja-pon, a “book fair” happening now at the Yurindo bookstore in Akihabara. The fair is a collection of 100 Japanese titles that don’t require you to read Japanese, and are “about niche topics that nobody outside of Japan possibly has ever written.”
One criteria for the book selection is that the books “appeal to people who are interested in Japan and Japanese, foreign expats in Japan, and Japanese expats overseas.” Sounds broad, and it is, but isn’t that part of the fun?
Some titles I wish I could see in person?
Japanese Old Boombox Design Catalog – A collection of boombox designs from the 70s and 80s.
World Map for Laughs: Funniest place Names that Actually Exist (and sound funny in Japanese.)
Men Who Did It All by Themselves – A record of men who tried to recreate movies scenes by themselves. (How awesome does this one sound??)
Kimokawa-kun – A Photobook of gross-but-cute animals around the world. (What could possibly be in this book? I am somewhat desperate to fnd out!)
If you’re in the area, the fair runs through the 30th of June. Now, I only wish they would find a bookstore here to host the fair stateside. (Thanks to GaijinPot for the tip.)
