BOOKS, LEARNING AND CULTURE
Book and culture marketing for Japanese titles in the UK
Publishers, authors and cultural organisations bring us in when a Japanese book or exhibition needs readers in the UK. We write the guides and reviews that explain it. Then we give our community of Japanese culture lovers a reason to act, often a giveaway of the book itself. Since 2021 that has ranged from Japanese crime fiction to Sneakers Unboxed at the Design Museum.
Japanese books in English, from crime fiction to wellbeing
Seijaku: Michael O'Mara Books, September 2026
We explained seijaku for readers new to the idea a week before Dr Miki Fujito's book came out, then reviewed it. A joint Instagram giveaway of five copies with Michael O'Mara Books drew 193 comments.
Pushkin Press: Japanese crime fiction, 2024
For Pushkin Vertigo's translations of Seishi Yokomizo, we wrote a three part series on Japanese crime fiction, starting with a beginner's guide to Yokomizo. Readers could win a set of his novels, including an early copy of The Little Sparrow Murders.
Rid of You: Amrit Birdi's graphic novel, 2024
Illustrator Amrit Birdi booked a feature to support the Kickstarter for his anime inspired graphic novel. We shared it on Twitter and Instagram using his artwork and sent it to our newsletter on 7 May 2024.
Design, culture and learning Japanese
Design Museum: Sneakers Unboxed, 2021
For the Design Museum's Sneakers Unboxed: Studio to Street exhibition we wrote a series of features on Japan's place in sneaker culture, from Onitsuka Tiger to Harajuku streetwear.
Kaizen Languages: Japanese learning app
Kaizen Languages is an app that teaches Japanese through conversation practice. Japan Nakama has written about how it works for readers learning the language.
Akita Inaka School: Japanese courses in rural Akita
Akita Inaka School teaches Japanese in the countryside of Akita Prefecture, with lessons in the morning and local activities afterwards. Japan Nakama has published several articles on the school.
“Many thanks for sharing the article. The team were very happy to read it.”
Rima Rashid, Senior Marketing Executive, Pushkin Press
Early copies and book giveaways
Can you review a book before publication?
Yes, when the publisher sends a proof or manuscript. Pushkin Press supplied manuscripts and proofs for our crime fiction series, and our Seijaku explainer went live a week before publication.
How do book giveaways work?
You supply the copies and we run the giveaway on Instagram or in our newsletter. Michael O'Mara Books ran the Seijaku giveaway as a joint post with us, and Pushkin Press sent the Yokomizo novels straight to our winner.
Do you work with authors and crowdfunding campaigns?
Yes. Amrit Birdi booked a feature to support the Kickstarter for his graphic novel Rid of You, and we covered Philip Arneill's photobook Tokyo Jazz Joints during its Kickstarter.