There are more Japanese books being made available in English every year. Still, only a small portion of them get translated.
Apr 17, 2023 • Subscribe
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10 Japanese Books in Translation to Read in 2025
Let’s think about less brain rot and more brain growth! Here are 10 Japanese books in translation for 2025 to add to your reading list.


Japanese “Cat Books”
Anyone who reads Japanese literature has surely noticed the overwhelming number of books about cats. It’s not just a phenomenon of fiction in translation—there are a lot of…
Books: Japanese Drinking
By Shelley Pallis. Masaaki Watanabe’s anime series Bartender is part of a long tradition of TV shows about smart loners who help others in secret. Its leading man…
Books: Japanese Cinema
By Jasper Sharp. There are many paths one might take through the vast and varied terrain of Japanese cinema. Peter Cowie’s addition to the ever-expanding range of publications…


Audiobooks of Japanese Literature in Translation
Kobo Abe The Woman in the DunesTranslated by E. Dale SaundersNarrated by Julian Cihi Hiro Arikawa The Traveling Cat ChroniclesTranslated by Philip GabrielNarrated by George Bladden Osamu Dazai…


Episode 178 – Get Out Of Everywhere
We look at some accidently plot relevant material as we meet some priestesses in episodes 45-46 of the Gintama anime. This episode was released earlier on our Patreon so be…


Japanese moviegoers getting left behind
This summer promises to be a exciting time for movie lovers, with a slew of big releases on the horizon. "The Avengers" has already kicked t...
Akudama Drive – I Feel Left Out
I know that a lot of people loved Akudama Drive. I was not one of those people. Let me tell you why and why I feel left out!
Books: Branding Japanese Food
By Jonathan Clements. In 2013, the Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe took the remarkable step of appearing on YouTube to talk about Japanese food. He was addressing the…


Balancing Japanese-English Translation
There are times when you need to know how to balance Japanese-English translation, especially when working in media translation.


Balancing Japanese-English Translation
There are times when you need to know how to balance Japanese-English translation, especially when working in media translation.


31 Days of Japanese Women in Translation
Just in time for August and Women in Translation Month, here’s a list of resources about Japanese women writers for listening and watching.
Books: Japanese Film and the Challenge of Video
By Jonathan Clements. Tom Mes’s new book begins in 2022 with Ryusuke Hamaguchi’s Drive My Car winning an Oscar, followed by a flood of gushing articles about how…


Japanese – English Translation Competitions 2023
A list of translation competitions for Japanese to English translators in 2023. I’ve also posted a list of articles at the bottom which should help! Japanese –…


Japanese – English Translation Competitions 2023
A list of translation competitions for Japanese to English translators in 2023. I’ve also posted a list of articles at the bottom which should help! Japanese –…
Japanese – English Translation Competitions 2021
It is a new year and a new round of translation competitions is upon us! At least I hope they will be! Last year was a bit of…


Japanese – English Translation Competitions 2022
A list of Japanese - English Translation Competitions 2022 including competitions for aspiring and published translators.
VG Pulse 294: Get out of my head!!!
This week on VG Pulse, we found Kas just in time for Christmas! We start off with sidenotes of Pokemon, before diving into the regular news, where we…


100+ Japanese Books under 200 Pages
Japanese literature excels at novellas and short fiction. RJL brings you a list of 100 Japanese books in translation under 200 pages, listed in alphabetical order by title.…


Books on Japanese Culture and Society
This past semester I taught a class on Japanese science fiction and fantasy, and I was surprised by how interested my students were in learning more about the…


“Get Out of My House” & The Power of Kate Bush
In which I admit that I like a song where Kate Bush brays like a mule.


SF! A Booklist of Japanese Science Fiction in Translation
Support RJL. Check out our Bookshop.org page. Anthologies The Best Japanese Science Fiction Stories ed. John Apostolou and Martin Greenberg The Future is Japanese: Science Fiction Futures and…


A Summary of “The Routledge Course in Japanese Translation”
A summary of The Routledge Course in Japanese Translation by Yoko Hasegawa. Breaking down each chapter and the subjects they cover.
A Podcast in Which I Get Excited About Meganebu
Mr. Flawfinder has asked me (along with fellow blogger Lord Reiseng) to be a guest on the first episode of his series of “Anime That Everyone Disagrees With…


Japanese to English Translation Competitions 2025
List of Japanese to English Translation Competitions 2025 for aspiring and published literary translators.


Japanese Children’s Literature in English Translation
RJL’s booklists don’t include children’s literature, so here’s a list for your reference. Support RJL by buying through our links. Check out our Bookshop.org page. Middle Gr…


Japanese to English Translation Competitions 2024
A complete list of Japanese to English Translation Competitions 2024 for aspiring and published translators.


Japanese to English Translation Competitions 2024
A complete list of Japanese to English Translation Competitions 2024 for aspiring and published translators.


Can You Learn Translation from “The Routledge Course in Japanese Translation”?
Can you learn translation from "The Routledge Course in Japanese Translation"? How useful is this book for new and experienced translators?
4 Horror Manga I Can’t Get Out Of My Head
There’s nothing quite like a horror manga you can’t stop thinking about. Those scenes that replay in your mind as you try to fall asleep and questions that…
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[5 – Macross Plus] can’t get you out of my head
Koji Morimoto, a director of the abstract, makes an indelible mark on Shinichirō Watanabe’s Macross Plus. I’d already seen his work for the OVAs, but actually watching it…
4 Horror Manga I Can’t Get Out Of My Head
There’s nothing quite like a horror manga you can’t stop thinking about. Those scenes that replay in your mind as you try to fall asleep and questions that…


Can you still get Lost in Translation in Japan?
Can you still experience the feeling of being bamboozled by Japan? In other words — is it still possible to get Lost in Translation?


In Which The Newest Precure Shouts Out The Oldest
The latest entry in the Pretty Cure series, Delicious Party Precure, is now streaming in select markets on Crunchyroll. I gave it a look, and because I’m me,…
Human Versus Machine Japanese Translation Mini Battle
With the current news of manga tech start up Orange Inc getting over 19 million USD in funding for machine translated manga, we were natural...


Read Japanese Books with the Listening-Reading Method
Want to read Japanese books and novels? We outline a method to help get you started - and build your Japanese listening skills along the way.
20 Books in 2020 (Part IV) Japanese Literature
It’s getting closer and closer to the end now, but there’s still a little while to go. Thanks to my Kindle screen becoming a temperamental little nuisance (by…
20 Books in 2020 (Part V) Japanese Literature
So, here we are. After spending a whole year attempting the challenge to read 20 books’ worth of Japanese literature in 2020, the deadline is here.


10 Japanese Literature Books To Read This Halloween
In the spirit of spooky season, it’s time to delve into the mysterious, the unsettling and the downright terrifying.


The Best Japanese Shows To Get A Sense Of Tokyo
These Japanese web shows offer you a free tour of Tokyo! Experience life in the city without actually being there.


Japanese People Dip Out of Year-End Work Parties
Year-end work parties in Japan continue to lose steam, with a majority of people in one survey saying they won't attend one.


Japanese People Dip Out of Year-End Work Parties
Year-end work parties in Japan continue to lose steam, with a majority of people in one survey saying they won't attend one.


How Gender Bias Keeps Japanese Girls Out of STEM
Why are there so few women in STEM fields in Japan? Yuko Tamura argues that the bias starts before girls even turn seven.


Japanese YouTuber Says Harassment Drove Her Out of Hokkaido
An onsen YouTuber living in the country in Hokkaido, Japan says she had to flee the entire island after enduring severe sexual harassment.
Books: World of Ghibli
By Zoe Crombie. A gorgeously illustrated guide to stories, characters, and cultures of the films of the beloved studio, An Unofficial Guide to the World of Studio Ghibli…
Books: Holmes of Kyoto
By Jeannette Ng. Now also an anime, as the title aptly implies, Holmes of Kyoto by Mai Mochizuki began a light novel series about a pair of amateur…


Japanese Pitch Accent - Do You Get It?
Learn Japanese with Yuta: https://bit.ly/3hyXcYh Support me on Patreon: https://goo.gl/aiWNd5 Twitter: https://twitter.com/ThatYuta Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thatyuta/ Facebook: https://bit.ly/381qpHS Blog: http://www.yutaaoki.com/blog/
How to Japanese Podcast – S02E09 – Morgan Giles – Reading Japanese, Translation, MEXT Scholarship
Morgan Giles is a Japanese translator based in London. She’s translated a number of different writers, including Kanehara Hitomi, Furukawa Hideo, and the National Book Award-winning Tokyo Ueno…


Convention Stories: How a Cowboy Helped Us Get Out of a Mall
So this story takes place around Halloween of 2021 right after we attended both Anime Weekend Atlanta and Soda City Comic Con in the same weekend. Which was…


10 Japanese Literature Books For Your Autumn Reading List
If you're looking to add some spice to your autumn reading and wish you could travel to Japan this fall, let the pages of a book take you…