4 Picture Books I Read as an Adult, and a Wonderful Bookstore in Kyoto
Nice to meet you. On a personal note,
I studied in the Faculty of Letters during university.
Despite that, from my student days until I started working,
I hardly read any books (in fact, I wasn't good at it),
and it was only recently that I discovered the joy of reading.
Even so, I have always loved picture books.
Recently, the term "picture books for adults" has become common,
but regardless of whether they are for adults or children,
the language in picture books is gentle, the illustrations are kind,
and I feel like they can make you feel warm inside when you read them.
This time, I have selected and compiled 4 picture books
that I read after becoming an adult.
I have also included a wonderful bookstore in Kyoto as a bonus,
which was the catalyst for me realizing the beauty of picture books.
◌ 4 Picture Books I Read as an Adult
"The Shape of Words"
This is a story that imagines what it would be like if words had shapes.
Words cannot be seen with the eyes, but
they can hurt others,
or they can gently embrace them.
I feel that the power words hold is truly immense.
Precisely because they are invisible, I want to try my best to imagine
and become able to choose my words carefully.
The illustrations are also wonderful.
It is a short picture book, but I want to keep it on hand
and look back at it from time to time.
"Lost in Translation: An Illustrated Compendium of Untranslatable Words"
A book that collects words unique to specific countries that cannot be expressed in a single word in other languages.
Recently, the Danish word "hygge" has become well-known,
but I think you can sense the culture and
the mindset of a country through words that exist only there.
The fact that it started as a single blog post
is also a wonderful episode about this book.
The other day, I watched a movie my husband highly praised called
PERFECT DAYSand in it, the word "
Komorebi" appeared,which suddenly reminded me of this book.
The director of PERFECT DAYS is from overseas, but
I feel a sense of happiness that they picked up on a Japanese word.
Also, there is another book translated by the same Mayumi Maeda called
"Beautiful Words from Around the World to Find the Key to Happiness"
.
This is unrelated to the book's content, but
when I was in junior high school, there was a time
I wanted to become a picture book translator.
That dream naturally faded away, but
even now, I often think that I want to be able to weave
warm sentences like those found in picture books.
"The Book of Many, Many Families"
There are many forms of family.
This is a book I want to read to my children in the future.
I first learned about this book through an interview article with ryuchell and peco.
They said they talked about the forms of family while showing this book to their child.
There is also another book in the same series called "
The Book of Many Different Bodies".
I have lived with a slightly unusual family and have a physical disability due to illness (
reference), but I believe that diversity starts with knowing.If I have children in the future, I want to read this book with them.
"My Nyanta"
This is a sudden change of pace, haha, but I love cats.
Is there a meaning to this book, or is there not?
It's a mysterious story, and my impression after finishing it was "surreal."
But somehow, reading it makes me feel warm and fuzzy.
Also, the illustrations are loose and cute.
When reading books as an adult, we tend to focus on gaining some kind of lesson,
but I think it's also a very important experience to just set aside such difficult things
and be healed by a simple, interesting story or cute pictures...!
After all, being an adult can be tiring in many ways.
That concludes the picture books I'm glad I read!
Finally, I'll list the wonderful bookstore in Kyoto where I encountered these picture books.
Bonus... A wonderful bookstore in Kyoto
• Small Picture Book Museum Cafe Hibikikan
Visiting this shop was what made me think that picture books are wonderful.
*Unfortunately, it is currently closed for a long term, but it seems they still hold reading events.
It is a space overflowing with the owner's passion for picture books,
where you can relax and pick up a picture book while enjoying delicious sweets and drinks.
(The books I introduced this time, such as "The Shape of Words" and "The Untranslatable Words of the World," are also books I encountered here.)
I heard that this place was modeled after the Azumino Picture Book Museum, which was originally in Nagano,
so I couldn't help but travel to Azumino myself.
The Azumino Picture Book Museum has since closed, but I was glad to be able to enjoy other places related to picture books in Azumino, such as the Chihiro Art Museum.
• Keibunsha
This is a famous bookstore in Kyoto.
I also encountered "My Nyanta," which I introduced earlier, at this Keibunsha.
I also read a work that features Keibunsha.
("Kyoto Ichijoji: In a Town with Beautiful Bookstores")
It is a mystery, but there are many heartwarming stories.
I think it becomes even more interesting if you read it while knowing Keibunsha and the city of Kyoto.
Conclusion
In this post, I introduced 4 picture books I read as an adult and 2 wonderful bookstores in Kyoto.
Actually, there are many, many more wonderful shops and book cafes in Kyoto,
but I couldn't introduce them all this time...!
I would like to compile them into another article.
As an aside, in the aforementioned "Boku no Nyanta,"
my favorite is "Banyanya," and I was kind of happy to see someone on Amazon reviews who felt the exact same way lol.
If you have read it, please try to find your favorite Nyanta ◯
Well then, thank you for reading this far *