The third edition of Taiwan Book Fair in Japan yesterday began at Kinokuniya Books’ Shinjuku main store in Tokyo, with a focus on Taiwan’s culinary culture and a record participation of 36 bookstores.
The book fair is co-organized by the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office in Japan and Kinokuniya, the biggest Japanese chain bookstore, which is providing display space at its main store for the event free of charge.
The opening ceremony was attended by Taiwanese Representative to Japan Lee Yi-yang (李逸洋), Japanese Representative and Japan-ROC Diet Members’ Consultative Council Chairman Keiji Furuya, Japanese Representative and Liberal Democratic Party’s Youth Division Director Takako Suzuki, Kinokuniya chairman and president Masashi Takai, SNET Taiwan director and Otsuma Women’s University associate professor Miwako Akamatsu, and Japan-Taiwan Exchange Association General Affairs Director Mamiko Tanaka, who joined on behalf of the association’s president Yasuaki Tanizaki.
Photo: Lin Tsuei-yi, Taipei Times
Lee in his address thanked Furuya for facilitating the book fair and to Takai for his ongoing support and inclusion of more bookstores in the event every year.
The book fair symbolizes the Taiwan-Japan friendship, and Taiwanese food has been highly praised in Japan, Furuya told reporters after the ceremony.
He said he had received canned braised pork made in Taiwan, which was “very tasty” combined with rice, egg and onion, adding he hopes to help Taiwanese culinary delights gain greater acceptance in Japanese society.
Suzuki, who stayed at the book fair browsing guidebooks on Taiwan after the ceremony, said in her address that she hoped that Japanese people would learn more about Taiwan through the books and visit Taiwan to experience its food and culture.
Revolving around Taiwanese gourmet food, the book fair features 38 Japanese books about Taiwan’s culinary culture published from 2020 to this year, with genres ranging from fiction and essays, to guidebooks and recipes.
Experts and academics in different fields were also invited to write about Taiwanese food from their distinctive perspectives — such as gender, food ingredients, bento culture, night market culture, home cooking, culinary history and international relations — to walk readers through Taiwan’s food culture.
Additional reporting by CNA
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