Japan Culture Navi 日本語

Tuesday, October 27 (archive)

Today in Japan

Watercolor of readers browsing used-book carts in autumn Jinbocho, an open book and paper-covered books, ginkgo and maple leaves, grilled autumn salmon and salmon roe

What day is it?

  1. 2005年制定Reading and Print Culture Day文字・活字文化の日

    This day comes from a law passed in 2005 to encourage reading and to support books, newspapers and other printed words. The law itself says that October 27th is the day for it. It's also the first day of Reading Week, so libraries and bookstores often hold events around this time.

  2. 1947年開始Reading Week (October 27th to November 9th)読書週間（10月27日〜11月9日）

    Reading Week is a two-week campaign from October 27th to November 9th, with Culture Day on November 3rd near the middle. It began in 1947, and 2026 marks its 80th year. It's run by a national group that promotes reading, and libraries, bookstores and schools across Japan join in. In Japanese, autumn is often called "the season for reading."

  3. Kanda Used Book Festival (October 23rd to November 1st)神田古本まつり（10月23日〜11月1日）

    In Jinbocho, Tokyo's town of secondhand bookstores, the Kanda Used Book Festival runs from October 23rd to November 1st in 2026. This is the 66th festival. More than 100 carts of books line the sidewalk, making what the booksellers call a 500-meter "corridor of books." People come to dig for cheap paperbacks, old maps and rare finds.

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If someone asks you

Q

Why do so many people on the train have paper covers on their books?

A

That's a free paper cover from the bookstore. When you buy a book in Japan, the cashier usually asks if you want one. It keeps the book clean in your bag, and it also means the people around you can't see what you're reading. Trains here can be very crowded, so a lot of people like that bit of privacy.

In season Autumn salmon 秋鮭（あきさけ） Akisake, or autumn salmon, are chum salmon caught in autumn as they swim back toward the rivers where they were born. Most of the catch comes from Hokkaido. Grilled salted salmon is a classic Japanese breakfast, and the salmon roe called ikura is also at its best in this season.
Micro-season 52 of 72 霜始降しもはじめてふる First Frost Falls The first frost of the year appears in the mountains and on northern fields. Farmers race to bring in what is left before it hits the crops.

Phrase of the day

This book opens from the right, not the left.

Sentence of the day

October 27th is Reading and Print Culture Day, and it's also the first day of Reading Week, which runs until November 9th. In Tokyo's Jinbocho, the Kanda Used Book Festival is filling the sidewalks with books.

Related topics

Sources

Earlier days