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Japanese Picture Books

I was walking through the kid’s section of the bookstore the other day when this beauty caught my eye:

PB tengoku

 

 

How absolutely awesome, I thought. It’s a picture book about paradise, or Buddhist heaven.

 

Hey, wait. If they have a book about gokuraku“-極楽,  they surely must have a book about…

 

And they did!

PB jigoku

 

Hell!!

There it is. A picture book about Buddhist jigoku-地獄.

So cool. So cool.

But the fun doesn’t stop there. It wasn’t two days later when I was browsing the library that this lovely piece of work stopped me in my tracks.

PB oshiri

BUTTS!

An entire picture book on animal butts. And if my guess is correct, will probably end with a nice pink human one!

(No, really. I need to go back and thumb through that one. Just for curiosity’s sake.)

Okay, okay, but really,  it doesn’t end there (or maybe it *does* end there).

Alas, no Japanese bookstore or library is complete without a book about…

PB Unko

 

Hold on. It’s better than that. It’s not a book about poop. It’s an entire set of (karuta) cards on the subject.

Unko Karuta.

Screenshot 2015-05-02 08.54.56

 

I’ll let that haunt your thoughts for awhile…

 

2 responses to “Japanese Picture Books”

  1. Mitch the Masquerading Minister Avatar

    Just when I think this country can’t surprise me anymore, you go and find a book of animal asses! Brilliant!

    1. Thersa Matsuura Avatar
      Thersa Matsuura

      The panda page was something to be adored. #sofurry

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