Japan a hit in Chinese bookshops

[Mulboyne]

Photos: Danwei.org
Japan Times: Japan's books find strong favor in China, unlike its politics
Sino-Japanese ties may be at their lowest point since the two countries normalized diplomatic relations in 1972, but a Japan boom is still rocking the Chinese publishing world. Translations of Japanese literary works line the shelves of a Beijing bookshop earlier this month. Novels penned by Haruki Murakami are probably the most popular in China, with 31 of his books translated into Chinese..."The Chrysanthemum and the Sword," a book on Japanese culture written by U.S. cultural anthropologist Ruth Benedict, stayed on one Chinese newspaper's list of the top 10 academic volumes for more than 30 weeks last year...more...

[Mulboyne]

MOFA: Japan's Latent Cultural Power - by Professor Wang Min of Hosei University
...For people from the world of high-pitched Chinese, it is pleasant to encounter the quiet tones of the Japanese language, which conveys meaning with very little accent or intonation. Asked for their first impressions of Japan, Chinese tourists offer comments like this: "The noises of everyday life are low in volume, both out on the street and indoors. And Japanese conversation sounds like whispering." This is something that they realize only after experiencing it in person...