Picture-Book Series

Idea Institute’s annual picture-book project, which we began in 1997, is now in its twenty-fifth year.

Following last year’s topic of “Japan’s micro-seasons,” the theme of this year’s picture book, the second installment in our “linguistics series,” is yamato-kotoba, the indigenous words of the Japanese language. Sixteen yamato-kotoba phrases rooted in Japanese everyday life, both past and present, are introduced in chronological order from morning to night and accompanied by illustrations.

In 2020, our lives were transformed by the COVID-19 pandemic. I hope that this picture book will provide you with a brief respite from the daily stress that you are undoubtedly facing.

In addition to Japanese, the book’s content is also presented in English, French, and Chinese (Simplified).