TOKYOOctober 10 (News On Japan) – Despite a general slump in the Japanese publishing industry, picture books featuring food are enjoying considerable success. At the 8th Miraiya Picture Book Awards, three of the top five books were about food.
A notable example is The Gyoza Has Gone Missing, a story about a boy imagining the whereabouts of a missing gyoza, which captured the imagination of readers.
Other popular titles include The Magical Exciting Rice Balls, in which the ingredients eagerly wait to become rice balls, and Will You Cut Me into Stir-Fried Vegetables?, a humorous story about a green pepper trying to avoid being chopped. These food-themed picture books are embraced by children and parents alike, and some help picky eaters develop a renewed interest in food. The creators behind these books, often self-taught or working in unique partnerships, continue to explore food themes, further increasing the genre’s popularity.
