Spreading Korean literature from the book town of Tokyo, Jinbocho, CHEKCCORI (For more information about CHEKCCORI , please see this article). Today, we have the pleasure of speaking with Shizuyo Sasaki, who handles publicity and promotion for CHEKCCORI and the publishing house CUON. We’ll be discussing CHEKCCORI and Korean culture.
Thank you for your time today. CHEKCCORI is operated by the publishing house CUON, but first, how did CUON come into existence?
Kim Seungbok established CUON in 2007. She majored in contemporary poetry at Seoul Institute of the Arts’ Creative Writing program, graduating in 1991. After graduation, she came to Japan and completed her studies at the Literature Department of Nihon University College of Art. From a young age, she loved books, and in Korea at that time, many Japanese magazines and books, such as Yoshimotobanana, were translated into Korean, and she enjoyed reading them. However, upon coming to Japan herself, she found that Korean books were not available in bookstores. Despite Korea having many good books and writers, her attempts to approach Japanese publishing houses yielded slow progress. In the midst of this, she decided to establish her own publishing house.
How did the publishing house create a bookstore?
Kim frequently invited Korean writers and organized events through CUON. Initially, they rented a place but wanted to have their own space to better connect with customers and Korean book writers.
In the early stages of CUON, I met Kim through my previous job as the chief editor of an online lifestyle magazine. I conducted interviews with various individuals related to Korean culture, and she was one of them. During the interview, I distinctly remember that she shared her vision for a bookstore at that time. Now, everything has come to fruition.
Yes, by the time when Kim decided to open CHEKCCORI , I had joined. I’ve always had a strong passion for Korean culture, especially its entertainment, and I wanted to be involved with something I truly love.
I personally love Korean entertainment as well, food, fashion, etc… These days, I feel that Korean culture has not just become a trend but has fully taken root. It seems to be deeply intertwined with the lives of many Japanese people. How do you see this change?
Well, when we started CHEKCCORI nine years ago, there were only about two shelves worth of novels translated into Japanese from other publishers. Now, there are enough books to fill this bookstore. The influence of K-pop and entertainment is remarkable, and Korean culture has permeated Japan to such an extent. In the literary world, when CHEKCCORI opened, Park Min-gyu’s ‘Castella,’ translated by Mariko Saito, won the first Japan Translation Award. From that momentum, scenes of globally renowned stars like BTS reading Korean books have been shared on social media. Korea is not a completely unfamiliar culture for Japanese people, and there are many familiar aspects. It’s both similar and different, offering a fascinating mix of discovery.
Yes, it is a very close culture, yet the differences make us want to know more about Korea. At last, please leave a comment for belongingJAPAN viewers, especially for those who have found books at CHEKCCORI that evoke memories of their home country.
Yes, here at CHEKCCORI many people are trying to learn about the great culture of Korea. Some love Korean books, while others aspire to become translators of Korean literature. It would be wonderful for you to see and discover new friends who share the same love and curiosity about your country. If you have a little time, we hope you can find us in Jinbocho.
Details:
Contact: View Website
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- Address: 3F, Sankodo Building, 1-7-3 Kanda Jinbocho, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo.
Business Hours: 12:00～20:00, 11:00～19:00 for Saturday. Closes on Sunday, Monday, bank holidays.
