The Bookstore will be hosting an exhibition entitled Nihon no Ehon – Books from Japan with a selection of 50 illustrated children's books published over the last five years, all of them stories worth reading through images even for those who have not mastered Japanese ideograms. The exhibition, curated by Yukiko Hiromatsu and Yasuko Doi, has been organised by the Embassy of Japan in Italy and by the Japanese Board on Books for Young People (JBBY) to mark the 150th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Italy and Japan. The exhibition in the Bookstore will be accompanied by a full schedule of encounters and presentations.
In the Forum, visitors will be able to admire the original plates for the book Mukashi Mukashi. Once Upon a Time in Japan, a joint venture between the Štěpan Zavřel Foundation and Franco Cosimo Panini to mark the 35th edition of the exhibition entitled images of Fantasy in Sarmede.
Japanese illustrators – Susumu Fujimoto, Kotimi, Junko Nakamura and Satoe Tone – and Italian illustrators – Mara Cozzolino, Philip Giordano, Simone Rea and Valeria Petrone – have been asked to illustrate the finest traditional Japanese fairy tales, rewritten by Giusi Quarenghi.
A series of special events will enrich our journey exploring Japan, its legends and its rituals. Visitors will be able to decorate their own 'sensu' fan with Monica Monachesi, to learn about the Yōkai monsters and spirits with Ayami Moriizumi, and to discover the work "a pois" of the great artist Yayoi Kusama accompanied by the American illustrator Ellen Weinstein.
As always, our invitation is addressed to nursery schools during the week with an intercultural exploration of the world of fairy tales, and to families on Sundays with readings and workshops.
And lastly, the exhibition will offer an opportunity to build a special pathway with the girl students in the schools of Italian for migrants run by Asinitas and by the Biblioteca Guglielmo Marconi, ending with an encounter open to the public to discover the traditional fairy tales of different countries.