HI! I'M YUKI
I'm a translator and writer in my day-to-day life, but mostly, I consider myself to be a book nerd living in Tokyo.
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The idea for Book Nerd Tokyo struck when I moved from New York City to Tokyo eleven years ago now. I was spending so much time discovering and marveling over Tokyo's bookstores, I wondered if others might also be interested in the city's seemingly infinite literary offerings.
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Much of my own life story takes place in Los Angeles, the city I still consider to be home. I was born in Tokyo and moved to LA with my family when I was four, where I grew into an angsty American teenager for whom Japanese novels were a secret escape.
After graduating from a Southern California university and studying and working in Kyoto, Okinawa, and New York City in my 20s and early 30s, Tokyo called, and it was finally time to get to know the city where I was born. Time to get reacquainted with a place that feels both familiar and absolutely revelatory.
Professionally, I taught at the Okinawa Actors School in Okinawa in my 20s and early 30s, then moved to New York where I worked in film and television as a freelance writer, translator, interpreter, and local coordinator.
In 2020, I was in lockdown in LA with my parents when I learned about the Japanese Literature Publishing Project (JLPP) International Translation Competition, held each year by the Japanese government. Figuring I had very little to lose, I entered the contest, not knowing what I was in for. Thankfully, I was awarded a prize that helped to crack open some heavy-seeming doors.
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I grew up speaking and reading in English and Japanese, but only since moving to Tokyo have I felt an inkling of real understanding of Japanese culture. Books and bookstores have always been my way into a new city, and I started this site as a place to explore my in-betweenness, and reading through my fears and insecurities.
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I’m so glad you’re here.
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I post my book and bookstore findings over on Instagram at @booknerdtokyo - join me there if you would like more!