Sunmark Publishing Rights Highlights
and NEWS Mail--May 2019 Issue

On April 1st, around 11:30 a.m., we Japanese were carefully checking the TV, SNS, and other news websites. It was the day for the announcement of the name of the upcoming Imperial era after the current “Heisei” era. 

Crown Prince Naruhito is set to ascend to the throne on May 1st , taking over from his father, Emperor Akihito, and for this transition, we’ll change the name of the era. 

Our domestic news was filled with this topic for a while, and we were guessing what the next name would be. Even though we don’t use it for international purposes, it has real relevance in our daily lives since it’s used on items ranging from official documents and calendars to driver’s licenses to indicate the year.

The era name that was chosen was “Reiwa”. The government has translated the name as “beautiful harmony”, and we do hope it will be an era of beautiful harmony from May 1st!

If you have any questions or inquiries about this NEWS Mail, please contact Ms. Shino Kobayashi, Rights Manager (rights@sunmark.co.jp).

Topic of the Month

Before the Coffee Gets Cold in the world

The Before the Coffee Gets Cold series is selling well in Taiwan, owing to the Taiwanese publisher’s great love and support for the initial book. It became one of the bestselling fiction books of 2018 in Taiwan.

During this year’s Taipei International Book Fair held in February, author Toshikazu Kawaguchi was invited by the Taiwanese publisher to be a guest at the fair and also to conduct an author’s tour of bookstores in Taiwan. Many readers showed up for his events at both bookstores and the book fair and queued for his signature. He really enjoyed the trip and is hoping to be back again soon.

 

The UK English edition of Before the Coffee Gets Cold will be coming out as a result of our agreement with Picador, Pan MacMillan.  They haven’t announced its publishing schedule yet, but we’re hoping it will reach a lot of readers once it’s released.

Hot Titles

Prevent Bloating For Better Health

by Kenji Imanaka

978-4-7631-3730-2 0030

255 pages / January 2019 / 1,400 yen (w/o tax)

Retaining water is another cause of poor health!?
How to achieve a healthy, “well-drained” body!

Description

You gulp down a glass of water when you wake up. You gulp down a bottled water at work. You gulp down some water while chewing your food.

 

We drink water every day because we’ve all heard that water is good for our body.

 

In actuality, excessive moisture within the body is increasingly recognized as a trigger for various ailments like headaches, lower back pain, high blood pressure, diabetes, mouth ulcers, menstrual pain, obesity, anemia, infertility, pneumonia, cancer, glaucoma, and more.

 

So what can we do to keep our bodies healthy and free of illness?

The author, whose expertise in traditional Chinese medicine comes from studying 2,400 years of Chinese records and clinical research and having diagnosed over 4,000 patients, reveals a groundbreaking approach they won’t tell you about at hospitals.

From the table of contents

Chapter 1             Could the cause really be bloating?

Chapter 2             Easily assess how bloated you are

Chapter 3             Start habits that prevent bloating today

Chapter 4             10 minutes a day for instant results

Chapter 5             What hospitals don’t tell you about stomach health

Author:

Kenji Imanaka

Kenji Imanaka is a physician at a hospital in Xinyu, in China’s Jiangxi Province. He is the representative director of Dojin Koudai Healing Salon. He was born in Hyogo Prefecture in 1972. He grew interested in medicine after his mother passed away from cancer. He worked as an office employee for five years before retiring, and then studied abroad at Gannan Medical College in China’s Jiangxi Province. Under emeritus professor Kai, Imanaka witnessed patients recover from appendicitis, heart disease, and a coma without being prescribed medication. He later acquired a Chinese medicine certification at a hospital in China’s Jiangxi Province. He deals in treatment for rheumatism and hernias. He established Dojin Koudai Healing Salon in his hometown of Kobe in 2006. While providing chiropractic treatment, he is working diligently to develop medical technology best suited to patients’ needs, provides lectures for nurses, doctors and medical students, participates in joint research on shingles (Herpes zoster) with associate professors at Kobe University, gives special lectures at Kobe City College of Nursing as well as lectures all across the country relating to cancer treatment based on Chinese medicine. He started karate in his twenties, and later shifted his focus to the Seishin style of karate. He was at one time the champion of Hokkaido.

Gay Gynecologist

by Tomo Goda

978-4-7631-3668-8 0095

334 pages / March 2018 / 1,500 yen (w/o tax)

The first novel by the director of Being Born, the documentary film that moved over 900,000 people to tears. A story about life that will make you laugh and cry. The theme is living a life that’s best for you.

Description

Summary

 

The protagonist is Kei Tachibana (32), a gynecologist who lacks communication skills but who has a special ability to hear the voices of babies still in the womb. He got burnt out after a patient at her hospital committed suicide due to postpartum depression.

 

After some time, he decided to start over, and began working at a small clinic.There he meets a fun loving mix of people including a lesbian midwife and a gay, macho head clinician.

 

Taken aback by this unexpected environment, he faced his prejudice, overcame his trauma, and grew both as a person and as a doctor. It’s a story about life and family that will make you both laugh and cry.

 

Artwork and illustrations byYū Suzunoki (Author of the Kōnodori manga series)

 

Praise

“It felt like my soul was being wrapped in a warm blanket.”

  • Osamu Suzuki, TV writer

“It is easier to cry when someone holds you close and tells you that you’ve done well. If I had such a midwife, I know I’d be in good hands.

  • Yo Hitoto, singer-songwriter

“I want anyone who has struggled with loneliness, family, and identity to read this. Once you really appreciate diversity, happiness will spread all around you. That’s what this book teaches.

  • Mika Ahn, model

Author:

Tomo Goda

Tomo Goda was born in Tokyo in 1973. He graduated from the Chuo University law department. After working as an office employee for six years, he went to study film in Canada at age 29 to pursue his dream of becoming a film director. After returning to Japan, he produced TV documentaries and music videos, and established his own film production company, Indigo Films. His documentary Being Born, narrated by Takeshi Tsuruno, was released in 2010. The follow-up film Zutto Issho narrated by Kirin Kiki, was released in 2014. Total viewers of both films exceeded 900,000 people. His first novel, Gay Gynecologist, was published in 2019. The release of his new movie Can I quit being a mother? is also planned for 2019. He also authored Being Born: To Irreplaceable You (PHP) and I Chose to Be Birthed by You (Futami Shobo, co-author). With life and family as his common themes, Tomo Goda strives to “make heavy themes feel lighter.”