JAPAN: The world's biggest e-book expo opens in Tokyo showcasing animated art books, e-book vending machines and e-book rental and library businesses

Record ID: 463600

  • Title: JAPAN: The world's biggest e-book expo opens in Tokyo showcasing animated art books, e-book vending machines and e-book rental and library businesses
  • Date: 9th July 2011
  • Summary: STAFF OF RENTA! DEMONSTRATING HOW E-BOOK RENTAL WORKS FLIPPING THROUGH RENTED MANGA PAGES A BANNER READING 'TOKYO INTERNATIONAL BOOK FAIR' IN JAPANESE VISITORS WALKING AROUND TOKYO INTERNATIONAL BOOK FAIR A MAN PUTTING PAPER BOOK BACK INTO BOOK SHELF (SOUNDBITE) (Japanese) 30 YEAR OLD SELF-EMPLOYED MASAO HOSHIMIZU SAYING "It's so much easier to read 'paper books' while in bed or on a train, and compared to paper books, I think e-books have a long way to go." VISITOR READING REGULAR PAPER BOOKS
  • Embargoed: 24th July 2011 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Japan, Japan
  • Country: Japan
  • Topics: Business,Communications,Arts,Technology
  • Reuters ID: LVAY0OD46P1GQA39UEUXL1QZ4RK
  • Story Text: The world's largest e-book expo kicked off in Tokyo on Thursday (July 7) showcasing the future of e-books, e-book vending machines, and e-book rental service.
    It was also one of the fastest growing sections of the joint Tokyo International Book Fair and e-Book Expo Tokyo with over 150 e-book companies setting up booths this year, nearly doubling the number from 2010. More than 80,000 visitors are expected to visit this exhibition this year, according to the organisers.
    The 'Art Ehon' booth was one of the more popular booths which delivered children's books electronically to tablets and smartphones.
    Thanks to digital technology the illustrations in the books come alive and music flows from each page as you flip through them.
    Art Ehon's President, Tomoko Yamamoto says it's the multimedia aspect that has captured the public's imagination and made them popular especially with the younger readers.
    "It's not just pictures. By attaching music, for example, especially for this character called 'Clotaire' which changes into various characters, each character will stand out more with music," Yamamoto said.
    Her company is also looking beyond Japan's border.
    It is one of the first among the Japanese e-book publishers to publish e-books in four different languages; Japanese, Chinese, Korean, and English.
    Visitors to the booth were amazed that digitally books could be made so much cheaper than in print.
    "I was surprised at how cheap the price is. For the price of one picture book, I can download three e-books, so I was shocked," 33-year old Maki Suzuki said as she flipped through a copy of picture book that sold for 350 yen ($4.3 U.S. dollars).
    The International E-books Expo also showcased many new e-book business ideas.
    Vending machine manufacturer 'Glory' was one that joined the e-book boom, inventing one of the first e-book "vending machines" in Japan.
    While e-books can be bought anywhere and anytime, this vending machine allows people to buy e-books without resorting to online banking or transactions. Insert cash in the machine, and capturing the digital code data with your phone and you can download the latest e-novel.
    Some visitors see this replacing the airport or station books and magazines kiosk one day.
    "Frankly, I think this is a fantastic idea. I think it's a question of where you put the machine. Perhaps it will be really convenient to have it at the airport or at stations, " said office worker Moeko Iinuma (29).
    However why even buy a book, especially an e-book.
    Japan's Renta! service, by a company called Papyless Co. Ltd, has seen it's popularity grow since it started operations in 2007.
    With a collection of over 13,000 titles, "Renta!" allows users to borrow books for 100 yen ($1.2 U.S. dollars) for the first 48 hours. This service has been especially popular with readers of "manga" or Japanese comics who find the non-digital versions of the magazines, some of them over 100 pages long, too cumbersome to keep around the house.
    However not everyone is happy with the digital transition.
    "It's so much easier to read 'paper books' while in bed or on a train, and compared to paper books, I think e-books have a long way to go," said 30-year Masao Hoshimizu who was browsing through shelves of regular books on the other side of the exhibition hall at the Tokyo International Book Fair.
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