Are you looking for Japanese language books to improve your Japanese reading skills? Find out how you can read or buy Korean books online from Europe.
In recent years I have collected quite a few books to practice reading Japanese using “real” language instead of textbooks. In Europe you can’t just buy these books in a shop and in many online webshops you can search for a long time without finding what you’re looking for.
Still, I found some good websites where I could buy my Japanese language books. I also started reading (samples of) Japanese books and manga for free online.
English translations of Japanese books (literature) can often be found at Amazon. In my post about the best Japanese books you can read more about the best translated books.
1) Verasia
Verasia is a Spain-based online store that sells a variety of books you can use to learn the Japanese language. They have textbooks from many brands, study materials for the JLPT tests, and also sell manga and Japanese literature. What I like about the product pages is that they often mention whether a book has furigana and which JLPT level it is suitable for.
Because it is not a Japanese online store, the selection is limited. But if you’re not too picky, you can find what you need. They regularly add new books to their webshop.
Pros
- Low shipping costs (shipping three books from Spain to the Netherlands cost me 3.20 euros).
- VAT is included
- Fast delivery (few business days)
Cons
- Offers a selection of books
- Some books listed on the site are sold out
- The prices of the books are higher than in a Japanese store, but if you include the shipping costs of a book ordered directly from Japan, the total sum is about the same.
2) Japanese Amazon
Amazon.co.jp has it all. Every Japanese language book you can think of, ranging from textbooks and literature to materials for Japanese children or JLPT test takers. Although the website’s navigation can be set up in English, you’ll have to use Japanese keywords to find what you’re looking for. No worries: if you know the Japanese words for grammar, vocabulary and Kanji, you can start your search in the right direction. Just click on a search result and then see what other customers are also buying or viewing. Another tip: search on Google for the Kanji for an author’s name and use that for your search.
Pros
- Gigantic offer
- Low prices
- Amazon already withholds VAT, so you won’t be charged custom clearance fees in your home country
Cons
- High shipping costs, so make sure to combine orders
- Shipping takes a bit longer than with Verasia, but it’s still pretty quick
3) Book Walker
Book Walker is an online bookseller of Japanese ebooks and digital manga. Their digital offering is quite large and what’s best: you can try out the books and manga before you buy them. Sometimes the sample is as long as fifty pages. This is ideal if you want to see if an edition uses furigana and if your reading skills are up to par with the difficulty of a book. If you want to save money, you could start practicing your Japanese reading skills by reading only these samples. Every now and then you can also get a manga volume for free. After you buy a book, you can read it in the Book Walker app.
To sign up: click on the green button marked ‘無料会員登録’ in the upper right corner of the webshop. You can then change the navigation language from Japanese to English and complete your registration in English.
Book Walker also has an English webshop where they sell English translations of Japanese books.
Pros
- Good offer
- Sample books before you buy
- Instant reading
Cons
- Digital books only
4) CDJapan
CDJapan is a Japanese online store that ships internationally from Japan. Their selection is good and you can also use their proxy shopping option if you can’t find what you are looking for. Since they ship from Japan, the shipping costs are quite high, although the airmail option with an estimated delivery time of two weeks maximum is not so bad. Just combine your purchases in one larger order.
Pros
- Good offer
- Can search in English
Cons
- High shipping costs
- No VAT is withheld yet, so you will have to pay VAT and import duties when you receive your package. However, CDJapan is in the process of setting up a Onestop Shop system that will allow them to withhold VAT on their end, making them a better option for European customers. Until this system is in place, I will not be buying anything else there. At the time of writing this blog post, CDJapan estimates that the system will be in place in March 2022. So hopefully it will be there soon.
5) European Amazon
Your local (or slightly less local) Amazon is a good option for buying Japanese textbooks. Shipping is fast and shipping costs are low or non-existent. If you are looking for literature or manga in Japanese, your local Amazon is not such a good option. They sell some bilingual books and Japanese editions of very popular books, but the selection is limited. Try searching for ‘Japanese edition’.
Pros
- No or low shipping costs
- Fast delivery
Cons
- Limited selection
