Book covers to be distributed at a Taiwan book fair from December through February.
If you've ever bought a book in Japan in bunkobon size, you've probably been asked by bookstore staff whether you'd like a cover for it. Bunkobon are compact paperback books, roughly A6 size (105 × 148 mm / 4.1 × 5.8 in), commonly used for novels and literary works. In Japan, bookstores are creating eye-catching covers to counter the decline in physical book reading.
Milk Soap Book Covers
As part of a project celebrating Japan's Book Day on November 1, covers inspired by the iconic Cow Brand Milk Soap Red Box, created by Seiwado Bookstore in collaboration with Cow Brand Soap Kyoshinsha, was distributed in Taiwan for the first time. All 3,000 covers were claimed on the first day, prompting the store to distribute an additional 20,000 covers, including new designs, starting in December.
This is the third year Cow Brand Soap has run its Book Day book cover project. In 2025, customers purchasing bunkobon received one of two versions of a Red Box book cover and bookmark set. The project has grown steadily, with 748 bookstores across Japan participating and 10 Eslite Bookstore locations, one of Taiwan's leading chains, joining the initiative.
Book Size Issue
Seiwado Bookstore reached out to Eslite after noticing a rise in inbound visitors. "When I emailed their headquarters, they replied that they had already seen the project on social media and were eager to participate. I was really surprised," recalls third-generation owner Yasuhiro Konishi.
However, most books in Taiwan are A5 size, larger than Japanese bunkobon, so the covers did not fit. Although Eslite initially considered rolling out the project at all its stores, Konishi explains, "We were grateful for their collaboration, but asked them to start with just ten locations for now."
Rise of E-Books
Eslite's interest was sparked by a trend similar to Japan's: print book readership declining as e-books become more popular. Looking for ways to boost sales, the chain was drawn to Japan's Book Day and the story behind the project — Seiwado's collaborations with local companies for regional revitalization, and the fact that Konishi, who studied fine arts at university, designs the covers himself. "It seems they were interested in the whole background of the project," he says.
All 3,000 covers, 300 per participating Eslite store, were distributed on the first day. Many customers purchased bunkobon, which are relatively rare in Taiwan, and figures from the publishing industry expressed their appreciation. A Cow Brand Soap representative notes that the brand has been sold in Taiwanese supermarkets and drugstores for about 30 years, suggesting that its name recognition also helped spark interest.
Eslite has requested to distribute covers again during a book fair running from December through February. Seiwado plans to send 20,000 resized covers featuring other motifs, including beer, waffles, and cream soda, to fit local book sizes.
Creative Souvenirs
Seiwado offers around 70 specially designed book covers, mostly for paperbacks, attracting visitors from all over Japan. Women in their 20s to 40s form the core customer base. "Customers traveling from far away often buy a lot of books since they have made the trip," says Konishi. As a result, paperback sales have surged.
Visitors from Taiwan, Hong Kong, and South Korea come to Seiwado regularly, and many of them bring the covers back home as souvenirs. Konishi notes that the tradition of offering book covers at bookstores isn't common overseas.
With Eslite's participation, book covers could become more widespread in Taiwan. Looking ahead, Konishi hopes to collaborate with local creators to design covers featuring Taiwanese motifs, such as night market neon signs or pineapple cakes.
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(Read the article in Japanese.)
Author: Hiroko Kitamura, The Sankei Shimbun
