Yumiko Tsukuda, 45, is the founder of Anika Co. Ltd., a publishing house in Tokyo, that prints books about the town and residents of Tsukuda on Tsukishima Island. Originally from Chiba, Yumiko moved to Tsukuda in 1998, partly because the town shares her last name but also because she fell in love with the area. Tsukuda is a unique part of central Tokyo famous for its mix of historic wooden buildings and skyscrapers. It is also known for its "monja street," where around 60 restaurants serve monjayaki and okonomiyaki, delicious Japanese-style pancakes that are grilled at the guests' tables. Yumiko is a self-taught publisher and has documented her struggles learning the ropes in an amusing book titled "Japan's Smallest Publisher." Since 2002, she has published 16 books, including her hit "Emergency Book," which advises victims on how to deal with life after a disaster. Her success as a one-woman operation on one of Japan's tiniest islands shows that when loved, independently published books and small neighborhoods can survive.
Print publishing will never disappear. People will never stop enjoying curling up on a sofa or relaxing on the beach with a good book. The beauty of a book is how it feels in the hand and what it looks like. When you put an open one down, it's like a floppy rooftop and it can even move on its own as if it were alive!
I am an accidental publisher and a happy one. Seven years ago my friend was writing a book and the publishing house he had a contract with went under. He asked me if I would publish it. I said yes, although I had no idea how to do it. Lucky I pulled it off, because I discovered that I love creating books.