translations

I Used to be Lonesome

Short story by Kaori Fujino from the collection『ドレス』

Japanese Literature Publishing Project (JLPP)

8th International Translation Competition winner.

My Magic Dress

By Kayako Nishimaki

Coming from Do Re Mi Books in March 2027!

Wherever the little rabbit goes, her dress changes to match the scenery!

The Mole Construction Company:
The Squirrel Family's Treehouse

By Shingo Nagasaki

Coming from Do Re Mi Books this September!

When the Squirrel Family's treehouse is about to fall over, they hire the best construction company in town to set things straight! What else will these mighty moles and their vehicles build in the process?

I'll Draw My Own Pictures

By Ryoji Arai

Coming from Do Re Mi Books later this year!

A child begins to draw when suddenly everything on the page comes to life!

My Life With Thoroughbreds

By Ritsuko Naito

Compass Rose Editions, December 2025

Gorgeous photographs of some of Japan’s finest thoroughbreds ‘at home’ in Hokkaido, with essays by photographer Ritsuko Naito on her life and encounters with these magnificent horses.

What the Children Drew:
Art from Gaza and Tokyo

By Shiho Kikuchi and Amigos Koike

Compass Rose Editions, June 2025

Drawings by children who evacuated from Gaza to Egypt make a big impact on kids in Tokyo. Sixteen of those drawings appear here in full color, along with art and comments the kids in Tokyo created in return.

AWARDS:

A featured book at the JBBY exhibit at the 2026 Bologna Children's Book Fair!

Winner: iF Gold Award 2026

I Can Open It for You

By Shinsuke Yoshitake

Chronicle Books, 2023

A child dreams of his future, opening everything for

everyone, in this extravaganza of onomatopoeia.

“Cozy, droll, perfect.” ~Kirkus (starred review)
“…several spreads show bottles, tins, and packages opening one by one, accompanied by onomatopoeia rendered skillfully by translator Wilcut: “phssst” “shwoop” “shwifft.” ~Publisher’s Weekly (starred review)

The Arts and Ethics of Zen Temples

Ten magazine-sized volumes, one temple per issue. Explanations of the history, art, and architecture of each temple, with essays on Zen philosophy. Published in 2019 by Shogakukan.

currently pitching

Invisible Rules

Upper middle-grade novel by Itsuko Sato, published by Kadokawa Press in 2024.

Thirteen-year-old Yuki is hiding more and more of her true self to fit in. She gradually realizes her actions are not a response to peer pressure, but to rules she has set for herself, and she begins to free herself from them.

Contact me for full details, synopsis, and sample translation.

While I Was Eating Ramen

Picture book by Yoshifumi Hasegawa, published by Kyoku Gageki Co., Ltd.

What happens around the world as a boy in Japan eats ramen? Each page turn reveals a new child in a new place in a string of what-happens-next-door, next-next door, in the next town, in the next country, and beyond. First published in 2007 (reissued in Japanese in 2022), the depiction of what life is like for kids in many places, some of whom may suffer because of war or famine, is most timely.

Contact: Rico Komanoya at Compass Rose Editions, LLC