My book ‘Out of Silence’, in the Japanese translation by Noriko Ogawa, has just been chosen by ‘Chopin’ magazine in Japan as one of the best books of 2012.

It’s been such a pleasure to correspond with my various Japanese editors and readers, some of whom have sent me beautiful photos of Japan in various seasons. I always enjoy the meticulous commentary which accompanies the photographs – giving me the botanical names of flowers and trees, for example, or the history of the garden or park.

Who would have thought that Japanese would be the first language into which the book would be translated? I had imagined it might a European language, if anything. It was all Noriko’s doing, of course. Thanks to her determination to see the project through to publication, I’ve had a lovely time communicating with Japanese readers, pianists and other musicians this year.