Today in Tokyo, the first copies of Noriko Ogawa’s translation of my book ‘Out of Silence’ roll off the press. The cover (see photo) is much the same as the British edition’s, but my name appears in Japanese, with Noriko’s name alongside it as translator.

I feel immensely grateful to Noriko for undertaking this huge and time-consuming task, and the only reason I don’t feel crushed with guilt about it is that it was her idea to do it, not mine! Translating the book has taken her over a year, and I’m just sad that because I don’t speak or read Japanese, I can’t enjoy her ingenious solutions to the many puzzles we discussed during the year. Her editor at Shunjusha, the publishing company, told me that Noriko had made ‘superhuman efforts’.  She is probably the only person who has read every single word of the book and considered the implications.

I haven’t yet seen a copy of the Japanese edition myself, but hope to have one in my hands soon. It contains at least twelve photos taken by me, an exciting upgrade to the British edition.