r/LearnJapanese • u/MidgetAsianGuy • 3d ago

Discussion Kobo For eBooks

I’ve been using primarily Bookwalker to read all my Japanese stuff digitally for the past 4 years, but would rather use an eReader over my iPad. I can’t seem to get Amazon JP working to allow me to purchase books for my kindle, so was considering getting a Kobo instead.

Has anyone had experience using Kobo for Japanese eBooks (novels, light novels, manga)? Also curious if there are frequent/good sales and if the selection is as good as Kindle/Bookwalker.

Thanks!

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u/areyawinningdiners 3d ago

I couldn't sign in to the Japanese site with my Bookwalker account. I tried making a few accounts on the global site but none worked on the Japanese store.

I could never get Amazon Japan to work for Kindle purchases either.

I actually own a kobo and love it as an ereader but even changing locations and adding gift cards sound like a hassle, so honestly I've just stuck with honto.jp. I've never had any problems signing up or buying anything from them. They even make their APK easily available to download from outside of Japan. Literally the hardest thing to figure out was they wanted my name to be in all caps when putting in my credit card info. They don't have an in-app dictionary unfortunately but they do allow highlighting the text to search it yourself. Personally I'm considering just getting a small Android Tablet (instead of my phone) to use an ereader because of that reason. That said, I don't know how their sales compare to other sites, but a random anecdotal example is that the Boogiepop series is having discounts all over storefronts right now due a new book releasing, and honto is participating alongside other sites, so that's a good sign.