First Paperback Edition of Best-Seller by Uno Chiyo, Model for NHK Morning Drama 'Blossom'! 'Happiness Life Straight Ahead' Released (June 10)

Obi photo provided by: Setagaya Literature Museum

Daiwa Shobo Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo; President: Tetsu Daiwa) will publish 'Happiness Life Straight Ahead' (by Uno Chiyo) on June 10, 2026.

There was a woman who made her own flowers bloom so freely!

Who is Uno Chiyo, the model for the protagonist of the second half of the 2026 NHK serial TV novel 'Blossom'?

Married four times, divorced four times. Loving, working, and being stylish - Uno Chiyo's straightforward and stylish way of life shines brilliantly even in the Reiwa era! This book reveals her happiness-bringing lifestyle and the secrets to making life's flowers bloom fully. A bestseller from 40 years ago is now newly edited and released as a paperback for the first time!

We confuse unhappiness with happiness, and when one misfortune occurs, we paint everything over with that misfortune. It is true that having no hands is a misfortune. But should we paint over our entire life with that misfortune? - From the text

Nenriki (willpower) is the power to earnestly wish to become what you want to be, and to become it. With this nenriki, you can influence your own mind, and by the same procedure, you can influence others' minds. - From the text

First, I adopt an attitude of not running away from painful things. I move my body toward the painful thing, push forward. Charge forward. Then, interestingly, the painful thing ceases to be so painful. Even things that seem unbearable become less so, which is interesting. - From the text

When I think 'I'm in trouble, I'm stuck,' I somehow slip through. Devising a way to slip through is enjoyable. That devising is my raison d'être. - From the text

Includes commentary by brain scientist Nobuko Nakano!

This book 'Happiness Life Straight Ahead' can be said to be a crystallization of Uno Chiyo's brightness. In brain science or psychological terms, she skillfully mastered positive bias and reframing, which ordinary people might be swayed by, and lived happily and beautifully even under difficult or unfavorable conditions. - From the commentary

*This book is a paperback edition of 'Happiness Life Straight Ahead' originally published by our company in 1980.

Table of Contents

Chapter 1: 'Beauty' is Enjoyable

Chapter 2: Don't Run Away from Painful Things

Chapter 3: What I Thought at That Time

Chapter 4: I Am Happy Now

Chapter 5: Even I Am Amazed at Myself

Author Biography

Uno Chiyo (1897–1996) was born in Iwakuni Town, Kuga District, Yamaguchi Prefecture (now Iwakuni City) in 1897. A pioneer of female writers. Action was her way of living. Married four times, divorced four times, a woman of many loves, but always sincere in her literary approach, living a tumultuous life. She founded Japan's first fashion magazine 'Style' and also worked as a kimono designer.

Her pioneering books on happy lifestyles for energetic and wonderful women became successive bestsellers, sparking an Uno Chiyo boom. In 1990, she was recognized as a Person of Cultural Merit. Major works include novels 'Irozange', 'Ohan', 'Sasu', 'Usuzumi no Sakura', essays 'Ikite Iku Watashi', 'Koufuku wa Koufuku wo Yobu', and a mook 'Uno Chiyo Onna no Isshou', among many others. She passed away in 1996 at the age of 98.

Book Details

Title: Happiness Life Straight Ahead

Author: Uno Chiyo

Release Date: June 10, 2026

Format: Paperback (bunko)

Pages: 224 pages

Price: 990 yen (tax included)

Publisher: Daiwa Shobo Co., Ltd. https://www.daiwashobo.co.jp