Harada Munenori's 'A Collection of Travel Short Stories: Spring and Summer' (Kadokawa Bunko) Wins 'Super Discovery Book!' in the 2026 Bookstore Grand Prize 'Discovery Section'!!
Harada Munenori's short story collection 'A Collection of Travel Short Stories: Spring and Summer' has been awarded 'Super Discovery Book!' in the 2026 Bookstore Grand Prize 'Discovery Section'. This award celebrates books that endure across time or remain interesting to reread, with a sequel, 'A Collection of Travel Short Stories: Autumn and Winter', also highlighted.
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- 📰 Published: April 2, 2026 at 23:30
- 🔍 Collected: April 2, 2026 at 19:37
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Harada Munenori, who debuted in 1984 after receiving an honorable mention in the Subaru Literary Prize for 'I Can't Live With You,' has since published numerous novels, essays, and plays.
Today, Thursday, April 2, 2026, the voting results for the 2026 Bookstore Grand Prize 'Discovery Section' were announced on the official website, and Harada Munenori's short story collection 'A Collection of Travel Short Stories: Spring and Summer' (Kadokawa Bunko) was selected as a 'Super Discovery Book!'.
The Bookstore Grand Prize 'Discovery Section,' regardless of genre, allows participating booksellers to select one book published before November 30, 2024, that they believe will endure across time or remains interesting to reread. From these selections, the executive committee chooses one book that particularly resonates with them and announces it as a 'Super Discovery Book!'
Please also enjoy the sequel to the award-winning work, 'A Collection of Travel Short Stories: Autumn and Winter'.
[Bookstore Grand Prize Official Website]https://www.hontai.or.jp/
[Discovery Section Voting Results Page]https://www.hontai.or.jp/history/find/vote2026.html
[Award-Winning Work Information Page]https://www.kadokawa.co.jp/product/199999176211/
◆ Full comment from the recommender: Mr. Ryudai Minami of Aoya Shoten, Shimonoseki Chofu store (Yamaguchi Prefecture)
Recently, due to issues such as immigration, I feel that the image of people from abroad is increasingly leaning in a negative direction.
Certainly, it is very difficult for all humanity on Earth to understand each other from the bottom of their hearts.
(Although I believe we should not forget to imagine it, like John Lennon's song 'Imagine'...)
However, as I read these short stories, filled with strange events and objects that cannot happen in reality, encountered by the narrator in various countries, I felt as if the characters were giving the reader a mischievous smile, and at that moment, I truly felt that the distance between myself and people around the world had shortened.
It's fine to start with small things.
By engaging with these beloved stories,
I can think that it's not bad to begin an attempt at mutual understanding.
Introduction to the 2026 Discovery Section 'Super Discovery Book!' Award-Winning Works
'A Collection of Travel Short Stories: Spring and Summer'
◆ Synopsis
As I stood silently before a dinosaur in London's Natural History Museum, the dinosaur spoke to me. Hearing this story from a friend, 'I' visit the Iguanodon specimen, but hear no sound. Disappointed, I return to the hotel, only to find a mysterious message at the front desk... (From 'A Message from the Iguanodon') Harada Munenori invites you on a journey of imagination to all sorts of cities around the world, including London, Boston, and Istanbul. This is a collection of fantastic and mysterious stories. A gem of a short story collection.
◆ Bibliographic Information
Title: A Collection of Travel Short Stories: Spring and Summer
Author: Harada Munenori
Release Date: December 22, 2000 ★E-book available
Price: 814 yen (740 yen + tax)
Pages: 288 pages
Format: Bunko (paperback)
Binding Design: Kenji Hara
Illustration: Naomi Kobayashi
Label: Kadokawa Bunko
ISBN: 9784041762110
Publisher: KADOKAWA Corporation
Book Information Page:
【Related Works】
'A Collection of Travel Short Stories: Autumn and Winter'
◆ Synopsis
On the day of my return flight from Barcelona, I decided to get a shave at a barbershop on the way to the airport. After finishing my shave and leaving the barbershop, a heavy evening shower began. The barber silently offered me a lady's umbrella. I refused, saying I couldn't return it... (From 'The Umbrella That Stops the Rain') A travelogue in the Harada style, chronicling imaginary journeys set in all corners of the world, from Scandinavia to South America, from dreams to reality. This is the long-awaited second installment of the fantastic short story collection, following 'A Collection of Travel Short Stories: Spring and Summer'!
◆ Bibliographic Information
Title: A Collection of Travel Short Stories: Autumn and Winter
Author: Harada Munenori
Release Date: February 23, 2001 ★E-book available
Price: 814 yen (740 yen + tax)
Pages: 288 pages
Format: Bunko (paperback)
Binding Design: Kenji Hara
Illustration: Naomi Kobayashi
Label: Kadokawa Bunko
ISBN: 9784041762127
Publisher: KADOKAWA Corporation
Book Information Page:
Author Introduction
Harada Munenori
Born in Tokyo in 1959 (Shōwa 34). Graduated from Waseda University, Faculty of Letters, Department I. In 1984, received an honorable mention in the Subaru Literary Prize for 'I Can't Live With You.' Since then, he has published novels, essays, and plays. His main works include novels such as 'Smell Man', 'Nineteen, Twenty', 'Heisei Tom Sawyer', 'Shimetato yo', 'Memento Mori', 'The Sadness I Left Behind', essays such as 'Subara-style World', 'Tamageta Roku', the play 'A Traveler Slightly Tinged with Yellow Heat', and translations including Alfred Tennyson's 'Enoch Arden'.
Harada Munenori's works published by KADOKAWA can be found here