Machi Tawara's 'Living Words' Surpasses 200,000 Copies Sold

Tanka poet Machi Tawara's first treatise focusing on 'words', titled 'Living Words' (Ikiru Kotoba), has now surpassed 200,000 copies sold. Even now, one year after its publication last April, it continues to be selected as a bookstore bestseller, widely and enduringly loved by many readers. The reason behind this hit is that in the 'Shinsho' (paperback) market, which has traditionally been dominated by middle-aged male readers, this book has broken through conventional boundaries to deeply touch the hearts of a wide range of generations, regardless of age or gender.

In modern society, where smartphones and the internet are part of daily life and we can communicate with people whose faces we cannot see, things are convenient but truly troublesome. In an era where 'the power of words is the power to live,' how can we strengthen the foundation of the Japanese language, and what is truly important? The author thoroughly examines the nature of words in various situations—romance, parenting, dramas, poetry readings, SNS, and AI—from the unique perspective of a tanka poet and through her own experiences. What is the true value of 'communication skills' as considered by a professional who loves words immensely?

■ Ranking consecutively in Annual Bestseller Lists!
- Nippan '2025 Annual Bestseller' Shinsho Nonfiction Category: 5th Place
- Tohan '2025 Annual Bestseller' Shinsho Nonfiction Category: 5th Place
- 'Oricon Annual BOOK Ranking 2025' By Format 'Shinsho': 7th Place
- Da Vinci 'BOOK OF THE YEAR 2025' Essay/Nonfiction/Other Category: 5th Place

■ A book gaining support from a wide generation, from young people struggling with how to face 'words' to those in their 30s-50s in the 'parenting' sphere, in addition to traditional Shinsho readers.

Recommendation comments from comedian Hiccorohee and Taiki Mizuno of 'Yuru Gengogaku Radio'!
- 'A tremendous analytical critique by the woman who received the highest praise of being the "enemy of modern poetry" from the great Shuntaro Tanikawa' — Hiccorohee
- 'If you lose focus, people are used by words. This is packed with hints on how to tame words' — Taiki Mizuno

★ Reasons for support from a wide range of readers: women, youth, and the parenting sphere
Unusual for Shinsho books, which are said to have many middle-aged male readers, the background of 'Living Words' becoming a hit lies in how it has deeply reached the hearts of female readers, surpassing those conventional boundaries.
While communication used to center around face-to-face or phone conversations, we are now in an era of exchanging text messages via PCs and smartphones at work and home. Furthermore, younger people have a strong aversion to placing a 'period' at the end of a sentence (so-called Maru-hara). It seems one reason for the attention is the increasing number of people struggling with how words should be used in the SNS era. Among the youth, it is talked about as a 'silver bullet for SNS fatigue.'
Additionally, the parenting episodes rooted particularly in Tawara's own experiences have resonated with the 30-50s parenting sphere, touching the hearts of the parent generation. With reviews spreading such as 'It almost made me cry' and 'It pierced deeply into my heart,' it has become a book loved by a wide generation, transcending the traditional Shinsho readership.

★ Key Highlights of the Book!
- A metaphor used to persuade a son who is 'obsessed with games'
- The magic to make Japanese rhythmic
- Overusing 'ambiguous expressions' also leads to failure
- How not to be hurt by thorny words
- Japanese ends with an 'O' (circle), not an 'X'
- Wording that makes you feel 'luxury'
- There is no school subject called 'Communication Skills'
- 'A certain part' of 'Salad Anniversary' that still bothers her today