{"id":5149,"date":"2025-06-30T17:36:30","date_gmt":"2025-06-30T08:36:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/palettalk.com\/?p=5149"},"modified":"2025-09-06T00:07:13","modified_gmt":"2025-09-05T15:07:13","slug":"recommended-books-05-en","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/palettalk.com\/en\/culture-en\/recommended-books-05-en\/","title":{"rendered":"Aya Mizukami\u2019s A Queer\u2019s Canadian Travel Journal"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>In this article, we are introducing <strong><em>A Queer\u2019s Canadian Travel Journal<\/em><\/strong>, the latest book by Aya Mizukami, who also joined our special book fair \u201cImagining a Future That is Not \u2018Straight\u2019\u2014Together With You.\u201d<br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_72 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">\u76ee\u6b21<\/div>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/palettalk.com\/en\/culture-en\/recommended-books-05-en\/#Book_Information\" title=\"Book Information\">Book Information<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/palettalk.com\/en\/culture-en\/recommended-books-05-en\/#Authors_Profile\" title=\"Author\u2019s Profile\">Author\u2019s Profile<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/palettalk.com\/en\/culture-en\/recommended-books-05-en\/#About_the_Book\" title=\"About the Book\">About the Book<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/palettalk.com\/en\/culture-en\/recommended-books-05-en\/#%E2%80%9CThe_Future_Is_Queer_A_Book_Fair_to_Imagine_a_Future_That_is_Not_%E2%80%98Straight%E2%80%94Together_With_You%E2%80%9D_%F0%9F%93%96_Now_Happening\" title=\"\u201cThe Future Is Queer: A Book Fair to Imagine a Future That is Not \u2018Straight\u2019\u2014Together With You\u201d \ud83d\udcd6 Now Happening!\">\u201cThe Future Is Queer: A Book Fair to Imagine a Future That is Not \u2018Straight\u2019\u2014Together With You\u201d \ud83d\udcd6 Now Happening!<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Book_Information\"><\/span><strong>Book Information<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"697\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/palettalk.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/image-697x1024.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-5152\" style=\"width:408px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/palettalk.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/image-697x1024.png 697w, https:\/\/palettalk.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/image-204x300.png 204w, https:\/\/palettalk.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/image.png 726w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 697px) 100vw, 697px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><em>A Queer\u2019s Canadian Travel Journal<\/em> Written by Aya Mizukami<br>Price: 1,760 yen (base price 1,600 yen)<br>Size: 216 pages, duodecimo<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Authors_Profile\"><\/span><strong>Author\u2019s Profile<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Aya Mizukami\u00a0<\/strong><br>Born in 1992. Aya is a queer feminist writer. Her books include <em>A Queer\u2019s Canadian Travel Journal<\/em> (published by Kashiwa Shobo), and she also planned and edited <em>We Are Already Here Together: An Anti-Transphobia Booklet<\/em> (published by Gendaishokan). She was the guest editor for the \u201cQueer, Women, and Community\u201d special issue in the feminist magazine <em>Etcetera<\/em>, Volume 13.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Note: The English translated version of these books are not yet published.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"About_the_Book\"><\/span><strong>About the Book<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Travel lets us imagine many different kinds of lives we <em>could<\/em> have lived.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>We learn about the places we visit, the communities rooted there, and the people who live very different lives from our own.<br>We notice how public spaces are used, how money flows, how people dress, and how they act on the streets.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Through these experiences, we start to wonder: \u201cWhat kind of life would I have had if I lived here?\u201d We begin to look at what we thought was \u201cnormal\u201d from a new point of view\u2014and realize that our everyday life may be more limited by society than we ever knew.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In this book, Aya Mizukami visits Canada and is repeatedly surprised to find that queer people are simply expected to be there\u2014that their presence is taken for granted in everyday spaces throughout the city.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Since 2005, Canada has had marriage equality. Its human rights laws protect against discrimination based on sexual orientation, gender identity, and gender expression. There are also laws against hate crimes. In contrast, Japan still does not allow same-(under the family registry system) sex marriage. There are no laws that ban discrimination or hate crimes against LGBTQ+ people or others with different backgrounds. On top of that, strict conditions are still required to legally change one\u2019s gender.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Canada may not be a place completely free from oppression, but Mizukami felt such a strong difference from Japan in the smallest corners of everyday life that she says, it was as if she understood the meaning of the word \u201cvisibility\u201d for the very first time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p><strong>What kinds of possibilities are seen as real and achievable? What kinds of choices truly exist as options in the society we live in? What we are able to \u201csee\u201d probably depends on that. If a possibility does not feel close or real to us, we might not be able to see it\u2014even if it is right there in front of us.<br><\/strong>\uff08<em>A Queer\u2019s Canadian Travel Journal<\/em>  P.208\uff09<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Pride Month may be over\u2014but queer people\u2019s lives go on every day. While reading this book, we are reminded that if we want everyone to imagine their future without fear, the laws that shape society must clearly show: <strong>\u201cYes, people who are not straight or cisgender <\/strong><strong><em>are already living here.<\/em><\/strong><strong>\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This is a book we especially recommend to everyone interested in the book fair now taking place, and to anyone who, for any reason, finds it hard to travel right now. Even if you cannot step outside your current surroundings, you can borrow Mizukami\u2019s perspective and imagine a future beyond the limits you have been given.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"%E2%80%9CThe_Future_Is_Queer_A_Book_Fair_to_Imagine_a_Future_That_is_Not_%E2%80%98Straight%E2%80%94Together_With_You%E2%80%9D_%F0%9F%93%96_Now_Happening\"><\/span><strong>\u201cThe Future Is Queer: A Book Fair to Imagine a Future That is Not \u2018Straight\u2019\u2014Together With You\u201d<\/strong> \ud83d\udcd6<strong> <em>Now Happening!<\/em><\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>\ud83d\uddd3\ufe0f <strong>Dates<\/strong><strong><br><\/strong> June 28 (Sat) \u2013 July 31 (Thu)<br><em>During the fair, the Palettalk team is planning to visit the store for a special in-person event. The date will be announced later.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\ud83d\udccd <strong>Location<\/strong><strong><br><\/strong>In-store at Books B&amp;B (\u672c\u5c4bB&amp;B)<br>2F BONUS TRACK, 2-36-15 Daita, Setagaya-ku, Tokyo 155-0033 (Elevator available)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Open Hours: Weekdays: 12:00\u201321:00 \/ Weekends &amp; Holidays: 11:00\u201321:00<br><em>Hours may change depending on events. For details, please check the link below:<\/em><em><br><\/em>\ud83d\udd17<a href=\"https:\/\/bookandbeer.com\/journal\/from202005\/\"> https:\/\/bookandbeer.com\/journal\/from202005\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\ud83d\udd16 <strong>Book Selectors<\/strong> <em>(listed in no particular order)<\/em><em><br><\/em>Kotetsu Nakazato<br>Akira Shuji<br>Aya Mizukami<br>Osamu Onuma<br>Rin Takashima<br>Ginga Kondo<br>super-KIKI<br>Momoko Nojo<br>Palettalk Editorial Team<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Each person chose books based on two themes\ud83d\udcda\ufe0f:<br><em>\u201cA book I wish I could give to my past self\u2014or that kid I used to be\u201d<\/em><em><br><\/em><em>\u201cA book to imagine (and create) the future together\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>In this article, we are introducing A Queer\u2019s Canadian Travel Journal, the latest book by Aya Mizukami, who also joined our special book fair \u201cImagining a Future That is Not \u2018Straight\u2019\u2014Together With You.\u201d Book Information A Queer\u2019s Canadian Travel Journal Written by Aya MizukamiPrice: 1,760 yen (base price 1,600 yen)Size: 216 pages, duodecimo Author\u2019s Profile [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":5150,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[122],"tags":[188,136],"class_list":["post-5149","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-culture-en","tag-books","tag-lgbtq-en"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/palettalk.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5149"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/palettalk.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/palettalk.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/palettalk.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/palettalk.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5149"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/palettalk.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5149\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5160,"href":"https:\/\/palettalk.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5149\/revisions\/5160"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/palettalk.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5150"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/palettalk.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5149"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/palettalk.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5149"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/palettalk.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5149"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}