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Saturday July 21, 10:59 AMFew queuing for Harry Potter book in Japan as fans await translation(Kyodo) _ Harry Potter fans may get to the front of the queue a little earlier in Japan than elsewhere to buy the seventh and final book of the series, with only a few seen lining up to buy the English version which finally went on sale worldwide at midnight Friday British time, or Saturday morning Japan time.Only about 20 fans were waiting at a Maruzen bookstore in the Marunouchi business district in Tokyo's Chiyoda Ward as the store held a countdown event with American DJ Robert Habbick toward the 8:01 a.m. release of "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" by J.K. Rowling. It came in contrast to long waiting lines at bookstores overseas in advance of the release, with thousands camping for days in London to get the 608-page hardback novel. Japanese fans are apparently waiting for the release of a translated version. Yuko Matsuoka, who translates the Harry Potter series into Japanese, said it would take at least 10 to 12 months. At Maruzen bookstore, 43-year-old part-timer Mayumi Narita from Yokohama said, "I want to finish reading it before the Japanese translated version goes on sale by looking up every other word in an electronic dictionary." "I myself got hooked on the book that I bought for my child to read," Narita said before hurrying to work. In Osaka, a bookstore in the Shinsaibashi business district opened at 8 a.m., three hours earlier than normal, to begin selling the book. But only two people were waiting. The 21-year-old American woman who was first in line said she loves the Harry Potter series and has read all of the books, while the other, a 28-year-old American male student, said he plans to finish reading it in one day. |
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