Yamazaki Mari to Give Talk About Reading in Akita on November 1

Mangaka and writer Yamazaki Mari will be the main guest at this year's Dokusho no Mori Talk Live, to be held on November 1 at the Atorion Music Hall in Akita City. The event is part of the Akita Prefecture Reading Day activities, so the talk will revolve around the joy of reading.

The author of Thermae Romae will share the stage with a freelance announcer, according to organizers. While no details about the exact format have been revealed, the goal is clear: to explore why reading captivates us and how it becomes a lifelong habit.

Yamazaki Mari is no stranger to Japanese audiences: beyond her work as a mangaka, she writes essays and has lived in several countries, something she often reflects in her works. Thermae Romae, her most famous title, blends ancient Rome with Japanese bath culture and has been adapted into both anime and live action.

An event for the whole prefecture

Dokusho no Mori Talk Live is part of a day dedicated to reading in Akita. It is not a massive event or an anime convention: it's an intimate talk designed for people in the region to gather and discuss books with an author who has made curiosity her way of working.

The venue, Atorion Music Hall, is an important cultural space in Akita City, and the date coincides with the Prefecture Reading Day on November 1. Everything points to general public admission, although prices and ticket purchasing process have not been specified yet.

If you live in Japan or plan to travel to the area around those dates, this is a rare opportunity to hear Yamazaki Mari in an intimate setting, far from the big stages of manga fairs.

A group of people on stage during an event in Akita City.47news.jp

More than a mangaka

Yamazaki Mari is one of those authors who break the mold: she not only draws, but also writes and reflects on what she sees on her travels. Her career began in Italy, where she studied art, and that blend of cultures is deeply present in her work.

For many readers, her name is tied to Thermae Romae, but her catalog also includes autobiographical manga and essays. It is precisely that versatility that fits an event dedicated to reading in all its forms.

The Akita talk is not limited to manga: it's about celebrating books as a gateway to other realities, something Yamazaki Mari knows well from her own biography.

Would you like to see Yamazaki Mari at an event like this in Latin America? Tell us in the comments which manga author you'd like to hear live.