can I buy Japanese eBooks outside Japan? - Page 3

Question Mark · 01-27-2018, 08:55 PM

Yes, it seems that the Japanese dictionary function can only be used with kepubs. So you either have to use Calibre to send it to your Kobo as a kepub or you could try using the standalone kepubify tool which another user on these forums has created.

You can check out the following thread for information on the kepubify tool. It is very handy although I have not yet tested it with a Japanese epub:

https://www.mobileread.com/forums/sh...d.php?t=289040

AiiroMercury · 01-27-2018, 09:13 PM

No I don't think that the problem is due to the font!! On the kobo store I couldn't buy the ebook but at least I managed to download the preview. The preview was perfect...the text was vertical with the pageturning from right to left and, of course, i could use the dictionary, which is very useful when you don't know how to read a kanji!! With the azw3 file on the kindle app it works in the same way, but during the conversion with calibre something goes wrong!! Both epub and pdf coverted books have horizontal text and left to right pageturning. In the end when you put the files on the kobo, in the epub the text disappear while the pdf is ok, because is made of pics basically!! I think I'll try another azw3 to epub converter and see what happens!!

davidfor · 01-28-2018, 02:10 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AiiroMercury

No I don't think that the problem is due to the font!!

"Check the font" is sort of the equivalent of "check your virus scanner". It is the problem often enough that it needs to be suggested.

Quote:

On the kobo store I couldn't buy the ebook but at least I managed to download the preview. The preview was perfect...the text was vertical with the pageturning from right to left and, of course, i could use the dictionary, which is very useful when you don't know how to read a kanji!!

As Kobo only makes the preview available as a kepub, then it will have used the kepub renderer. As I said, it handles Japanese and other non-European languages better than the epub renderer.

Quote:

With the azw3 file on the kindle app it works in the same way, but during the conversion with calibre something goes wrong!! Both epub and pdf coverted books have horizontal text and left to right pageturning. In the end when you put the files on the kobo, in the epub the text disappear while the pdf is ok, because is made of pics basically!! I think I'll try another azw3 to epub converter and see what happens!!

And again, that is why I suggested sending the book as a kepub. It is also possible that the conversion lost the language and page turning directions. I would expect calibre to handle this properly, but it's not something I have ever needed to do, so I don't know for sure. You would need to edit the book to check. The editor should show if the text is actually there or if it is missing.

You should do a test to see if the converted book works as a kepub. You can do this by copying the epub to the device and change the extension from ".epub" to ".kepub.epub". This is enough to trigger the use of the kepub renderer and should be enough to see if the book will work. If it does, then use either use the KoboTouchExtended driver to send the book to the device as a kepub, or install the Kepub Output plugin and do a conversion. Or the kepubify tool mentioned above. You need to do one of these so that things like remembering the reading position, navigation and bookmarks work properly.

Question Mark · 01-28-2018, 04:58 PM

Managed to buy a Japanese Kindle edition of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them off of the Canadian Amazon site. With the exchange rate, the price would have been about the same as buying it from Amazon's Japanese site.

Stripped the DRM off it and then converted it to epub format using Calibre.

Just as AiiroMercury had earlier noted, the conversion process converted the vertical alignment of the text to a horizontal alignment. This also seems to have affected the spacing of the lines so that there is a lot more wasted space. However, from a cursory glance, everything seems to be there, including the furigana.

I then used Kepubify to convert the epub file to a kepub file and then loaded it onto my KA1. Apart from the odd kana/kanji being slightly cut off on the lefthand side, it is readable. I can adjust the size of the font. I can change the font. I can use the dictionary to look up unfamiliar terms. I can use the navigation bar.

It doesn't really bother me that the alignment of the text is now horizontal so long as it is all there and I can use the dictionary.

Now I will have to learn how to use Calibre to adjust the spacing of the lines. That will be a project for another day when I am less busy.

imkh · 01-28-2018, 05:28 PM

These days I prefer to use the Kindle Unpack plugin in Calibre to convert from an awz3 file to an epub - its much less invasive than the Calibre conversion, and is closer to the original code. I don't know how far this would alter the alignment etc, but is worth trying!

AiiroMercury · 01-28-2018, 10:48 PM

I installed the kindle unpack and kobo touch extended plugins on calibre, then I converted the azw3 to epub and sent to kobo as kepub files!! The result is incredible...everything is perfect, even the original pageturning...the only difference is the horizontal alignment!!

Question Mark · 01-29-2018, 08:58 PM

Kindle Unpack didn't work too well for the Japanese Kindle version of Fantastic Beasts. Tried it several times. Each time there were missing pages.

So I had to go back to the regular method of converting the azw file to a kepub after stripping it of its DRM.

Played around with the conversion process a bit. Was eventually able to get all the text showing. Not formatted quite as nicely as the Kindle version, but it all seems to be there with no clipped kana/kanji. And the lookup dictionaries I have installed all work well with it. The horizontal alignment of the text is not a problem. Am very glad that the furigana are all there. So I am very well pleased.

I suspect part of the problem I was initially having with clipped and missing characters was due to the fact that the book in question is a play so its layout is a little different than your average book.

May try the Kindle Unpack method with a regular Japanese book sometime. But for now, have plenty to keep myself occupied.

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01-27-2018, 08:55 PM	#31
Question Mark Wizard Posts: 1,419 Karma: 6513838 Join Date: Mar 2016 Device: More than I need, but not as many as I would like.	Yes, it seems that the Japanese dictionary function can only be used with kepubs. So you either have to use Calibre to send it to your Kobo as a kepub or you could try using the standalone kepubify tool which another user on these forums has created. You can check out the following thread for information on the kepubify tool. It is very handy although I have not yet tested it with a Japanese epub: https://www.mobileread.com/forums/sh...d.php?t=289040

01-27-2018, 09:13 PM	#32
AiiroMercury Junior Member Posts: 8 Karma: 5730 Join Date: Jan 2018 Device: Kobo Aura V 1	No I don't think that the problem is due to the font!! On the kobo store I couldn't buy the ebook but at least I managed to download the preview. The preview was perfect...the text was vertical with the pageturning from right to left and, of course, i could use the dictionary, which is very useful when you don't know how to read a kanji!! With the azw3 file on the kindle app it works in the same way, but during the conversion with calibre something goes wrong!! Both epub and pdf coverted books have horizontal text and left to right pageturning. In the end when you put the files on the kobo, in the epub the text disappear while the pdf is ok, because is made of pics basically!! I think I'll try another azw3 to epub converter and see what happens!!

01-28-2018, 04:58 PM	#34
Question Mark Wizard Posts: 1,419 Karma: 6513838 Join Date: Mar 2016 Device: More than I need, but not as many as I would like.	Managed to buy a Japanese Kindle edition of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them off of the Canadian Amazon site. With the exchange rate, the price would have been about the same as buying it from Amazon's Japanese site. Stripped the DRM off it and then converted it to epub format using Calibre. Just as AiiroMercury had earlier noted, the conversion process converted the vertical alignment of the text to a horizontal alignment. This also seems to have affected the spacing of the lines so that there is a lot more wasted space. However, from a cursory glance, everything seems to be there, including the furigana. I then used Kepubify to convert the epub file to a kepub file and then loaded it onto my KA1. Apart from the odd kana/kanji being slightly cut off on the lefthand side, it is readable. I can adjust the size of the font. I can change the font. I can use the dictionary to look up unfamiliar terms. I can use the navigation bar. It doesn't really bother me that the alignment of the text is now horizontal so long as it is all there and I can use the dictionary. Now I will have to learn how to use Calibre to adjust the spacing of the lines. That will be a project for another day when I am less busy.

01-28-2018, 05:28 PM	#35
imkh Enthusiast Posts: 31 Karma: 101916 Join Date: Nov 2013 Device: Kobo Aura HD	These days I prefer to use the Kindle Unpack plugin in Calibre to convert from an awz3 file to an epub - its much less invasive than the Calibre conversion, and is closer to the original code. I don't know how far this would alter the alignment etc, but is worth trying!

01-28-2018, 10:48 PM	#36
AiiroMercury Junior Member Posts: 8 Karma: 5730 Join Date: Jan 2018 Device: Kobo Aura V 1	I installed the kindle unpack and kobo touch extended plugins on calibre, then I converted the azw3 to epub and sent to kobo as kepub files!! The result is incredible...everything is perfect, even the original pageturning...the only difference is the horizontal alignment!!

01-29-2018, 08:58 PM	#37
Question Mark Wizard Posts: 1,419 Karma: 6513838 Join Date: Mar 2016 Device: More than I need, but not as many as I would like.	Kindle Unpack didn't work too well for the Japanese Kindle version of Fantastic Beasts. Tried it several times. Each time there were missing pages. So I had to go back to the regular method of converting the azw file to a kepub after stripping it of its DRM. Played around with the conversion process a bit. Was eventually able to get all the text showing. Not formatted quite as nicely as the Kindle version, but it all seems to be there with no clipped kana/kanji. And the lookup dictionaries I have installed all work well with it. The horizontal alignment of the text is not a problem. Am very glad that the furigana are all there. So I am very well pleased. I suspect part of the problem I was initially having with clipped and missing characters was due to the fact that the book in question is a play so its layout is a little different than your average book. May try the Kindle Unpack method with a regular Japanese book sometime. But for now, have plenty to keep myself occupied.

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