Children all over the world may jump over bonfire!

Abstract

In the block PRACTICE Yasko Tanaka, the head of the group “Bonfire” from Japan, is telling in her sketch “Children all over the world may jump over bonfire!” about the activity of propagandists of Japanese children’s literature in Russia and children’s Russian literature in modern Japan. This essay focuses on the history of establishment and development of the Japanese journal under the title “Kostior”, which means “Bonfire” in Russian. Inspired by the distinguished tradition of Russian children’s literature, over the years the journal has introduced to the Japanese readers many works by Russian writers, poets, illustrators, painters, and cartoon animators. The essay brings together the records
of memorable encounters the journal's editors have had with many Russian writers and the accounts of how “Kostior” has been disseminating the knowledge of Russian culture in Japan.