Unintentionally Amusing Illustrations Found in Japanese Textbooks · Global Voices
N'Donna Russell

Screencap from YouTube user hahaha douga
All around the world, students have the ability to turn the textbook, the symbol of compulsory yet boring learning, into a thing of timeless amusement. Japan is no exception.
母性の教科書。シュール。💆 pic.twitter.com/CvEt4LZpkA
— 莉 奈 (@chanrina_10) June 20, 2014
This was in a maternity textbook. So surreal!
On the Matome Naver website, users have taken to posting illustrations from various educational textbooks that range from unintentionally humorous to outright funny and surreal.
It’s clear they are meant to be taken seriously within the context of the textbook, but the Matome Naver community is delighting in demonstrating just how absurd textbook illustrations can be.
高校の教科書で早速シュールなやつ見つけた pic.twitter.com/izV5j0uBsc
— 鈴木 萌里 (@moering48o) March 25, 2015
No sooner had I opened my textbook when I discovered whatever these eight guys are.
Some illustrations appear to intended to resemble world-famous celebrities:
そーいえば、今日英語の時間に発見したんだけどさ、教科書にめっちゃパヴァロッティに似てる人見つけた(*^^*) しかも、歌手とゆーねw pic.twitter.com/QkYzNGbCCR
— さとうなな (@nana_3107) February 16, 2015
If we're talking [funny textbook illustrations], I discovered this one during today's English lesson: Luciano Pavarotti. It's even supposed illustrate what a singer is!
Others seem to bear an unintentional resemblance to popular anime and manga icons:
保健の教科書のこいつが、進撃の巨人に見えてしょうがない(´・ω・｀) pic.twitter.com/IDn8x762aC
— 才能の無駄遣い (@rakugaki_matome) April 2, 2015
All I can think of when I look at this textbook illustration is Shingeki no Kyojin [Attack on Titan].
The textbook illustration thread is very popular on Matome Naver, with over 700,000 views so far and over 900 users marking it as a ‘favorite.’
Matome Naver user amayasa, the creator of the thread, succinctly sums up the impact of these textbook illustrations:
おかげで勉強に集中できませんw
Thanks to these illustrations, I'm unable to concentrate while studying, haha.
Japan is no stranger to the viral nature of textbook illustrations.
Earlier in June, publisher Sanseido KK recalled 10,000 grade one school textbooks after discovering the girl in the illustration possessed three arms (the third arm is resting on table, while the girl grips a basket in both hands). The publisher issued a public apology after children discovered the error:
教科書イラストにミス！一万冊回収！ 何で、イチイチそんな事で回収する必要性があんの？意味不明(・・? pic.twitter.com/joGvofx8St
— 王禅寺 (@oogishima) June 24, 2015
Textbook illustration blooper! 10,000 textbooks recalled! Why does the publisher need to collect each and every one [and correct the mistake]? Who knows?
Furthermore, video game news site Kotaku covered student attempts to make textbook illustrations more interesting via doodling last year. Illustrations vary from homages to popular anime series to suggestive images not suitable for work or the classroom.
スターウォーズ風に落書き pic.twitter.com/vshEcq4Tml
— 茶んた (@___ayatakaoisii) October 22, 2013
A doodle in the style of “Star Wars”
Even textbooks created for students outside of Japan, Japanese-language textbooks specifically, offer unintentional humour.
日本語の教科書見せてもらって見つけた。なぜおじいさんとお兄さんなのか。 pic.twitter.com/CxBO5xE0GC
— 小鳥遊 (@tknp_ppp) March 29, 2015
[Illustration explains the Japanese term chikan (groper) and the verb sawaru (to feel).]
Found in a Japanese textbook. Why an old man and a young man, I wonder…