Also, you can’t add custom dictionaries to the kindle app on iOS, so the actual Kindle Paperwhite is far superior in that regard.
1 Like
I wish. Excruciatingly slow even on an 2018 iPad…
2 Likes
You can’t even add custom dictionaries to iOS unless you jailbreak it 
(that implies the BookWalker app as it uses the iOS dictionaries.)
But I guess somebody who just wants a tablet (without being specifically attracted to Apple stuff) would be much better off with an Android device anyways.
1 Like
@DollyDaydream Thanks, I will have a look!
@NicoleIsEnough Thanks, but I already attempted to read on both desktop and mobile using the BW app and didn’t really like it
I read that Kindle books have poor image resolution, is this still true? The post was a few years old
2 Likes
Disclaimer: This post is regarding my personal experience and usage patterns with these devices. These may not carry over for others.
My devices:
- 6.8" Kobo Aura H2O (first edition)
- 10.3" Boox Gulliver Note
As mentioned above, I wish I would have gotten the 13" offering from Boox, but I haven’t actually handled a 13" in person, so it may have cons I am not aware of, and it might not actually reduce the need for me to zoom in occasionally.
(Note: I haven’t tried using an integrated dictionary for books.)
Kobo
General Pros
- Fairly cheap.
- Small enough to fit into a pocket or purse.
General Cons
- No buttons for page turns.
Novel-Reading Pros
- Page turns are quick.
- Can import EPUBs (so long as DRM is removed beforehand)
Novel-Reading Cons
- Logged into my US account, reading imported Japanese books, swiping to turn the page is in the wrong direction =(
Manga-Reading Pros
Manga-Reading Cons
- 6.8" is simply too small of a screen.
- Zooming and panning is a chore, and very slow.
- Cannot zoom on imported manga EPUBs.
Boox
General Pros
- I can side-load any Android app, including apps for Japanese dictionary, taking screenshots, and various e-reader apps.
- Screen update response is very fast, and supports multi-touch (pinch to zoom, etc.)
General Cons
- Expensive.
- Too big to carry in a pocket or purse.
- No buttons for page turns.
- Fairly expensive.
Book-Reading Pros
- Fitting a comfortable amount of text on the screen results in very large text…perfect for my upcoming old age!
Book-Reading Cons
- Fitting a comfortable amount of text on the screen results in very large text. I haven’t found any option to change margin size (but I do novel reading on the Kobo, so I haven’t looked).
Manga-Reading Pros
- A lot of manga is readable without zooming.
- Zooming is quick and easy.
- Page turns are quick.
Manga-Reading Cons
Photographs
10 Likes
Thank you for the detailed post!
That smol screen really does seem to be too small for manga
That reminds me, I meant to do some up-close photos compared with physical manga:
6.8in Kobo
Edit: And I just realized this comparison is bad because the Kobo photo is zoomed in more. Oops. Well, compare with the manga beside the reader, not between photos, on this one.
2 Likes
Your e-readers seem to be turning your manga into completely different books. 
4 Likes
I downloaded the same manga from both Amazon and Kobo Japan, just to test the difference and I would say they were of equally good quality.
I suppose it might depend on who the publisher is as to how good the image quality is, but I guess that’s what samples are for.
1 Like
Unless you also buy your English books, as well as your Japanese ones, from your Japanese account? I’m also still thinking about getting a kindle, so following this discussion with interest!
1 Like
Often the English releases are not available in the Japanese store.
3 Likes
Ah, I see. Thank you!
I guess it depends on what you mean by “custom dictionaries”. You can definitely download dictionaries from the Kindle store and then set them as your preferred dictionary in the iOS Kindle app. When you select a word there is a dictionary pop-up where you can choose the active dictionary from the drop-down menu. I downloaded a free dictionary to test it out, but there are also paid options. The built-in J-J dictionary is 大辞泉.
I used to use ebookjapan, but I have since switched to Kindle for books. There were severe limitations to highlighting in ebookjapan (I think like 10 highlights per book), while as far as I can tell there is no limit in Kindle. I like to highlight things to discuss in the threads or read-aloud for book clubs (although I frequently forget to do so). If you are only reading manga I don’t think you will see much of a difference. Both services have similar sales and rewards systems. I haven’t noticed a significant difference in image quality for manga. Books have adjustable fonts, so there’s no need to be worried about image quality for those (unless there are pictures).
The major downside to Kindle is that you have to switch accounts if you have a Kindle account in another country. Switching accounts deletes all of your downloads, so you would have to re-download your purchases every time you switch accounts. You could solve this problem by having a second device that you use for one of the accounts, but that obviously has an increased cost associated with it.
6 Likes
I have a 6" inch Kobo touch, which is about a 10 year old model. My partner has a kobo Clara - main advantage with his is he has backlighting and overdrive integration, which works with libraries here in Canada.
Pros of Kobo
- less of a walled garden. Kobo read pdfs, CBR, CBZ, epubs without needing to convert.
- easily hackable if that’s your jam. I have koreader installed on mine to read PDFs (the in-built pdf Reader is bad for text - but strangely good for manga?? Has to do with lack of margin cropping). It literally took me less than 5 minutes to install - and I can switch between koreader and in-built OS
- pocket integration (easily saves web articles)
- comes with Japanese dictionary
- You’re not supporting Amazon
Cons
- it is possible to buy Japanese books without switching between account but it’s a bit of hassle (I did it by creating a Rakuten ID, and then linking it to my Kobo account. Once I made a purchase I unlink the account and switch back to Cdn address. It works, but have to re enter address every time you do it)
- 6" is small for manga, but doable with double tap for zoom. If you mostly want it for manga, look into forma
- You can download custom dictionary (like if you want eng-jap), but they tend to overwrite when updating… But maybe this is a pro because it encourages you to user a jp-jp dictionary??
3 Likes
I have a Kindle Paperwhite and it’s great for reading actual books with selectable text (so not picture books or manga). I have it connected to my JP amazon account, so I can download the actual AWZ files from the website. The dictionary lookups are slow but super handy, same for the Wikipedia lookups!
I hate reading manga on it though, I zoom a lot to read the kanji and it’s too slow and blurry for me – I read manga on a super old iPad with the Kindle app and it’s perfect.
I manage my ebooks with Calibre so I’m not limited to one ebook store – just those with formats that can be converted (so usually ePub or AZW). I’ve bought books from the Kobo store in the past and it’s fine.
I have another super cheap second-hand Kindle for reading in English (mostly because I want the files for my personal archives but don’t want to unregister and reregister devices between JP and US amazon, it’s a pain). But these days I don’t have much time for that anyway 
My US one is linked to goodreads which I like.
3 Likes
Careful with this. I was doing this for a while until the section of the web site for changing this information broke for me. I tried it in multiple browsers and on multiple devices, but it was an issue with the site when trying to load my information. I had to contact support and they had to delink my US and JA accounts to fix the issue. The result of delinking the accounts was that all my purchases at the time become associated with my US account and none with my JA account (which I was fine with).
Maybe this won’t happen to you (hopefully it doesn’t!), but if it does, contacting their support can get it resolved. It might just take a few days and an escalation to get someone who can go off their customer service script.
This is good to know. Thank you @skymaiden. I think I’ll stick to good old fashioned paper!
1 Like
Paper versions are cheap and easy to get in Japan, you’re so lucky! 
2 Likes
I had an issue the first time I did it (wouldn’t let me update to CDN address), but solved it by closing, and then immediately re-opening my account (you don’t lose anything)… So yeah, I agree use it at your own risk. Haven’t had issues since the first time though… So I continue to live dangerously.
1 Like
Oh yes, of course, I never thought about that. Funny how you can soon take things for granted. Thanks again skymaiden!
3 Likes