A new picture book by manga artist Taro Yabe, "Sannen Netaroro," is coming from Kodansha around November 16, 2026.
A Nostalgic Yet New Fairy Tale by Taro Yabe That Puts Readers at Ease
The story's hero isn't "Taro" — it's "Taroro."
Even a fairy tale everyone already knows becomes this warm and endearing once it's filtered through Taro Yabe's distinctive touch.
So during a busy stretch of days, take a little break with Taroro!
Taro Yabe — whose manga series 「大家さんと僕」has sold more than 1.4 million copies and moved readers across Japan with its portrait of an unusual bond with his landlady — is publishing his first original picture book.
Based on 「三年寝たろろ」("Sannen Netaroro"), an installment of the 「おとぎのたろろ」series he has been serializing since 2023 in Kodansha's magazine for young children, "Genki," Yabe reworked the story into picture-book form and painted the entire book in watercolor for the first time.
In an era that, since the pandemic, has come to prize efficiency and where "time performance" and "cost performance" are everywhere praised, the book's hero, "Sannen Netaroro," simply keeps sleeping — through rain, through festival commotion, as the months and years go by.
In Taroro's steadfast sleep, undistracted by everything around him, readers today are bound to find themselves reconsidering what it really means to "live."
Above all, Yabe's gentle watercolor touch makes for a thoroughly soothing read. In recent years, Yabe has also succeeded as an artist with a major exhibition, 「ふたり 矢部太郎展」, at PLAY! MUSEUM (known as the "Museum of Pictures and Words") in Tachikawa, while also running his own one-person publishing house, Taro-sha.
The book's design is by Naoko Nakui, a book designer with a long working relationship with Yabe — she has designed his books including 「楽屋のトナくん」(Kodansha) and worked closely with him on 「光子ノート」, the first title published by his imprint, Taro-sha.
Starting November 28, original illustrations from "Sannen Netaroro" will also be on display at 「ぼくとお父さん展 〜 矢部太郎 と やべみつのり 〜」, an exhibition at the former Ozaki Theodora Residence — an old Western-style house that manga artist Kazumi Yamashita and others have turned into a gallery cafe.
The former Ozaki Theodora Residence
Picture Book Overview
「にっぽんたろろばなし さんねんねたろろ」("Sannen Netaroro")
By Taro Yabe
Planned release: around November 16, 2026
Planned price: ¥1,430 (tax included)
Exhibition Overview
Venue: The former Ozaki Theodora Residence
Dates: First half — November 28 (Saturday) to December 26, 2026 (Saturday); Second half — January 8 (Friday) to January 26, 2027 (Tuesday)
Note: Part of the exhibition will be swapped out between the first and second halves.
Organizer: Theodora House
Closed: every Thursday, plus the New Year holidays from December 27, 2026 (Sunday) to January 7, 2027 (Thursday)
Note: Please check the closing days before visiting.
Hours: 10:00 AM to 6:00 PM (last admission 5:30 PM)
https://ozakitheodora.com/gallery-post/yabetaro_yabemitsunori/
About Taro Yabe
Born in 1977 in Higashimurayama, Tokyo. A comedian, manga artist, and actor. In 1997, he formed the comedy duo "Karateka" and has worked as a comedian while also appearing on stage, in dramas, and in films as an actor. In 2017, he made his manga artist debut with 「大家さんと僕」, a manga depicting his relationship with the landlady of the room he rented. The work drew a big response and won the 22nd 手塚治虫文化賞 短編賞 in 2018. Since then he has continued to work energetically as a manga artist, publishing works including 「大家さんと僕 これから」, 「ぼくのお父さん」, 「楽屋のトナくん」, 「プレゼントでできている」, and 「ご自愛さん」. In 「ぼくのお父さん」, he depicts his childhood days with his father, Mitsunori Yabe, a picture-book and kamishibai (paper-theater) artist, portraying their relationship and his father's distinctive sensibility with a warm eye.
