icon. 
Being only recommended at most German universities (e.g. Heidelberg) open access publishing is becoming more important and is obligational by law in case of the research which was funded by public funding agencies. At Heidelberg University different kinds of open access publishing options are available, e.g. heiDOK, heiBOOKS, heiJOURNALS and heiUP which are open to all disciplines.
Dr. Amano was especially interested in heiUP which is a hybrid between publishing open access and actual book printing. HeiUP publications span from peer-reviewed outstanding PhD-thesis to publications by institutions (e.g. Cluster of Excellence Asia and Europe Heidelberg) and renowned academics. It offers services like copy-editing and typesetting which usually has to be done or paid for by the authors themselves. The publications can be found on the heiUP website as PDF and HTML including functions like cross-reference and improved search. The print versions are available both as paperbacks but also high-quality hardbacks. They are produced print-on-demand and therefore have very reasonable prices.
This exchange of ideas can help to stimulate Kyoto University’s engagement in open access as one of the first universities in Japan, and thereby can encourage publications and offer a better environment for social science and humanities students and researchers.
