This book, which Barthes himself called 'the happiest' of all his books, was inspired by his trips to Japan and, more broadly, by the 'Japanese text' of his life: his early fascination with haiku, later calligraphy, bunraku theater, and so on. It is Barthes's 'illustrated guide' to the country (both real and imaginary) where he dreamed of living but never managed to settle. The Russian translation of 'Empire of Signs,' first published in 2004, is published in a new edition and supplemented with detailed commentary and an afterword by the translator and editor.