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Japan's book scene is quietly moving from bookstores to libraries
- ionwake 13d agoI liked the article. Everytime I discoered a unique place I want to tell the world about it and then I realize that could ruin it so I dont. Its ironic
- darknavi 10d agoIt reminds of one of the later scenes from Secret Life of Walter Mitty when Sean (photographer) decides not to take a picture of the elusive snow leopard in front of them. > Walter Mitty: Are you going to take it? > Sean O'Connell: Sometimes I don't. If I like a moment, for me, personally, I don't like to have the distraction of the camera. I just want to stay in it. > Walter Mitty: Stay in it? > Sean O'Connell: Yeah. Right there. Right here.
- ionwake 9d agoI really liked that film.
- FlowingRiver 10d agoVery true. If everyone on the planet was allowed to walk over the great pyramids of Egypt, they would be pounded into dust. Sometimes it is better just to observe and move on.
- ionwake 9d agoagreed
- jimbokun 9d agoSometimes those places die out from lack of visitors.
- ionwake 9d agotrust me , my places only remain because of a lack of visitors. it only takes one to ruin a beautiful spot. it also means the only people to see it are ones worthy enough to have found it on their own. I like that. I would share with like minded others but only if I trust them. shame I find it hard to motivate myself to grow my social circle, there should be a club maybe I should make one, but noone would want to join it lol not knowing what cool stuff we could share I mean I even discover things that would blow my mind and then I realise most people would say something like " oh thats odd or naughty I dont like you or that", as in maybe I find a river with huge lilypads that I can take a nap on. I just know the most of the readers would be annoyed for some reason and might even do something that would bring negative attention to it and get the river closed or studied or something that would remove it from the environment. I just feel surrounded by narow minded idiots, and a few highly intelligent psychos. I feel that in some cases I would only share info if I was paid but then noone would never even think to ask me. Which is weird. As I could do with a dollar for a cup of coffee. Who knows. I probably wouldnt even do it for money.
- Molitor5901 10d agoIt would be interesting if libraries also operated, say, cafes. Rules apply of course, but it might create a job and add something extra to a library.
- ktallett 10d agoJapan already has a range of cafes that let you read books, manga, or listen to music
- UncleOxidant 10d agoThere's a library in the neighboring suburb that has a little cafe in the lobby.
- jaw 10d agoWhen visiting Delft in the Netherlands I was extremely jealous that the library there not only had a cafe, but that the cafe served wine and the whole place was open until like 11pm. Haven’t encountered anything like that in the US.
- therealdrag0 9d agoOh wow I remember having the same feeling there. I had forgotten about that, thanks for the memory.
- LtWorf 10d agoI think at least a couple do have cafes here in Göteborg
- TulliusCicero 10d agoThis would definitely be a great thing to add. One thing that I don't like about American culture is that people are a little too hesitant about adding 'retail' into publicly-owned spaces. There's a reflexive attitude of that being A Bad Thing, even though most Americans who visit, say, Japan, really appreciate the various shops and kiosks they have in transit stations over there. I also really enjoyed in Germany when at the top of some hike there'd be an inn+restaurant, something Americans seem to treat as nearly anathema.
- akman 10d agoAs the author noted, I see libraries becoming more and more centers of community, notably in the Bay Area (California, USA). Just check out the events at all of the Santa Clara County library system (8 libraries that share books): https://sccl.bibliocommons.com/v2/events?_gl=1*11u0hec*_ga*MTI0MTAxODk0NS4xNzg2NTEyMjY1*_ga_G99DMMNG39*czE3ODk1OTQ5MTMkbzMkZzAkdDE3ODk1OTQ5MTQkajU5JGwwJGgw*_ga_C5XQHLX1NN*czE3ODk1OTQ5MTMkbzMkZzAkdDE3ODk1OTQ5MTQkajU5JGwwJGgw*_ga_C79ES1D7Q4*czE3ODcyODU5NjUkbzIkZzAkdDE3ODcyODU5NjUkajYwJGwwJGgw https://sccl.bibliocommons.com/v2/events?_gl=1*11u0hec*_ga*M... Many events aren't even book related-- see events for Lego building, homework help, even Dungeons and Dragons events. I wonder if there's a resurgence across the world where libraries are places of community sharing.
- alephnerd 10d agoWhen I was a kid in the 1990s and 2000s, libraries were already de facto community centers as well in the Bay, LA, and BC.
- carabiner 10d agoIn Seattle they're mostly homeless shelters.
- popalchemist 10d agoIn LA, it's about 50/50. But in case you aren't aware, this is one of the purposes of libraries.
- cube00 10d agoDepends on the library. If you appear to be sleeping, staff will check on your welfare, and wake you up. https://www.spl.org/about-us/policies/community-use-agreement https://www.spl.org/about-us/policies/community-use-agreemen...
- popalchemist 9d agoI don't mean it's a shelter for them in the literal sense. As in a place to sleep. It IS however meant to be a safe harbor - a place they are welcome to simply EXIST. Ask google "is the ethos of libraries to help the homeless" Here's what it says: The core ethos of libraries is to provide universal, equitable access to information, resources, and safe spaces for all members of a community, including people experiencing homelessness. While public libraries are not specifically designed to be homeless shelters or social service agencies, their foundational commitment to inclusivity means they naturally serve as a vital lifeline for marginalized populations. This has always been the case.
- swingandamiss 10d ago[flagged]
- phoghed 10d agoUser name relevant
- rjh29 10d agoIt's true. But I'm just happy it's not another AI post
- deleted 10d ago[deleted]
- FlowingRiver 10d agoA wild take I have seen was "Japan is the white mans Wakanda". It is a rough way of saying something important. There are many parts of Japanese culture that is seen as desirable and aspirational to others. The sense of social cohesion and politeness that is projected is seen as a good thing. Yes, the reality is more rough than is projected, Japan has its issues just like everywhere else. But when looking in from the outside, there are a lot of things that can be seen as goals for others to achieve. This is the same reason why we are seeing a lot more positive takes on China nowadays. The image of a society that is progressing in a way considered desirable. It grabs folks attention, there is also the novelty of it all as it these of nations that look similar but different.
- wredcoll 10d agoIt's a good point but I'd argue having something to aspire to is a good thing, even if it's fictional. To steal and paraphrase "the important thing about fiction isn't that you see that dragons exist, it's that you learn that they can be defeated". Of course trying to emulate something you think is desirable based on false pretenses is its own problem, but that gets complicated.
- tokioyoyo 9d agoNot to play into the bait, but there are a lot of people here who live in Japan. Funnily, during JST work hours, I notice more jp related posts in the front page, because well, NA is sleeping.
- NeutralCrane 10d agoThe most interesting thing in the article to me is that there was a dual library/bookstore, and that it’s privately owned. I don’t think I’ve encountered a library that wasn’t publicly owned in the US.
- cwnyth 10d agoIn the US, private libraries tend to be non-circulating, archival, specialist, or owned by private schools.
- AraceliHarker 10d agoClaiming Takeo City Library is a private operation is factually incorrect because it is strictly "publicly owned" by the city government. In fact, the city owns the land and building, and pays the private company, Culture Convenience Club (CCC), a management fee from local tax revenues to run the public library. Conversely, CCC pays monthly rent to the city to operate the Starbucks and bookstore inside. Since the entire facility is publicly owned and funded by taxpayers, CCC has zero ownership and is merely a contracted operator.
- alephnerd 10d ago> The most interesting thing in the article to me is that there was a dual library/bookstore... At least in California, libraries often have a community run used bookstore whose proceeds are used to help the library run community programming.
- trollbridge 9d agoAround here the library sales are often $5 per box of books. Sometimes you can bid on an entire dumpster load.
- deleted 9d ago[deleted]
- rafram 9d agoNone of the libraries in New York City are publicly owned. NYPL, BPL, and QPL are all private nonprofits that receive public funding. It’s an odd arrangement.
- CharlieDigital 10d agoI recently had a similar episode as the author in another east Asia country: Taiwan. Found myself in Taitung (along the much less densely populated, remote east coast) with several inches of rain forecast. Spent the day at the Taitung County Public Library [0] and it was a very pleasant public space which had more tourists than patrons! Shots of the interior for anyone interested (surprisingly Scandinavian): https://youtu.be/gq8xlk_JEG4?t=108 https://youtu.be/gq8xlk_JEG4?t=108 [0] https://maps.app.goo.gl/tnEvHQLMNBGAnMWF9 https://maps.app.goo.gl/tnEvHQLMNBGAnMWF9
- georgefrowny 9d agoI tried browsing bookstores on the mainland but found basically all the books are shrinkwrapped in plastic. Very boring indeed (but the covers are nice I guess). Is Taiwan similar?
- CharlieDigital 9d agoNot the case!
- Sweepline 10d agoMakes sense; libraries are the original 'subscription service' for knowledge. Good for sustainability and reader access.
- ChickeNES 10d ago> Are you a book lover? > If you are, I suspect you already do this: when you travel abroad, you find yourself walking into a local bookstore. > I do it everywhere, not only in Japan but also abroad. My shelves hold some Chinese and Russian books even though I cannot read a word of them. A bookstore is one of the best places to understand the local culture: what people there are curious about, what they worry about, what they love. This sounds more like a fetish for physical books to me? I find it bizarre myself, books are just knowledge containers, if you can't read them...what's the point?
- xoxxala 10d agoI do something similar with boardgames. I like to import foreign language games or pick them when traveling. They don’t need to be in English for me to enjoy and appreciate them. I have games from Germany, France, Spain, Japan, China, Brazil, and the UK. My favorite is Kolejka, a Polish game about queuing at nearly empty stores during communism. https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/85325/kolejka https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/85325/kolejka
- rtpg 9d agoBook covers, seeing what kinda stuff is being talked about, the general vibe of the space itself. Lots of fun to be had wandering about, and unless you're looking at a thing where the script is really indecipherable you can kinda figure out what the topic du jour is even in foreign languages. It's fun to look at book covers and imagine what's in the contents too.
- criddell 9d ago> books are just knowledge containers For you, that's the case. Books can also be a souvenir of a time and place or a person or even just an objet d'art. One example is the family bible that's passed down from one generation to the next. That book might contain handwriting of your grand parents recording the birth of your mom. Surely you can see how that might be special to somebody?
- ChickeNES 9d ago> One example is the family bible that's passed down from one generation to the next. That book might contain handwriting of your grand parents recording the birth of your mom. Surely you can see how that might be special to somebody? A personal artifact is a much different thing from some random book at a bookstore (personally, I'd rather explore the sights, take photographs, and make my own memories, not come back with someone else's). I also personally own thousands of books, they are a pain in the ass, and every day I consider liquidating most of them in favor of ebooks. I have too many to even consider treating them as art.
- tolerance 10d agoI can see this catching on in the US with a lot of cultural exceptions that would amplify the library as an either an ideological battleground or sanctuary.
- pullstart 10d agoAlways enjoyed browsing Japanese bookstores, but libraries certainly make books more accessible. It's like the ultimate physical subscription service.
- Starlevel004 10d ago[flagged]
- rmason 9d agoWe have an excellent library in East Lansing. My sister and I went there every week with our late Mother when we were kids. I was in there recently at an AI meeting and I noticed that it was changing into a bit of a community hub as well. Wouldn't have ever thought of it as a meeting place for user groups but they are starting to actively encourage it. I saw it as a very positive development. During COVID they advertised that anyone could use their parking lot for the free Wi-Fi. They must have had the coverage cause the rather large parking lot was packed. They must have tuned it because I sure can't get coverage in most of the parking lots of the fast food franchises where most of their customers these days only use drive-thru.
- jagged-chisel 9d agoThe fast food franchises are likely less interested in loiterers than customer turnover.
- henrywangxf 9d agoThat's Japan in its own style!
- layman51 9d ago> A library with 100,000 visitors in a town of only 9,000 people That reminds me that there is a library that I believe became a bit viral on social media and now it seems like it receives so many visitors to the surrounding area and it is still quiet, but it is funny because it seems way more crowded and there's way more movement that I remember in the past. That's why with this post, I sort of wonder whether this is something that these towns really want to have. I am under the impression that in Japan, they generally want visitors, but then they probably end up with issues from people not knowing what to do and even behaving badly.
- _carbyau_ 9d agoI'm divided. On the one hand, a quiet, unobtrusive cafe in the library seems nice. On the other hand, I like the library precisely because it has so little of the advertising/commercial bullshit of every day. A cafe AND a bookstore trying to sell you stuff feels over the line.
- muyuu 9d agoi guess they're in relatively separate spaces? that's how it's like in my local area in the UK I'm finding that libraries in the UK outside of big cities are resembling those in the article, just nowhere near as popular, and with a more pedestrian book selection
- socalgal2 9d agoStarbucks in bookstores? Hasn't that been a thing at Barnes and Noble for 35 years? Tsutaya has been trying to re-invent itself because yea, it's main businesses, video rental, video/DVD sales, and music CD sales died to digital/streaming. It's not clear it's succeeding. It's unclear how they are doing. They pivoted to bookstore + starbucks + luxury stationery + lifestyle goods. Recently they've been trying co-working spaces "Share Lounge", you can pay by the hour or get monthly subscriptions. Whether this will prevent them from dying is not clear at all. As for libraries, yes, turning them into community centers sounds great! That said, I think the blog post is jumping to lots of unfounded conclusions.
- timr 9d agoHonestly, the share lounge idea is not a bad one, at least in the major cities. It can be pretty difficult to find a working space that isn't a tiny pod or a monthly commitment. That said, the only Tsutaya share lounge I've seen was basically a glorified Starbucks, which is not so appealing.
- abecedarius 9d agoThe Austin main library has a large cafe on the ground floor. Good combo, though I liked the pre-covid one better. Maybe there should be two!
- kidnoodle 9d agoMy local library collocates with a cinema these days - I, and many others, were originally super sceptical about this, mostly because the arrangement made a public service and space sort beholden to a commercial entity. Happily in practice it has turned out to be great, and the combined space operates really effectively as a community ‘third space’. Obviously because of the private sector aspect of this there’s a significant risk in terms of how sustainable it is, but moderated somewhat by the council owning the actual building both live in.
- niemandhier 9d agoLibraries are one of the few places where one is allowed to exists for free, that also have a limited amount of infrastructure.
- tecleandor 9d agoSome corrections to the article... The first example, Takeo City library, wasn't opened by Tsutaya in 2013. That's a public (government) library that already existed from 2000, remodeled, and when reopening in 2013 they partnered with Tsutaya so they could have a small books/stationery shop in the library. There's a Starbucks too... I think Tsutaya might be managing part of the library, but it's not like they opened a library. Seems like it's a program that Tsutaya is doing around the country, some sort of public/private arrangements where they do management and they add a small shop. I have mixed feelings about it, and I hope the libraries don't depend on Tsutaya's funding. For me libraries should be a totally public endeavor, and their decisions on policies or titles shouldn't be on risk because of funding pressure. A couple links in English... https://www.publiclibrariesnews.com/users/guest-posts/the-ccctsutaya-library-miracle-in-japan-combined-bookshop-libraries https://www.publiclibrariesnews.com/users/guest-posts/the-cc... https://publishingperspectives.com/2015/10/in-japan-a-gorgeous-library-leads-to-garbage-books/ https://publishingperspectives.com/2015/10/in-japan-a-gorgeo...
- lateatdesk 9d agoFound a 2015 statement from Takeo explaining that planned spending on books had been cut by more than half to pay for safety work on the shelving, and CCC also acknowledged that it should have chosen the books more carefully.