More Bookstores in Japan Leasing Out Shelves

Tokyo, Nov. 26 (Jiji Press)–Japan has seen an increase in bookstores renting out shelves to allow book lovers to sell works they want to recommend, fostering communities of such people. Such bookstores “serve as local cultural hubs, while the total number of bookstores nationwide continues to decline,” an expert says. Honmaru Jinbocho, a bookstore in Tokyo’s Kanda Jinbocho secondhand bookstore district, has about 360 shelves. These shelves offer unique selections, such as picture books, historical novels and humor-related titles, reflecting the personalities of “shelf owners,” who sell books they curate themselves. Such shelf curators at Honmaru Jinbocho, who are mainly individuals in their 20s to 60s and publishers, pay initial costs, monthly rent and 5 pct of sales to the store. The appeal of rental shelf bookstores “lies in arrangements of books you never see in conventional bookstores,” said store manager Haru Shimokawa, 25. As an example, he referred to a shelf featuring anger management located next to one about romantic relationships among Thai girls. “You can discover a new world every time,” Shimokawa added. “It’s like a once-in-a-lifetime encounter, similar to a trip.” According to Shimokawa, the number of bookstores leasing out shelves to individuals began to increase around the 2010s, and there are now around 110 such stores nationwide. The biggest advantage of such stores is that a customer can become a bookseller for just a few thousand yen per month. Many shelf renters use the store as a place for self-expression rather than for profit, Shimokawa said. Naomi Okuyama, a 61-year-old picture book expert, rents a shelf to feature picture books for adults. She has held three book-reading events at Honmaru Jinbocho. “One of the pleasures of having a shelf is that it allows me to connect with people who love picture books, through my favorite titles,” Okuyama said. According to the All Japan Magazine and Book Publisher’s and Editor’s Association, the country had more than 20,000 bookstores in fiscal 2003. The total in fiscal 2024 was nearly half that level. If rental shelf bookstores are established in areas where bookstores have disappeared, “they will be cultural hubs where people can encounter books,” said Senshu University professor Yashio Uemura, an expert in publishing. “In addition, they will serve as places for local people to gather when events are held.” END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]