Field Trip: Kitazawa Book Store
I am finally back from my study abroad experience in Tokyo, Japan so it’s time to hit the ground running again! Of course, while I was abroad, I had to visit bookstores, because it’s just what I do.
I wrote a blog post a while back about “50 Must-Visit Beautiful Bookstores on Six Continents” which was originally compiled by BookRiot. In that list they had the bookstore Kitazawa and after a little bit of research, I found that it was just a 30 minute train ride from where I was studying. So, naturally, I went to visit as I couldn’t pass up this opportunity.
The bookstore was definitely an experience to visit.
First of all, it was in a used bookstore district. All of the stores on that side of the street were for used bookstores so it was such a wonderful street.
The first thing you saw on the way into the bookstore was this gorgeous display outside. I really loved the contrast between the blue books and the yellow flowers. It was really eye catching.
Heading inside, it was a nice entrance way so you knew that you had to expect something exciting!
And the door to the bookstore was beautiful. A nice, rich red. It had such an inviting look. Also the bookstore door was glass, which was different. You were able to clearly see inside as to what to expect.
Walking in you saw so many books! Unlike Pickwick, which was chaos but in a wonderful way, this bookstore was incredibly neat, down to the smallest thing.
You can clearly see how neatly it was all set up. Instead of having the discount books in piles, they were on rolling carts and even those that were on the floor were clearly stacked and in specific sections. It wasn’t messy at all.
Even their desk for checking out was covered in books all over the place! There was a slight disorganization because of just how many books that there were, and how many books that were waiting to be put out. But it was calming and you were easily able to browse around.
There was also a side of the room that had old bookshelves and really old books that were not for sale. They were just part of the ambiance of the shop.
The store was not busy at all. While I was there, there was only one other person in the store, and maybe one was coming in on the way out. So I’m honestly not sure how they survive as a bookstore. Of course some of their books were incredibly expensive.
An example was this book. You can just see how bit it was. It was massive! And this book would be an incredible table piece of something to show off in your home. But it was over $200 and there were many others similar, or old, that were of a comparable price. So I’m guessing when they sell a few of those, and since it’s a small bookstore, they do well.
Overall, this bookstore was amazing. I am so glad that I found time to go and visit the bookstore while I was in Tokyo. Who knows when i will be back next and I had to visit somewhere that BookRiot had said was good!
Have you visited here?
