Books from all eras provide us with knowledge, inspiring emotional reactions that bring color to our lives. Yet as the internet grows, bookstores and shelves are vanishing from our streets and homes. Modern creators are bringing new ideas to bookshops and libraries. From a library run by local residents, to a store that provides in-depth background to a single volume, and even a library that revolves around the local landscape. Discover the myriad new designs that shape spaces around books. Explore the many facets of our relationship with books.
Hi, everyone. Where do you buy books these days?
Well, I'm guessing the answer is 'the internet' for a lot of folks.
You know, this led to libraries and bookstores setting up some interesting new projects.
Let's find out more.
Books provide us with knowledge and entertainment.
All you need to do is pick one up and turn the pages.
Today, spaces that offer physical books are coming back into the spotlight.
This library is run entirely by locals.
This one is built into its local landscape.
Let's explore what spaces shaped around books can offer us.
An old-fashioned shopping arcade.
I'm told there's a private library
somewhere nearby.
Yaizu in Shizuoka prefecture is one of Japan's top fishing ports.
I'm at the railway station shopping arcade, not far from the harbor.
It's home to a unique library.
Hello.
- Shoes off here?
- Yes, please.
I smell wood, lovely.
These handmade-feeling wooden shelves.
This is rather unusual...
A shelf full of books about cats, along with a little feline ornament.
Guidebooks on onsen hot springs, alongside some bath salts.
What charming touches!
- Hello.
- Hi, hello!
- I'm Dohi.
- A pleasure, I'm Andy.
- Welcome to the library.
- Thanks for having me.
- A community library?
- We call it SANCACU.
It's very unusual to take off your shoes
in a library.
And I love all the wood.
Yes, the floor, walls, and shelving
are all made from Shizuoka lumber.
- Such attention to detail!
- Thank you.
So how does this work?
You have these cubic spaces.
I see a lot of handwritten messages.
Yes, these boxes are
a key feature of our library.
Each one is owned by
a different bookshelf owner.
For $14 a month you can have your own shelf.
And let people borrow books.
For a monthly fee, locals can put whatever books they like on their shelf, along with any related merchandise and messages.
Borrowers pay a one-time fee of 300 yen, around two dollars to join, and can borrow up to five books a month for no further cost.
Each person can arrange their
own shelves like a librarian.
Some only feature their favorite authors.
Others focus on a theme.
Everyone has a unique approach.
The so-called ownership system began with just a dozen or so boxes.
The pleasure of designing one's own shelf proved very popular.
Three and a half years after opening, there are now 65 boxes of books.
Some are popular enough that there's a waiting list!
This shelf displays a miniature papercraft house.
Kusunoki-san owns this shelf.
I'm Andy, nice to meet you.
How are you?
Hi, Andy. It's a pleasure.
May I ask about your theme?
I love crafting, so
my books feature papercrafts.
Or working with plastic.
Books I like, by my favorite authors.
You also hold workshops?
It grew out of my hobbies.
If it's a children's facility,
I focus on projects kids can make.
But I do enjoy more complex
creations for adults too.
I like sharing the fun.
What drew you to become
a bookshelf owner here?
I'm not a Yaizu local. I'm here
by myself for work.
I was a little lonely and was
looking for a community space.
That makes total sense.
Coming here on my days off gave me
a chance to chat to new folks.
A place to relax for both shelf owners and borrowers.
Dohi was born and raised in Yaizu.
He set up a non-profit group while at university.
As he worked to build spaces for junior and senior high-school students, he turned to revitalizing the town itself.
Many regional cities in Japan are seeing their core industries fade away.
In competition with suburban shopping malls, Yaizu's station shopping arcade lies mostly quiet.
A private library was one way to help reinvigorate the community.
Dohi gathered funds, and built the interior and shelves with the help of other locals.
What inspired you to set up
a library like this one?
- It was a visit to Germany.
- Germany?
I learned all about urban
revitalization efforts there.
I saw people use public spaces
all the time, as a matter of course.
They managed their own parks.
In Japan, people seem more likely
to think of themselves as customers.
They don't take ownership.
SANCACU is about building and
maintaining our public spaces.
Social experiments in a
privately creating public spaces.
The library is one of those experiments.
Was the "ownership" system
part of your original plan?
At first, I was going to do it myself.
But the library has to pay rent,
water, and energy bills.
So then I considered a shared
library with rented out shelves.
I talked to a lot of people.
About nine in ten folks reacted
like they were being conned.
They didn't trust it!
They really didn't.
But some folks were interested.
The shelf owners feel this
is "their" library.
A sense of ownership.
I can see how that links
to the idea of participation.
I thought shelf owners might like
to keep an eye on the place too.
So I told them they were allowed
to look over the library as well.
How did they react to that?
A lot of folks wanted to.
- Really?
- They did.
Minding the library - sounds fun!
Dohi has come up with a system that gives everyone involved a central role.
If visitors want snacks, they're free to bring some.
Building a comfortable space is also a way to connect people.
And drawing people into the library brings new energy to the whole arcade.
Since the library opened, 22 new stores have opened up nearby.
I think that this is a new approach
to self-governance.
Our sense of ownership for our home
towns has faded over the years.
It's time for us to recognize that
this is "our" shopping arcade.
Taking part in SANCACU is the same idea.
I want it to be a hub for greater
participation in Yaizu itself.
Right.
A private library in which everyone can participate.
Dohi's ideas are connecting people with books, and with other people!
A quiet street in Tokyo's Ginza neighborhood.
It's home to an extremely unusual bookstore.
Take a look around. What stands out?
That's right - the store has just one book on display.
This is the owner Morioka Yoshiyuki.
He had this unusual idea during his time running a regular bookstore.
Several times a year, publishers
hold PR events for a new book.
People would visit for that one book
and form a community around it.
Both author and readers loved it.
A happy environment for everyone.
I thought that such events might
stand alone, without the shop.
The book on sale changes every week.
And the interior is also updated to match.
This cookbook was sold alongside baked treats that it featured - an expression of the greater world the book contains.
For this artbook, tote bags with prints from its pages lined the walls, like a gallery.
Visitors come to the store
from all over the world.
From all over Japan too. It's great.
They all bring their own opinions.
Some even compare the store
to a traditional teahouse.
Morioka prepares the book, decorates the interior, and awaits his guests.
Much like a tea master preparing a bowl of tea...
...and arranging the perfect hanging scroll and floral decoration for his guests.
This is the spirit of Japan's way of tea.
Only, visitors soak up the pleasure of a single volume instead of a cup of matcha.
Today's selection is a picture book titled "Oil Beetle," by Tateno Hiroshi.
A newly born oil beetle sets off on a dangerous journey to save its species.
The delicate artwork captures the insect's growth.
Author Tateno is visiting the store to greet customers.
One young man gazes at the book's art on the walls.
These works showcase the delicate brushwork that adds a gleam to the body and segmented antennas.
I thought such detailed work needed
lots of tools, but not at all!
I only use this type of brush.
My teacher recommended it
and I stuck with it.
- Even this one?
- Yeah, this one too.
An intimate experience between author and reader, that digs deep into a single book from multiple perspectives.
The store opened eight years ago.
Since the pandemic, visitors have started to return.
When he didn't share a language with a customer, Morioka drew them pictures.
The exhibited book is
a way to foster communication.
That perspective makes me
feel very grateful.
A place for serendipitous meetings.
I'm excited to see which book Morioka will showcase next!
Matsubara, in Osaka Prefecture.
I'm here to visit an unusual new community-driven library.
I'm told it's deeply rooted
in local history.
Time to find out what exactly that means!
Takano-san and Morita-san?
- I'm Morita.
- I'm Takano.
- A pleasure!
- Thanks for visiting!
Thank you for having me.
Architects Takano Yohei and Morita Sachiko designed this library.
They work as a team and specialize in public architecture.
I spotted an unusual building and
knew I was in the right place.
Extraordinary!
It's so unexpected and dynamic!
Like it just fell to earth.
So this is your library?
Really interesting.
Can you talk me through the concept?
It's like it's floating on the water.
Matsubara has a lot of reservoirs.
Like this?
Yes, the city has many
artificial ponds like this.
They're part of the landscape.
Interesting.
They're in parks and people love them.
So instead of filling this one,
we chose to build on top of it.
We suggested having the library
and the water share a space.
That must have been quite
a technical challenge, surely?
How did you approach it?
We wanted it to feel like a piece
of infrastructure rather than a building.
Matsubara has lots of reservoirs
but also many ancient kofun tombs.
- They're common here.
- That's true, yes.
So that played a major role
in our library design as well.
"Kofun" tombs are mounded burial sites for important historical figures.
Most were built between 200 and 700 CE.
"Kofun" tombs come in many sizes, but in this part of Japan, many were surrounded by water.
Today locals often enjoy them as quiet, relaxing places.
Compare them to the Matsubara library.
It's also surrounded by water, and the shape is similar, too.
It fits well with the local homes.
It does.
We want the library to be
a lasting monument, if not a tomb.
It really does seem to blend into
the landscape. People enjoy it.
- Seamless.
- I hope so.
May I look around inside?
Sure!
- Let's go.
- After you.
Matsubara has a long history of public libraries with regular events, such as children's book readings.
Takano and Morita wanted to ensure their library would be embraced by residents.
This is a lovely open space.
And surprisingly bright!
The window-to-wall ratio is
actually only 11%.
But we made each window very large.
There's a window in every direction
so it feels bright and airy.
- Your design captures
a lot of natural light.
- Yes.
The main floor is about
a meter below here.
It makes standing here
feel quite significant.
Oh yes!
A commanding view, like a hilltop.
You see it all before you.
The shelving is unusual too.
There are a lot of books so
the shelves are pretty high.
We raised the end pieces to give
visitors an idea of where things are.
They're higher.
It's like the label is raising its hand.
- It is too.
- That was the goal.
There are books everywhere.
But the shelves are positioned
to welcome you deeper inside.
I like it.
The west-facing seats with a view over the pond are already an iconic part of the library.
- May I sit here?
- Please do!
Lovely! Such a rare space.
The floor here and the water are
actually at the same height.
I'm so impressed!
You're right, they're the same.
We're facing west, so in the afternoon
light reflects off the water.
It sparkles on the ceiling.
Oh yes, how beautiful!
It moves further back
over the afternoon.
The shelves are carefully positioned at radiating angles.
We wanted to draw people further
inside, like a current.
This large window is also key.
As you were saying.
The breeze crosses the river
and enters through the window.
The shelves don't block it
but instead guide it upwards.
Oh, up there? I see!
The people and the breeze
travel the same pathways.
That's really interesting!
- So this is the upstairs.
- That's right, yes.
We used a staggered floor
to create three areas.
- How interesting!
- This divides the spaces.
It's a huge shared space. We wanted
people to be able to see one another.
It creates a shared awareness.
- I see.
- Yes.
The staggered floors create a very open, airy atmosphere.
The building required walls that were 60 centimeters thick!
These walls also help protect the books from any humidity from the pond.
The archives are over there.
Closed to the public.
- Usually hidden, right?
- Exactly.
Why did you choose
to make them so visible?
Most libraries have a lot more books
in their archives than on shelves.
But people don't see them.
- So they're not inspired
to ask for those books.
- True.
We wanted visitors to see
how many more books there are.
That's wonderful.
- It's open at the top.
- For the airflow?
There are reading seats scattered around the library so visitors can find their favorite spot.
The spaces encourage readers to relax with their books.
The children's area is located on the third floor, so kids can chat and make noise as they read.
The roof space?
It's often overlooked, right?
It is.
This is open to visitors?
Yes, it's just above the kids' floor.
Younger kids come here to chat
and do homework, or play games.
What a fun space.
The walls are a little higher
here, for their safety.
Lower, and parents won't want
kids to come up on their own.
- It'd feel risky.
- I think so.
- They're like castle walls.
- Very thick.
It feels protected.
How do you want people to treat
this library? Locals and users.
I'd love for anyone
to feel that it's theirs.
It's Matsubara's civic library.
A public space, it "is" theirs.
There was a history here
of moms reading to kids.
That inspired the libraries.
Libraries really belong to residents.
Especially with the local history.
I hope this library
continues that tradition.
That's wonderful.
I hope it becomes a part of
local children's memories.
Not to stand out, but to become
part of their memories of home.
Maybe they'll grow up taking
this kind of library for granted!
- Perhaps they will!
- I hope!
- That'd be nice.
- Right?
- Architecture's role is key.
- I agree.
I've really enjoyed my visit.
Thank you very much.
- Thank you.
- Thanks so much.
A wide array of new ways to discover books.
I find it wonderful how each of these spaces nurtures a community spirit.