In Tokyo Shinjuku, you can find one of Japan’s largest bookstores, the “Kinokuniya Bookstore.” It’s a franchise bookstore found throughout Japan, with its main store located in Shinjuku. Comparing it to South Korea, it’s akin to the feeling you get from major bookstores like Kyobo Bookstore, and the main store has a vibe similar to Kyobo Bookstore Gwanghwamun Branch.
Kinokuniya Bookstore Main Store in Tokyo Shinjuku
Just as major cities in South Korea have large bookstores, it seems the same is true in Japan. In prominent areas, you can find these large franchise bookstores. In Japan, it appears that the role played by Kyobo Bookstore or Youngpoong Bookstore in South Korea is fulfilled by “Kinokuniya” bookstores.
The scale of Kinokuniya Bookstore Main Store is considerable, fitting for a main store. With a total of eight floors, including the basement, the bookstore features a diverse range of books on each floor, organized by various themes. Each floor is quite spacious, and exploring all of them thoroughly would undoubtedly take a considerable amount of time.
Due to time constraints, our group only managed to visit the first floor and the basement, where English books were displayed.
English Book Section in the Basement
Similar to bookstores in South Korea, most spaces in Japanese bookstores primarily offer books written in Japanese. For foreigners, especially those not proficient in Japanese, the options for purchasing books are limited. However, in the basement, English books are displayed, and you can find quite a variety of them.
While South Korean bookstores often have limited selections in their original language book sections, in Japan, there seemed to be a more significant demand, featuring a diverse range of original and translated books. An interesting observation was that one entire section of the wall was dedicated to English versions of Japanese manga. It appeared that there was considerable interest among Westerners in Japanese manga.
Additional Kinokuniya Bookstore Annex
Kinokuniya Bookstore Main Store, being already sizable, has an annex. Exiting from the north of the main store leads to the annex, situated in the alley where the “ADHOC” building, known as the background location for Slam Dunk, is located.
In the annex, you can find a variety of books as well. On the second floor, there’s an entire section dedicated to manga, filling an entire floor. Additionally, you can find manga books in both Japanese and English here.
Japan is renowned for its animation, and this diverse array of manga content may be a reflection of the strength of this animation culture. Furthermore, considering that Japan still has more people who prefer analog over digital compared to South Korea, it’s likely that bookstores can maintain their large scale.
Kinokuniya Bookstore in Tokyo Shinjuku:
- Address: 3 Chome-17-７ Shinjuku, Shinjuku-ku, Tōkyō-to 163-8636, Japan
- Phone: +81 3-3354-0131
- Website: Kinokuniya Shinjuku Main Store
- Operating Hours: 10:00 – 21:00