“Kinokuniya Bookstore” is Japan’s largest bookstore, with its main branch located in Shinjuku, Tokyo. If we were to draw a comparison with Korea, it can be likened to a franchise bookstore similar to Kyobo Bookstore in Korea.
“Japan’s Largest Bookstore, Kinokuniya Bookstore”
Just as you can find large bookstores in major city areas in Korea, it seemed the same in Japan. In key areas, you can find large franchise bookstores, and in Japan, “Kinokuniya” seemed to play a role similar to Kyobo or Youngpoong Bookstore in Korea.
I had visited the Kinokuniya Bookstore in Shinjuku the day before, but a friend who was with me mentioned that there were a few more books they wanted to buy. So, we decided to visit the Kinokuniya Shibuya Store once again.
- Tokyo Shinjuku “Kinokuniya Bookstore Main Store”: Kinokuniya Bookstore Main Store in Tokyo Shinjuku
“Visit to Kinokuniya Shibuya Store in Tokyo”
Since we were exploring Tokyo Shibuya at the time, we looked for the nearby Kinokuniya Shibuya Store. Compared to the main store in Tokyo, this branch was smaller. It only used one floor, so the variety of books available was not as extensive.
Most of the books were written in Japanese, but in some sections, you could find books in English. However, the selection wasn’t very extensive, and as a foreigner, there weren’t many options for book purchases, which was a bit disappointing.
While the main store dedicates an entire floor to an English corner, the Shibuya branch only had a section of one wall allocated as an English corner.
Nevertheless, revisiting a Japanese bookstore allowed me to experience the atmosphere of Japanese bookstores once again. There wasn’t a significant difference from bookstores in Korea, and similar to Korea, Japan also had a wide variety of exam-related books.
“Japan Tokyo, Shibuya Kinokuniya Bookstore”
- Address: 1F Seibu Shibuya Store Parking Building, 21-1 Udagawacho, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo 150-0042, Japan
- Phone: +81 3-5784-3561
- Website: Kinokuniya Shibuya Store
- Business Hours: 10:00 – 21:00