Details of the Initiative

In our study group, we learn the relationship between media surrounding people’s lives and lifestyle and culture. For example, will paper books, which are now an old form of media, be replaced by the Internet and information as time goes on? As there are no easy answers, we have been trying to learn about the profound world of used books (paper books, of course) in our activity.

We walk to the innermost area of a used bookstore, attempting to get into the profound world of book piles that physically exist there—the world of a used bookstore. Each used bookstore has its own unique area of expertise, and we experience the wonder of getting lost in that world.

We have also begun to explore a new type of bookstores called “joint” or “shared” bookstores, which aim to bring people together through secondhand books. Recently, this type of bookstore has been gradually expanding. Walking into these stores, we explore the possibilities of meeting and communicating with people through books, as well as new forms of communication and reading culture for readers that emerge when people attached to books and spaces created by people meet.

At a shared bookstore that was the brainchild of KASHIMA Shigeru, Emeritus Professors of Meiji University. Taking a look at each of the shelves, I found myself going around the store several times. One shelf had works of famous authors and critics, and another had booklets related to minority culture (perhaps unique ones that you cannot find at retail stores). I enjoyed encounters with various books.
There was also a shelf run by Meiji University alumni. You may be able to imagine how a school mate is doing now, just by coming to look at the shelves.
At a budding shared bookstore. One shelf is for selling novels that the shelf owner wrote, and another shelf had a collection of local photo books. The bookstore style is a medium for local communities and individuals to freely express themselves and connect with people who are receptive to it. Through books, I have discovered places for sharing information on a small human scale, yet in each unique way.
(3) I suppose the store owner’s particular taste is conveyed to the shelf owners. This shared secondhand bookstore has a counterculture atmosphere. The music in the store also spices up your encounters with books. While I enjoy the time immersing myself in pondering over each book, I feel a sense of warmth, finding the store’s characters peeking out from the sides. You can also enjoy art exhibitions in the open space.