Hi! It’s konkaz (@konkazuk).
During the summer, my wife was holding an exhibition in her hometown in Wakayama Prefecture. While exploring unfamiliar parts of the city with my kids to pass the time, we came across an amazing bookstore.
Back in London, I couldn’t get that bookstore out of my head, so I wrote a blog post about it.
After passing through the arcade… Whoa, what is this bookstore!?
Whenever I return to Japan for a short visit, I stay at my wife’s family home in Shimotsu for a few weeks. And when we head into Wakayama City, I always make sure to stop by “Crossroad”, a record store in the shopping street called Burakuri-dori.
It’s always a pleasant surprise that the store manager remembers me, despite the fact that I only visit once every few years. And at this store, I almost always find what I’m looking for.
However, this time the timing was bad… Apparently, just before I came, a collector from China bought up a lot of records, and the jazz section was almost “empty”.
“Such a bummer… “.
Even though I was disappointed, I didn’t want to leave empty-handed after coming this far, so I bought a Barney Kessel record and left the store.
My daughter and I crossed the zebra crossing and kept heading west, checking out the local shops along the way, until we finally reached the end of the arcade.
“What now, Chandra?”
“Hmm…”
The vinyl record detector in my brain is telling me there’s something off to the right, so we cross the street and head north to check it out.
Sure enough, my eyes caught sight of a sign on a wagon outside the narrow entrance of a shop that said, “Used Records – 300 yen (tax included)”.
I looked at the door and saw the name “Honmachi Bunka-do” written in mosaic-style letters next to it. The shop’s appearance was similar to the charity shops commonly found in shopping streets across the UK.
As Chandra looked on, unable to conceal her despair, her father, with a gleam of excitement in his eyes, stepped into the shop…
A bookstore the world really needs
As I walked in, I found it wasn’t a charity shop but a typical bookstore.
…Or so it appeared at first, but something was unusual.
This is not just a regular bookstore!!!
It’s unbelievably international.
Just looking at the books on display, I couldn’t help but feel like I was falling into some kind of trap, and I couldn’t shake the feeling of danger.
Inside the store, there was a mix of new books, used books, and magazines, and they all seemed like survivors of some kind of selection process, giving off this intense vibe. I couldn’t help but gripping sweat on my forehead (even though I obviously couldn’t grip sweat with my forehead!).
The books that didn’t make the cut are probably destined for the blood-stained shredder hidden beneath the till by the shop owner.
As I strolled around the store, I naturally began to feel a sense of “being surrounded by the world“, while also realising that, “although I know the names of these countries, I actually know nothing about them“.
The bookshelves were full of titles that drew my interest to each country.
Therefore, I found myself instinctively reaching for a book.
(I can almost picture the security guard in the control room behind the till, watching my every move on the CCTV cameras, chuckling to themselves, thinking, “Another one bites the dust”.) Damn it!..
Since the internet became widespread, society has quickly globalised, and it’s great that we can now access information from all over the world. However, AI recognises our interests from our past browsing history and automatically keeps presenting us with information and content it thinks will catch our attention.
What I think about here is that, despite the world being filled with things that could catch our interest, including international affairs, (and understanding them is, in the long run, a crucial element for our survival), with the progress of globalisation, my pleasures and interests are being narrowed down by AI. As a result, it feels like many things are slipping out of sight.
This is quite a dangerous situation.
And I think something similar is happening in many bookstores, but this ‘Honmachi Bunkodo‘ follows a different set of rules from the rest.
First, the books are arranged in a way that allows customers to naturally immerse themselves in the world, and because the latest releases aren’t prioritized, the people choosing books aren’t being pushed towards trends.
Furthermore, intriguing old books are mixed in with relatively newer ones on the same topic, so you can also enjoy the thrill of finding hidden gems like you would in a charity shop.
Knowing the world is the gateway to empathising with the culture and lives of people in other countries who are just like us, and this is likely the most important thing for living in today’s world.
In today’s globalised world, where most bookstores are run with supermarket-like policies, I believe the role of “Honmachi Bunkodo“, which takes a more entry-level position to help people step into the important zones of life, is incredibly significant for society.
The books I bought this time
So, here are the books I bought this time (with a reminder to myself to read them all properly).
On the first day, I selected some books, but with less than 200 yen in my wallet, I had to give up. I came back two days later and bought these:
① Understanding Islam for Ages 13 and Up
by Eiji Nagasawa
② Understanding Palestine from Around Secondary School Age
by Mari Oka, Satoshi Koyama, and Tatsushi Fujihara
③ A Journey Along the Nile
by Kazuyoshi Nomachi
④ Did the Nazis Do “Good Things”?
by Takuya Onodera and Daisuke Tano
Three days later, I stopped by again and purchased the following:
① Spectator vol.50 Learning Media History Through Manga
② My Dad Became a Net Right-Winger
by Daisuke Suzuki
③ 54 Chapters to Understand Modern China
by Akira Fujino
Finally, I asked my wife to pick up a few more items for me—two books and a T-shirt as a souvenir:
① For Those Studying the Middle East
by Kota Suechika & Masaki Matsuo
② Understanding Ukrainefrom Around Secondary School Age
by Satoshi Koyama & Tatsushi Fujihara
③ A Tsumidoku T-shirt
with the slogan: “Buy more books than you can read—it must be all right.” (Brilliant!)
This bookstore was truly fascinating!
They use the second floor for events and also broadcast a podcast. The locals are incredibly fortunate to have such an amazing place in their community.
I’m not sure when I’ll be back, but the next time I visit Wakayama, I’ll make sure to stop by again.
Bye now,
konkaz
*You can read this blog post in Japanese from the link below.
👉 商業主義にとらわれない独自のスタイルを持つ「本町文化堂」はカッコいい！