More Bookstores in Japan Leasing Out Shelves

Newsfrom Japan

Society
Culture

Nov 26, 2025 18:03 (JST)

Tokyo, Nov. 26 (Jiji Press)–Japan has seen an increase in bookstores renting out shelves to allow book lovers to sell works they want to recommend, fostering communities of such people.

Such bookstores “serve as local cultural hubs, while the total number of bookstores nationwide continues to decline,” an expert says.

Honmaru Jinbocho, a bookstore in Tokyo’s Kanda Jinbocho secondhand bookstore district, has about 360 shelves.

These shelves offer unique selections, such as picture books, historical novels and humor-related titles, reflecting the personalities of “shelf owners,” who sell books they curate themselves.

Such shelf curators at Honmaru Jinbocho, who are mainly individuals in their 20s to 60s and publishers, pay initial costs, monthly rent and 5 pct of sales to the store.

[Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]

Jiji Press