Hacker News

Japan's book scene is moving from bookstores to libraries

70 points by herbertl 5 days ago | 26 comments

akman 2 hours ago

As the author noted, I see libraries becoming more and more centers of community, notably in the Bay Area (California, USA). Just check out the events at all of the Santa Clara County library system (8 libraries that share books): https://sccl.bibliocommons.com/v2/events?_gl=1*11u0hec*_ga*M...

Many events aren't even book related-- see events for Lego building, homework help, even Dungeons and Dragons events.

I wonder if there's a resurgence across the world where libraries are places of community sharing.

carabiner 2 hours ago

In Seattle they're mostly homeless shelters.

popalchemist 2 hours ago

In LA, it's about 50/50. But in case you aren't aware, this is one of the purposes of libraries.

TulliusCicero 2 hours ago

It really shouldn't be. We should have dedicated shelters for that.

Relying on libraries to be de facto homeless shelters is bad for everyone compared to the alternative of dedicated facilities. It's worse for homeless people, worse for the library and staff, and worse for patrons.

crooked-v 46 minutes ago

Unfortunately, the US is filled with people who are happy to make their own lives worse if it hurts people they don't like even more.

cube00 2 hours ago

Depends on the library.

If you appear to be sleeping, staff will check on your welfare, and wake you up.

https://www.spl.org/about-us/policies/community-use-agreemen...

gyomu 2 hours ago

De facto it is in the US, but it is the only country in the world where that is the case.

SyneRyder 5 minutes ago

There's definitely some of it happening in Australia. I wouldn't regard libraries as the safest of places. I had a period where I tried working from there on my laptop, before realizing I was incredibly naive and there were a lot of homeless and mentally ill people there. Took me a while to realize why people would tell me to avoid the men's toilets in the library as well.

LtWorf 2 hours ago

There's often smelly people napping in Sweden. I presume their housing situation isn't the best. Or they are not mentally capable of cleaning themselves.

tolerance 5 minutes ago

I can see this catching on in the US with a lot of cultural exceptions that would amplify the library as an either an ideological battleground or sanctuary.

CharlieDigital 24 minutes ago

I recently had a similar episode as the author in another east Asia country: Taiwan.

Found myself in Taitung (along the much less densely populated, remote east coast) with several inches of rain forecast. Spent the day at the Taitung County Public Library [0] and it was a very pleasant public space which had more tourists than patrons!

Shots of the interior for anyone interested (surprisingly Scandinavian): https://youtu.be/gq8xlk_JEG4?t=108

[0] https://maps.app.goo.gl/tnEvHQLMNBGAnMWF9

NeutralCrane 39 minutes ago

The most interesting thing in the article to me is that there was a dual library/bookstore, and that it’s privately owned. I don’t think I’ve encountered a library that wasn’t publicly owned in the US.

cwnyth 8 minutes ago

In the US, private libraries tend to be non-circulating, archival, specialist, or owned by private schools.

Sweepline 17 minutes ago

Makes sense; libraries are the original 'subscription service' for knowledge. Good for sustainability and reader access.

ChickeNES 10 minutes ago

> Are you a book lover?

> If you are, I suspect you already do this: when you travel abroad, you find yourself walking into a local bookstore.

> I do it everywhere, not only in Japan but also abroad. My shelves hold some Chinese and Russian books even though I cannot read a word of them. A bookstore is one of the best places to understand the local culture: what people there are curious about, what they worry about, what they love.

This sounds more like a fetish for physical books to me? I find it bizarre myself, books are just knowledge containers, if you can't read them...what's the point?

Molitor5901 3 hours ago

It would be interesting if libraries also operated, say, cafes. Rules apply of course, but it might create a job and add something extra to a library.

TulliusCicero 36 seconds ago

This would definitely be a great thing to add.

One thing that I don't like about American culture is that people are a little too hesitant about adding 'retail' into public spaces. There's a reflexive attitude of that being A Bad Thing, even though most Americans who visit, say, Japan, really appreciate the various shops and kiosks they have in transit stations over there.

jaw 2 hours ago

When visiting Delft in the Netherlands I was extremely jealous that the library there not only had a cafe, but that the cafe served wine and the whole place was open until like 11pm. Haven’t encountered anything like that in the US.

UncleOxidant 3 hours ago

There's a library in the neighboring suburb that has a little cafe in the lobby.

LtWorf 2 hours ago

I think at least a couple do have cafes here in Göteborg

ktallett 3 hours ago

Japan already has a range of cafes that let you read books, manga, or listen to music

ionwake 4 days ago

I liked the article. Everytime I discoered a unique place I want to tell the world about it and then I realize that could ruin it so I dont.

Its ironic

darknavi 38 minutes ago

It reminds of one of the later scenes from Secret Life of Walter Mitty when Sean (photographer) decides not to take a picture of the elusive snow leopard in front of them.

> Walter Mitty: Are you going to take it?

> Sean O'Connell: Sometimes I don't. If I like a moment, for me, personally, I don't like to have the distraction of the camera. I just want to stay in it.

> Walter Mitty: Stay in it?

> Sean O'Connell: Yeah. Right there. Right here.

swingandamiss 2 hours ago

Time for the daily post on Japan. HN is obsessed with Japan and it's very weird.

phoghed 60 minutes ago

User name relevant

rjh29 53 minutes ago

It's true. But I'm just happy it's not another AI post