It’s hard out there for a bookstore.
With more readers opting for eBooks – or, worse, not reading books at all – bookstores are struggling to find new business models. One store in Tokyo has a unique idea: it’s charging people to even enter the premises. It’s a model that appears to work well in a crowded and busy city where more third spaces are always welcome.
Cafes where you can read in Tokyo are nothing new. One of the most famous, Aruza (アール座) in the city’s artsy Koenji neighborhood, is a famous “silent cafe” that allows zero talking. It’s a quiet place to read a book with a friend. The store also appeals to Japan’s rising singles culture.
There’s also been an explosion of so-called “book cafes.” These combination bookstore and coffee shops generally sell drinks and limited food items while also allowing you to browse and even read a little in a homey, quiet atmosphere. Kurumido in Kokubunji is a good example of this genre.
Another store, however, takes the concept even further.
Bunkitsu (文喫) in Tokyo’s Roppongi neighborhood is a bookstore that boasts over 30,000 titles. It also boasts something else: an admission fee. It costs 1,650 yen (USD $10.50) on weekdays and 2,530 yen ($16) on weekends. There’s also a “morning stroll” option for weekday AM that’s only 1,100 yen ($7).
That might seem exorbitant. But it gets you access to a nice, quiet 90-seat space in downtown Tokyo where you can stay all day if you wish. Contrast that to a cafe, where (in Japan) you’re generally limited to a two-hour maximum stay. Even in spaces that don’t impose a time limit (many coffee shops), you’re bound to feel guilty taking up limited space for longer than that.
Bunkitsu is split into several areas, including a long row of lantern-lit desks with plenty of space to spread out and either read or work. Every seat has power outlets for plugging in a laptop, phone, or tablet.
There’s also a communal cafe area where you can sit and talk quietly in groups.
The price of admission also includes free unlimited coffee or tea. You can also purchase more expensive drinks a la carte.
You can bring your own books to read or check out a new title in the bookstore. (Yes, they’re all in Japanese.) If you love it, you can buy it when you’re read to leave. (I ended up walking out with a copy of Edogawa Rampo’s 猛獣・陰獣).
In addition to these individual spaces, Bunkitsu also has conference rooms to rent. Businesses can even rent the entire space for part or all of the day.
When I’ve told people about Bunkitsu, some have asked who would go there instead of a library. The answer, it seems, is: a lot of people.
Bunkitsu’s been operating its Roppongi location as an admission-based operation since 2019. The concept has proved so popular that it opened a new location in Nagoya this year. That store reports that it served 20,000 customers in two months. That’s revenue of 33 million yen, or roughly $209K, for those of you keeping track at home.
Other book cafes around Tokyo have also jumped on the pay-to-stay concept. Mori No Toshoshitsu in Shibuya offers food and drinks (including cocktails), a ton of books, and a flexible hourly charge system: 1,100 yen for an hour, 2,,200 for three hours, or 3,300 for all-day access with a free drink plan. (You can even spend a little more and get free booze.)
The big benefit of libraries is that they’re free. But they can also be crowded and not too attractive on the inside (and they don’t allow food).
Bookstores like Bunkitsu offer a place to read or rest in a swanky atmosphere coupled with refreshments, creating a new type of third space in Japan – and a new business model for bookstores struggling to stay alive in the digital age.
Location: 106-0032 Tokyo, Minato City, Roppongi 6-1-20
Hours: 9am to 8pm, with special late-night hours to 10:30pm
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