Morioka Shoten is a small bookstore with the concept of one single room holding one single book. It showcases only one book with multiple copies each week. The manager Morioka Yoshiyuki decides which book to switch to every week. Morioka Shoten also features different genres ranging from novels, biography, manga, to graphic novels.
Before Morioka Yoshiyuki decided to start up Morioka Shoten, he worked as a clerk at a second-hand bookshop in Kanda for eight years. Once, they held a special edition party which attracted tons of readers and fans by inviting the author to host a social event. The communications and interactions among the authors, editors and the readers inspired Morioka Yoshiyuki to come up with the idea of highlighting only one book. He wanted to focus on the social interactions between people instead of giving customers thousands of choices of books individually. Reading became more of a social act to Morioka Yoshiyuki, who believed that one single book is able to provide deeper understandings and a more intimate relationship between people as well as the key to the success of readership. Inspired by his experience and without the help from a publisher or a corporation, Morioka Yoshiyuki started up his own independent enterprise. Morioka Shoten is a place where genuine conversations between people are being emphasized rather than an overabundance of choices, like in a typical bookstore.
The store's challenging and minimalist philosophy attracts countless visitors and readers from all over the globe, many of whom value the importance of readership and the relationship between the author and his audience.
The book store's location is a little bit tricky to locate. One can get there by taking the Ginza Line, getting off at Higashi-Ginza station. Proceed to the Higashi-Ginza 3-Chome intersection until you reach an intersection, and make a left turn and keep walking for another five minutes. After you have passed another two intersections, you should be able to see the bookstore on your right-hand side. Tucked away in a secretive narrow alleyway, Morioka Shoten awaits its visitors with heartwarming hospitality and a single, remarkable work on its shelves.
