Morioka Shoten, the Bookshop with Only One Book

Faced with an abundance of literary releases, Yoshiyuki Morioka decided in 2015 to open his bookstore that offers just one book per week.

02.07.2019

WordsSolenn Cordroc'h

© Morioka Shoten

Located in Ginza district, the small bookshop Morioka Shoten offers just one book (but sells multiple copies of it). Customers can either buy it or wait until the next week for a new literary option. Novels, manga, biographies, and graphic novels—bookseller Yoshiyuki Morioka carefully selects the title that will be showcased each week, presented beautifully in the centre of the shop. This extreme approach to literary curation that favours quality over quantity, mirroring the lack of furniture decorating the space, seems to have won over its audience.

 

Arranging for authors and readers to meet

To enhance the experience, the bookseller slips a flower mentioned by the author between the pages, or exhibits photographs or ceramics that evoke the universe of a book. Where possible, Yoshiyuki Morioka invites the author to come and meet the readers. Thus, Morioka Shoten is a blend of a shop, gallery, and meeting place, infused with a passion for literature.

 

More information on Morioka Shoten can be found on the bookshop’s website (only in Japanese).

© Morioka Shoten

© Morioka Shoten