Photo/Illutration People at a Kanda used book festival held in Tokyo's Kanda district in 2016 (Asahi Shimbun file photo)

Being a writer, my workspace at the office is practically buried under books, but an upcoming intraoffice move means I will end up with a smaller bookshelf than now. 

That means I have to get rid of some of my books. Since I would like them to find new owners, I have put them in the corridor outside my office with a sign stating, “Yours for free.”

When a volume disappears, I think happily to myself, “Good. It’s found a new home.” But I feel sort of sad for books that end up with no takers. I imagine this is how owners of used bookstores must feel.

Writer Tomofumi Hashimoto gives voice to many of them in his book “Tokyo no Furuhon-ya” (Tokyo’s used bookstores).

“Just like how kabuki actors ‘strike a pose’ at climactic moments, books do that, too,” one owner is quoted as saying, meaning books try to have browsers notice them.

Proprietors who share this sentiment must be wondering every day which of their books will be noticed and actually picked up by potential buyers.

One shop owner notes that simply holding books in your hands makes you happy, just like gardeners who say they “feel refreshed” when touching garden soil.

And there is a used bookstore that I think would make a good place for my books to stay. 

A recent Kyodo News story talked about books belonging to journalist Takashi Tachibana, who died in the spring last year.

In his will, Tachibana bequeathed his massive collection of books--50,000 copies--to a used bookstore.

Tachibana used to tell people close to him in no uncertain terms that the one thing he would never allow was to “create a literary museum or memorial museum bearing his name,” according to the story.

What he must have thought was best was for his books to go to people who really wanted to read them.

And that was probably the most natural choice for Tachibana, who used to buy many books from used bookstores.

Not only money, but books, comes and goes, too. I am saying goodbye to my old, beloved books, being thankful someone else will read them.

--The Asahi Shimbun, Aug. 30

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Vox Populi, Vox Dei is a popular daily column that takes up a wide range of topics, including culture, arts and social trends and developments. Written by veteran Asahi Shimbun writers, the column provides useful perspectives on and insights into contemporary Japan and its culture.

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