How To Use Bookshops | Tokyo

Information | History | View | Sightseeing | Video

1. I love going to the bookshop to browse and I always find something new.
   One thing that does irritate me is when I try to ask for recommendations and I accidentally get a staff member who's just not knowledgeable. In that kind of situation I'd rather they just said "Oh, I don't know about that kind of book, but you could check this section', rather than just get really generic recommendations from someone who is just trying to sell. This often happens to me in the history section - as if the big chains aren't employing people who are knowledgable. It can be time wasting and frustrating - they should just be honest!
   Having said that, I rarely leave without buying anything and most bookshop staff are great. I had one lovely staff member go and dig through that morning's delivery for a book I wanted to look at! (Of course, I bought it, it would have been rude not to after the book diving!)
2. Hello Jen, Do you happen to know of a bookshop that sells your book in Florida? I would love to get it, and, considering the content, I would rather buy it from a bookshop than online. :)
3. Hi Jen, I fell in love with your The Bookshop Book and hope one day to see a sequel ;)
   
   With so much choice available to us I often feel overwhelmed when making purchases in stores however the only place I have ever felt truly comfortable is a bookshop or library. Thanks for offering all the tidbits that go into bookshop design and how they work to make our book buying decisions all that much easier. I have tried getting work at my local bookshop but alas I'm still stuck in my dreary office job. One day I'd love to open a little bookshop of my own, it's nice to dream.
4. Ah yes I absolutely love bookshops and so agree with what you are saying in this video. My Best memories of London is from going to Piccadilly and going into Hatchards browsing for an hour or two and the going with my purchases next door to Fortnum and Mason for afternoon Tea and reading - pure bliss.
5. Good for you for bringing up show rooming! It's sad and aggravating when people do that. It's like a slap in the face. Small shops cannot compete with amazon pricing.
6. First of all, well done for managing to say everything in 12 minutes ! That's quite an achievement and you did it so well. Secondly, thank you again and everyday for the Bookshop Book, you should have a shrine somewhere because of that. I wanted to read it every year but I can't cause I'm lending it to all my bookseller friends, and at the moment I'm actually teaching english to a friend with this book because it is that important to me and I reckon it is the same for a lot of people but they don't know it yet and that would be a shame for them to never be aware of that book just because it hasn't been translated.
   And finally thanks again for emphasizing the fact that we don't have everything and it's SUCH a good thing because we are professionals who choose the books because we love them, and we want to defend them more than others and spread them as much as possible into this messed up world !
   So thank you.
   And I know I might sound (read?) like a psychopath but that 's how much I love bookshops and as long as anyone keep talking about it I will keep on being this weird psycho in the corner. Because living and working surrounding by stories is the best way to live and I wouldn't want to be anywhere else.
   By the way is you're ever in the South West of France, come see us at the bookshop !
7. Ultimate sweater!!!
8. I have to say I had the same reaction when first seeing someone commenting that they didn't feel like they knew how to use bookstores or libraries, because even the idea of someone who loves books and didn't go to bookshops OR libraries was just so completely foreign to me as someone who practically grew up in my local library and whose favorite place to go when making a rare trip to the bigger town two hours was not the mall, but the bookstore. :) I have to say I had the same reaction when first seeing someone commenting that they didn't feel like they knew how to use bookstores or libraries, because even the idea of someone who loves books and didn't go to bookshops OR libraries was just so completely foreign to me as someone who practically grew up in my local library and whose favorite place to go when making a rare trip to the bigger town two hours was not the mall, but the bookstore. :) Also, I veeeery nearly bought a copy of The Bookshop Book from my local indie bookstore earlier this week when picking up a copy of a book I'd ordered, but didn't because I'm behind on my budget...but I may have to go back and pick it up anyway...ahem
9. 👍🏼
10. Great video! I agree that finding books in bookshops and then immediately ordering them online instead is pretty rude. It's not something I'd do, but I have to admit I've sometimes seen interesting new releases in a bookshop and then taken that book from the library instead, especially when I can't afford to buy new books. And if I like the book after I've read the library copy I often end up going to a bookshop later to buy it anyway. I consider both bookshops and libraries as important and magical places, and I wish we had an independent bookshop in the small city I live in in addition to the bigger bookshop chain.
11. The most underused section in the bookstore...Nonfiction. Stop ignoring it its beautiful. To get into I would recommend Mary Roach or Bill Bryson. Please please please pay attention to it, it's lonely and is friendly.
12. I love getting lost in bookshops, you discover so much that you never even knew you needed desperately!
13. Wow, I never considered that bookshops could be intimidating. Hmm.
14. What a fantastic video idea. Bookshops are the best places. So glad you mentioned Mr B's as this is one of my favourites. I did recently find a new bookshop in Bath called Toppings and company which is close to stealing my heart but Mr B's still gets top place in my opinion and the reading spas are such a fantastic idea. :)
15. I've never heard of book salons, they sound incredible! I'm hoping to go to Bath later this year so I'll have to make an extra bookish trip
16. This was so cool. As someone who is also grew up being totally familiar with bookshops and libraries I never thought about how overwhelming they could be but it makes so much sense. I always love the little recommendation cards or books that booksellers pick out. I've read some superb things from those recommendations. :)
17. I need to get myself a copy of The Bookshop Book! Just love the idea of a book about bookshops :)
18. I love finding books I've never heard of in bookshops! My favourite bookshop in Montreal is Drawn and Quarterly (they are also a graphic novel publisher) Their books are really well curated; beautiful editions and many translated works!
19. Thanks for replying,I just sometimes feel there's a gulf between chains and independents and it's a tough market for all of us and without chains many towns would be devoid of any bookstores.