Elementary school, middle school, high school… Textbooks are essential for studying at school, aren’t they?
Schools also have libraries.
Did you know that small local bookstores support school textbooks and library books?
Yamana Bookstore is a long-established bookstore that has continued supporting schools, mainly in the Tsurajima area, since the early Meiji period.
Even today, it supports several schools in Kurashiki City.
However, with the spread of the internet and the shift to e-books, the publishing industry may be said to be going through a difficult period.
In these challenging times, Yamana Bookstore is actively pursuing new initiatives and exploring ways for a “small town bookstore” to survive.
Here is an introduction to Yamana Bookstore, a long-established business that has supported the local community for more than 140 years.
The information presented was current when this article was published in November 2024. Please note that it may differ from current information.
Yamana Bookstore was founded in Tsurajima in 1874
Yamana Bookstore is in the Mizushima area in southern Kurashiki City.
It is located in Nishinoura, a district in Tsurajima, in the western part of the Mizushima area.
Nishinoura flourished as a port town during the Edo period, and remnants of that era, old buildings, shrines, and temples can still be found there.
The area is also a historic walking district called “Tsura no Komichi.”
Yamana Bookstore is located in one corner of historic Nishinoura.
Yamana Bookstore was founded in 1874.
The earliest confirmed date when it was in business is 1874, but apparently it may actually date back even further.
In its early years, the store sold a variety of goods, including stationery as well as books.
The Yamana Bookstore building is also steeped in history.
The current building is the store’s second location, built in 1918.
The area was once the heart of Nishinoura, so there are many shops with charming buildings besides Yamana Bookstore. I found it very memorable.
In addition to supplying books to schools, it also operates as a bookstore for local residents
Yamana Bookstore currently operates just one store, its main shop in Nishinoura.
Its main business is supplying textbooks and books for school libraries to municipal elementary and middle schools and prefectural high schools in the city, primarily in the Tsurajima area.
It is a community-based partner that works behind the scenes to support schools.
At the same time, it continues to operate as a traditional bookstore.
As a “small, old-fashioned neighborhood bookstore” serving local residents, Yamana Bookstore is loved by everyone from children to older people in Nishinoura.
The store also takes reservations and special orders for various books.
The bookshelves are made of solid wood and feature traditional Japanese colors
Although Yamana Bookstore serves the local community, it has paid special attention to its interior.
First, the bookshelves are made of solid wood.
In addition, the colors used are mainly traditional Japanese colors.
The main colors used include tokiiro (pink), moegiiro (yellowish green), and kohadairo (wood-grain color).
We value calm colors that evoke nature.
Local bookstore volunteers established the “Kurashiki City Bookstore Business Cooperative”
Volunteers from long-established bookstores in Kurashiki City, including Yamana Bookstore, established the Kurashiki City Bookstore Business Cooperative.
Bookstores that have supported schools in Kurashiki City for many years are working together under the mission of “continuing to deliver good books to children,” organizing various projects and collaborating with one another.
The Kurashiki Book Marche is held by the Kurashiki City Bookstore Business Cooperative
One of the Kurashiki City Bookstore Business Cooperative’s signature activities is the Kurashiki Book Marche.
The first Kurashiki Book Marche was held in 2011, and it has been held once a year since then (it was canceled in 2020).
The event is held as a place for publishers and school librarians to communicate, and outstanding books are displayed at the venue.
The Kurashiki Book Marche is attracting attention across Japan as a way to foster collaboration between education authorities and bookstores, as well as between school teachers and publishers.
The inspiration for the “New First-Grade Reading Promotion Program”
The Kurashiki Book Marche also led to the creation of another initiative.
It is the New First-Grade Reading Promotion Program, which Kurashiki City has been running since 2017.
The program sets aside a space exclusively for first graders in elementary school libraries, where recommended books selected by the city are purchased and displayed.
Starting in fiscal 2024, the program will be known by the nickname “First-Grade Wakuwaku Bunko.”
This is perhaps a result of the collaboration between bookstores and local government that grew out of the Kurashiki Book Marche.
Goshoin, the bookstore version of shrine and temple stamps
Have you heard of goshoin?
You may know about goshuin, the stamps received as proof of a visit to a shrine or temple.
Goshoin are the bookstore equivalent of goshuin.
Goshoin was started by Shogakukan Publishing Service after the number of visits to bookstores declined, partly because people were buying books online and e-books were becoming more widespread.
It began in March 2020 with the aim of giving people a reason to visit bookstores.
▼Here is the goshoin available at Yamana Bookstore.
Yamana Bookstore’s goshoin features the phrase “A lifetime of reading; every encounter is a beginning,” along with a scene from the nearby Yaku Shrine’s autumn festival, the Yaku Shrine Autumn Grand Festival Chitosegaku, depicting one of the four neighborhood groups, Yotcho-nai.
As of October 2023, 11 bookstores in Okayama Prefecture, including Yamana Bookstore, were participating in the Goshoin Project.
Each bookstore’s goshoin has its own distinctive design, so why not visit a bookstore to get one?
For more information about goshoin, visit the official Goshoin Project website.
Yamana Bookstore is a historic bookstore that has supported local schools for many years.
We interviewed Yamana Fumiaki, executive director of Yamana Bookstore.
Company information: Yamana Bookstore Co., Ltd.
| Organization name | Yamana Bookstore Co., Ltd. |
|---|---|
| Industry | Retail (bookstore) |
| Representative | Yamana Yasuhiro |
| Year established | Established: 1953; founded: 1874 |
| Address | 33 Nishinoura, Tsurajima-cho, Kurashiki City, Okayama Prefecture |
| Contact | 086-445-1111 |
| Website | Yamana Bookstore, specializing in wholesale sales |
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