Wednesday, April 20, 2016

Bookstores are Falling like Dominoes in Tokyo

My favorite pastime is walking about looking for bookstores to browse.  I thought Japan is quite set in their ways and Japanese reads alot of comics.  This time, two bookstores near the hotel are closed.  Maruzen and another which is quite big near Ruth Chris Steakhouse are gone.  It is like US, Canada and home.  Borders, Chapters, WH Smith are gone or seriously downsized.  The 2 bookstores in Roppongi near my office are still hanging on.  I do not know if my next trip will see their demise.  I no longer travel as frequently.  So it is quite a lot of change when the period between travel lengthens.

Sitting next to me in the train, a young Japanese woman was reading comics using her phone.  So the end is near for paper books.  We may only see them in museums in future!

No comments: