Morioka Shoten: A Single Room with a Single Book
A bookstore in Tokyo transforms spatial relations
The Ginza district of Tokyo is always busy. People pass by, tourists come and go, locals rush to work. Amid this crowd, there are countless encounters.
Yoshiyuki Morioka is also one of these local people. Every day he finds himself in this busy district. His experience is different though. He is the owner of a bookstore in a relatively calmer street, and there is no abundance of books in his store.
One book for each week
Morioka Shoten opened in 2015 by Yoshiyuki Morioka. In this bookstore, there is only one book for sale.
Yoshiyuki Morioka chooses a book for each week and sells it in multiple quantities for that entire week. No other book can come into the store, and in a crowded world of literary works, visitors have time to focus on the only book available.
In the cozy area of the store, the book of the week sits right at the center. With a central role, it attracts attention as it would in a gallery or a museum. Shoppers take on the role of visitors while Yoshiyuki Morioka himself transforms into a curator. The overall experience in the bookstore becomes authentic and artistic.
