‘Opened a Secondhand Bookstore in Okinawa’ is a book I recently bought on a whim while browsing Ridibooks, simply because the title caught my eye. 📚
The author, Tomoko Uda, runs a secondhand bookstore in Okinawa.
This intriguing book starts by introducing the author, who initially worked at the main branch of Junkudo, a large bookstore chain in Japan. When a branch opened in Okinawa, she transferred there. After two years of diligent work, she left to open what is said to be the smallest secondhand bookstore in Japan, ‘Market’s Secondhand Bookstore Ulala.’ 🏝️ She lives while running the store, writing for magazines, and authoring books, with ‘Opened a Secondhand Bookstore in Okinawa’ being her debut book on managing such a store.
Even though it sounds packed with fascinating content, I haven’t managed to read a single word of it, even after a month. It’s not the first time this has happened. E-books are so easy to purchase and store without worry that the habit gets worse. 📖✨ A few years back, I couldn’t resist a friend’s sale tip and bought the ‘Open Books World Literature Collection,’ but I haven’t read a single volume. The same goes for the ‘Penguin Classics Collection’ I discovered myself and the ‘Maurice Leblanc Collection’ I bought out of nostalgia for my mystery novel phase. Especially with the ‘Penguin Classics Collection,’ I bought it from Kyobo Bookstore and forgot, only to purchase it again on Ridibooks. That’s a bit extreme.
But hey, life is short, so do what you want when you want! I believe in buying books when I feel like it and reading them when the mood strikes. Who knows when that will be? 🤷♂️ I mean, when you buy a carton of eggs, you don’t have to eat all thirty on the same day, right?
(Though I’ve only read the preface, which is a bit embarrassing) This book starts with a special preface for Korean readers, unlike other books. The preface details the bookstore’s location with relative precision and casually mentions that the area has become a tourist hotspot. It’s less ‘Please read!’ and more ‘Come visit!’ After seeing a photo of the author quietly reading amidst a stack of books between a grocery store and a clothing shop, I felt an urge to visit Okinawa. ✈️ She explains that Okinawa is closer to Korea than Tokyo is, and upon checking a map, I found it’s even closer to Taiwan than Japan! It’s far from Fukushima, so no worries about radiation. Makes me want to visit Okinawa even more.
The author was enchanted by Okinawa’s unique publishing culture, which led her to open the bookstore. Curious about this, I did some research. One newspaper article even called the small island of Okinawa a ‘publishing kingdom.’ Junkudo has around 60 stores in Japan, and the one in Okinawa is the largest, proving its reputation. Despite its small appearance, the island hosts about 40 publishers. Books produced here are called ‘Prefecture Edition,’ meaning they’re made in Okinawa. Nowhere else has such a term, indicating a particular pride in their books. I thought miso soup was the only famous thing from there, but I was wrong. 📚
Before diving into the book, I spent time researching related information, and quite some time slipped by. But isn’t it fun to look up reviews or usage tips after hitting the purchase button and before the item arrives? Even if it leads to a side effect of wanting to travel more than read… 🌍
Okay, enough procrastination. Let’s settle down and start reading this book, shall we? 📖
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