Customer base growing at unmanned bookstore

Amid the tremendous popularity of online bookstores and ebooks, an unmanned book store has opened in Nara’s traditional Naramachi district in Japan, and has steadily attracted a growing number of customers. The store is filled with books carefully selected by eight owners chosen from the public, and offers a cosy atmosphere at which customers can leisurely peruse through various kinds of books, an experience that cannot be replicated online. The bookstore, Fusenkazura, opened in August on the renovated premises of a traditional Japanese-style house built more than 100 years ago. Twelve shelves about threemeters tall stand amid the roughly 30-square-metre interior. Customers register as store members through a website and input a passcode to enter the store. There are about 2,000 books, including foreign literature, children’s books, movie reviews and even a practical guide to restoring cultural properties, each of which reflects the owners’ love of books. About 1,000 of the publications are essays, photo books and other works published by individuals at their own expense. Koichi Hirata, 57, from Gojo, Nara Prefecture, founded the unmanned bookstore. Customers input the prices of books into a device at the cashier and can pay by credit card or other means. According to the store, more than 500 books have been sold since its opening, with about 700 people registering as members.