Walk into this new Tokyo bookstore and at first glance you could be forgiven for thinking you've stepped into an art gallery. With its elegant glass doors, spacious entryway, books displayed like exhibits on tables and captioned information on the walls, Bunkitsu is clearly no ordinary bookstore.
"That's what we want people to think — that it's an art gallery where they can encounter books," says Hikaru Yoshino, the shop's 27-year-old public relations officer.
Bunkitsu opened in December 2018 in Tokyo's fashionable Roppongi district. The bookstore is unusual in that patrons can browse the 90 or so magazines in the reception area for free, but must pay ¥1,500 (about $14) to peruse its 30,000 or so titles on the second floor, where there is also a cafe.