Defying conventional wisdom, more young Japanese are getting interested in secondhand books -- not only to read but also taking pleasure in selling them at flea markets -- thanks in part to an enterprising young woman who started selling used books on the Internet.
For years, secondhand bookstores were regarded as the musty preserve of older people, but that is all changed now.
Internet bookstore Kurage Shorin, located at www.kurageshorin.com , breathed new life into the used book industry by offering back issues of magazines after it opened in September 2000.