I found Gianni Simone’s Dec. 24 article, “Tokyo’s bookworms find readers’ paradise in used bookstores,” very interesting. When I lived in Kofu (Yamanashi Prefecture), I did not have a local used bookstore with English books. It would have been a great comfort to me and would have felt like home.

Used bookstores are also disappearing here in the United States, as are the bookstore chains. I love my ebooks but certainly miss the search and social interaction in a brick-and-mortar bookstore.

The opinions expressed in this letter to the editor are the writer’s own and do not necessarily reflect the policies of The Japan Times.