Japan getting Kindle

[Stitchawl]

Originally Posted by StoryEnthusiast

That's going against the crowd! Is there something special about the new store? Back in those days Maruzen and Kinokuniya were the two places where I spent a lot of time reading books.

Maruzen closed up its Kyoto's store a couple of years ago. I figured they were gone for good. Kinokuniya has stores all over S.E. Asia (S'pore, Hong Kong, etc.) and I thought they would be good for the long haul. But as I said, the Osaka Kinokuniya is carrying far less books, but Maruzen opened an entire building! Nothing special about this new one other than its gigantic size and huge English Language Section. BTW, both chain have reduced prices on English language books and magazines. We no longer have to pay $25 for a copy of 'Time.'


Stitchawl

[Apache]

Kinokuniya was always my favorite bookstore.
Apache

[injapan]

yes, more competition is good

[Kumabjorn]

Originally Posted by Apache

Kinokuniya was always my favorite bookstore.
Apache

Well, riding the elevators in the Shinjuku store was a chore, always overcrowded. I sometimes went down in the basement because that was the only way to catch a ride.

[Stitchawl]

There is a Kinokuniya in the Isetan Building on Orchard Road in Singapore that was always my favorite bookstore. There was something about the layout that just made me want to spend the afternoon in there wandering through the stacks. The one in Osaka doesn't affect me that way.


Stitchawl

[Canuck_in_Japan]

Originally Posted by Stitchawl

Something is amiss... I see bookstores closing all over the world. Japanese book stores are cutting back on stocks. 'Kinokuniya,' Japan's #1 book store chain has reduced stock by 50% and is discounting books left and right. Only one row of English Language books now instead of three! I see Japanese convenience stores devoting 1/4 the space previously used for manga. More and more people are using e-readers, and today two models of Sonys can be found in EVERY electrical department store all over Japan. Amazon.co.jp is coming out with their Kindle.

But... 'Maruzen,' Japan's second largest book seller just opened a brand new seven-floor book store in one of the highest rent areas in Osaka! And one entire floor is devoted to English language books! Huh?


Stitchawl

Anectdotal but I've only ever seen two ebook readers out in the wild in Tokyo and one of them was my private student's whom I recommended to get one in the first place. I have no doubt that books are suffering in Japan but I don't think it's e-readers that's doing it. I suspect that smartphones hi-speed internet is what is really killing books.

[Namekuseijin]

BTW, how do you like guessing what people might be listening to while wearing earphones? JPop? Punk-Rock? Samba? Classical? or perhaps audiobooks?

really, how likely it'd be?...

[Kumabjorn]

Can't remember audio books being popular in Japan, I know they exist but don't think I've ever seen them prominently displayed.

[sqdancer]

Originally Posted by Namekuseijin

BTW, how do you like guessing what people might be listening to while wearing earphones? JPop? Punk-Rock? Samba? Classical? or perhaps audiobooks?

really, how likely it'd be?...

For about half of the people on my bus, I don't need to guess.

[SeaKing]

First I will say the obvious. I am not an expert on Manga, but it appears on the surface to just be a comic book styled form, very detailed elegant drawings.

I can see that color would be important but now that we have (besides generic tablets) color eReaders, that should be no problem.
I can see how sometimes there would be the need to put a lot of information/picture detail on a single page, but we have more and more pixels to work with and even larger screens, so that should help.

Anyway, my questions are:

Do we sell the American form comics for and on Kindles?
If not do we expect to sell them like we seem to expect to sell Manga which is the thought I see in this discussion.

[Kumabjorn]

Actually, manga are in black and white, it is literally pulp fiction. The paper quality is of the lowest quality permitting print. Color is out of the question so an eInk device is fine.

[Polyglot27]

Originally Posted by Stitchawl

Maruzen closed up its Kyoto's store a couple of years ago. I figured they were gone for good. Kinokuniya has stores all over S.E. Asia (S'pore, Hong Kong, etc.) and I thought they would be good for the long haul. But as I said, the Osaka Kinokuniya is carrying far less books, but Maruzen opened an entire building! Nothing special about this new one other than its gigantic size and huge English Language Section. BTW, both chain have reduced prices on English language books and magazines. We no longer have to pay $25 for a copy of 'Time.'
Stitchawl

I have fond memories of the Kyoto Maruzen store and my student days there. I'm sorry to hear that it has closed.
The Kinokuniya in the Paragon building in central Bangkok is very pleasant and I always spend a few hours there when I am in Bangkok. It is the only place where I can browse English, Japanese and Chinese books in the same place.
There was a big Kinokuniya near Town Hall in Sydney when I was last there a few years ago. I wonder if it is still there. It was the only place in town where you could get cute Japanese stationary.
BookOff, the Japanese used-book chain, has a big store near Opera in the centre of Paris and they opened a French and English department across the street only a year or so ago. Looks like some shops survive the recent downturn in bookshops better than others.

[injapan]

any news of when the kindle store might open in Japan? or any kindle news (in Japan)?