Morioka Shoten designed by Kotaro Watananbe, Tokyo. Photography: Nacasa & Partners, Miyuki Kaneko Morioka Shoten designed by Kotaro Watananbe, Tokyo. Photography: Nacasa & Partners, Miyuki Kaneko
Morioka Shoten designed by Kotaro Watananbe, Tokyo. Photography: Nacasa & Partners, Miyuki Kaneko Morioka Shoten designed by Kotaro Watananbe, Tokyo. Photography: Nacasa & Partners, Miyuki Kaneko
Morioka Shoten designed by Kotaro Watananbe, Tokyo. Photography: Nacasa & Partners, Miyuki Kaneko Morioka Shoten designed by Kotaro Watananbe, Tokyo. Photography: Nacasa & Partners, Miyuki Kaneko

Single-minded

28 : 08 : 2015 Morioka Shoten : Bookstore : Ginza

Tokyo – Morioka Shoten is a book store that has made the bold decision to stock only one book at a time.

  • Part gallery, part book store, Morioka Shoten applies the Japanese philosophy of zen to the retail experience
  • The store occupies a small room in Ginza’s Suzuki Building, former office of legendary graphic design office Nippon Kobo

Each week Morioka stocks a different book, inviting visitors to learn more about the author by curating the remaining space around some aspect of their work. For its opening exhibition, for example, Morioka featured a portfolio entitled PUNK by Japanese textile artist Junko Oki and used the remaining space to exhibit a series of her embroidery artworks.

‘An ordinary store would have a number of books, and a reader would buy a book and then start to imagine what the author might be like,’ says creative director Kotaro Watanabe. ‘Morioka Shoten, on the other hand, has the opposite relationship, in which a reader visits the venue, encounters the author and other readers, then purchases a book.’

The Big Picture: Brands that enable us to explore, discover and reveal qualities about the environments we are keen to engage with are coming to the fore. Find out more by booking your place at Beyond Borders, our Autumn/Winter 2015 Trend Briefing.

Discover More Daily Signals
Channel 4 captures the raw energy of women’s football in new campaign

Daily Signals

Channel 4 captures the raw energy of women’s football in new campaign

Channel 4 has launched Pure Football, a mixed media campaign celebrating its coverage of the Adobe Women’s FA Cup, placing authenticity and fan cul...
Marketing : Channel 4 : Womens Sport
What Remedy Place’s NAD+ pen reveals about the future of longevity treatments

Daily Signals

What Remedy Place’s NAD+ pen reveals about the future of longevity treatments

Social wellness club Remedy Place is bringing clinical wellness into the home with a new NAD+ Smart Pen, developed in partnership with UK-based NAD...
Wellness : Longevity : Health
Stat: How happiness is reshaping policymaking priorities

Daily Signals

Stat: How happiness is reshaping policymaking priorities

The 2026 World Happiness Report reinforces wellbeing as a critical measure of progress, drawing on nationally representative data from ne...
Social Media : Gen Z : Statistic
Huggies puts its product claims to the ultimate stress test

Daily Signals

Huggies puts its product claims to the ultimate stress test

Nappy brand Huggies’ latest campaign, Expensive Sh*t’, sees 18 babies wearing Huggies Little Snugglers on luxury goods worth £373,000 ($500,000, €4...
Advertising : Humour : Parenting
What Zara’s archival strategy signals for the future of high street retail

Daily Signals

What Zara’s archival strategy signals for the future of high street retail

Fashion retailer Zara is repositioning itself between mass market and luxury with a two-year partnership with acclaimed fashion designer John Galli...
Retail : Fashion : Design
Stat: Parents sound alarm as children’s digital identities form too early

Daily Signals

Stat: Parents sound alarm as children’s digital identities form too early

A new survey from Proton reveals that concern about children’s online privacy has become the norm, not the exception, as digital identities are for...
Online Safety : Parenting : Statistic
How WMH&I is uniting land and people through design

Daily Signals

How WMH&I is uniting land and people through design

Environmental charity Natural Habitat has unveiled a new identity by WMH&I, designed to reconnect communities with land through emotionally res...
Sustainability : Design : Branding
Foresight Friday: Savannah Scott, creative director

Daily Signals

Foresight Friday: Savannah Scott, creative director

Every Friday, we offer an end-of-week wrap-up of the topics, issues, ideas and virals we’re all talking about. This week, our creative director Sav...
Foresight Friday : SXSW : Creativity
Stat: Gen Z turns to social for food inspiration as video dominates media habits

Daily Signals

Stat: Gen Z turns to social for food inspiration as video dominates media habits

Gen Z’s media habits are evolving rapidly, with video platforms and social feeds reshaping how young audiences consume content – and what influence...
Drinks : Social Media : Inspiration
SXSW 2026: How can brands move on the pulse of culture? 

Daily Signals

SXSW 2026: How can brands move on the pulse of culture? 

On day three of SXSW 2026, the conversation turned to one of the biggest buzzwords in modern marketing: community.
Global Events : SXSW : Marketing
You have 2 free Daily Signals remaining. Sign up to LS:N Global to get unlimited access to all articles.
BECOME A MEMBER
SIGN IN