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
Cuqui launches print magazine to reconnect teens beyond the algorithm

Daily Signals

Cuqui launches print magazine to reconnect teens beyond the algorithm

New youth media brand Cuqui is launching a monthly print magazine and limited-edition journal aimed at teenagers seeking an alternative to algorith...
Print : Media : Entertainment
Why London’s latest urban development is building around independent retail

Daily Signals

Why London’s latest urban development is building around independent retail

A new residential development in southwest London is offering a blueprint for how large-scale urban housing projects can anchor community through i...
Placemaking : Architecture : Retail
Stat: The consumer impact of the UK’s GLP-1 boom

Daily Signals

Stat: The consumer impact of the UK’s GLP-1 boom

GLP-1 use is accelerating across Britain, reshaping how millions of people eat, drink, exercise and shop. Research from consultancy firm ...
Health And Wellness : Value : Statistic
Aldar breaks ground on Abu Dhabi’s most ambitious luxury district yet

Daily Signals

Aldar breaks ground on Abu Dhabi’s most ambitious luxury district yet

Aldar, Abu Dhabi’s leading real estate developer, has unveiled Marsa Al Saadiyat – the final phase of Saadiyat Island, one of the most ambitious lu...
Luxury : Residential : Placemaking
Cookson Adventures turns myth into an entertainment-led voyage

Daily Signals

Cookson Adventures turns myth into an entertainment-led voyage

Cookson Adventures is turning Homer’s The Odyssey into a £1.9m ($2.5m, €2.2m) seven-day superyacht experience for up to 12 guests, blending immersi...
Luxury : Travel : Entertainment
Stat: Pre-holiday beauty spend signals rise of ritual-led consumption

Daily Signals

Stat: Pre-holiday beauty spend signals rise of ritual-led consumption

British travellers are investing more in pre-holiday beauty rituals, with new research revealing an average spend of £158 ($213, €184) on prod...
Beauty : Travelling : Statistic
How playful co-creation is expanding beauty’s language

Daily Signals

How playful co-creation is expanding beauty’s language

Paris-based creative studio Buro Nōto has turned children’s unfiltered imagination into a new visual language for beauty. Created with photographer...
Beauty : Make-up : Society
Foresight Friday: Alice Crossley, principal strategic foresight analyst

Daily Signals

Foresight Friday: Alice Crossley, principal strategic foresight analyst

Every Friday, we offer an end-of-week wrap-up of the topics, issues, ideas and virals we’re all talking about. This week, principal strategic fores...
Foresight Friday : Climate Crisis : Global Drivers
Stat: Use of AI for luxury shoppers increases with wealth in the US, but decreases in China

Daily Signals

Stat: Use of AI for luxury shoppers increases with wealth in the US, but decreases in China

AI assistants are reshaping luxury shopping, influencing how consumers discover, compare and choose products, according to Face to Face With L...
Luxury : Technology : Statistic
Ikea designs for a generation living life in transit

Daily Signals

Ikea designs for a generation living life in transit

Ikea is launching Kompishäng, a new collection of 13 affordable, portable furniture pieces designed for young city dwellers navigating frequent mov...
Ikea : Moving : Living
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