A History of Tachiyomi (Browsing While Standing)

In April, I published a book titled "A History of Tachiyomi (Browsing While Standing)" from Hayakawa Shobo's "Hayakawa Shinsho" series.

"Tachiyomi"—browsing books while standing in a bookstore—is something any Japanese person takes for granted. However, people returning from abroad during the Showa era noted that this custom seems to be unique to Japan. On the other hand, the act of entering a bookstore and flipping through a book has existed overseas for a long time. What does this mean?

Bookstores appear in the NHK Taiga drama "Berabou." However, Edo-period bookstores used a "sitting sales" style, making it impossible to browse while standing. This raises the question: at some point and somewhere in Japan after the Meiji era, "tachiyomi" must have begun. My book, "A History of Tachiyomi," explores this. Please visit a bookstore and try browsing this book while standing.

But why was I able to become conscious of a Japanese custom that everyone takes for granted and overlooks?

In 1989, I worked as a student assistant for night-time circulation at the Juku library (then the Mita Information Center). There, I noticed the problem of missing books. I used this as material for my graduation thesis under the guidance of Professor Shunsaku Tamura in the Library and Information Science major, which I entered as a second-degree student. At that time, I realized there was almost no existing literature on the problem of shoplifting in bookstores.

By the way, in my previous job as a reference librarian, there was a technique called the "simultaneous occurrence search method." This is a technique where, if you are researching a subject and cannot find much literature, you search for a different subject that occurs simultaneously. Initially, I had trouble finding literature on bookstore shoplifting, so I looked for another simultaneous occurrence, which led me to focus on "tachiyomi."

I have been a lover of old books since my days majoring in Western History. Around that time, I read Junichiro Kida's "Walking Through the Old Book District" and became interested in book research. Forty years later, in the April issue of "Modern Publishing Research" which I publish, I put together a special feature titled "All Things Books: The World of Junichiro Kida." Hiroshi Aramata contributed a lengthy piece; both of them are Keio University alumni. This makes me feel that I, too, might have been a humble member of the Juku's bibliophile community. I also have fond memories of Professor Nobukazu Mushanokoji showing me "movable books" during a class on the 5th floor of the library.

A History of Tachiyomi

Masaki Kobayashi

Hayakawa Shinsho

200 pages, 1,320 yen (tax included)

*Affiliations and titles are those at the time of publication.