The bookstores in Japan renting out shelf space

A new kind of bookstore gaining popularity in Japan rents out shelf space for readers to sell their books. At least 600 Japanese bookstores have closed in the past two years, unable to compete with online retailers such as Amazon. The new stores allow for a more eclectic mix than web sellers’ algorithmic suggestions, AFP reported, with shelf rentals starting at $32 a month. “Regular bookstores sell books that are popular based on sales statistics while excluding books that don’t sell well,” said Shogo Imamura, the owner of a Tokyo store where secondhand manga comics and martial arts tomes sit side-by-side. “We ignore such principles. Or capitalism in other words.”