At Kinokuniya
The defining observation from my trip to NYC has been that there’s an overwhelming amount of choice. This city appears to be capable of catering to an seemingly infinite range of tastes, so the fact that there’s a three story store devoted to selling Japanese books should not come as a surprise.
I visited Kinokuniya Bookstore yesterday and was practically quivering with acquisitiveness for all the time I was there. I came away with three books (and a magazine about small tyre bikes for Paul), but could have bought thirty.
The top one here is about the work of Yurio Seki, the Japanese graphic designer behind the Salvia homewares range and Salvia quarterly publication. Read this article to find out more about Salvia, as the website is all in Japanese.
The next book in my pile shows the work of Takehisa Yumeji, who was an illustrator and woodblock artist during the 1920s and 1930s in Japan. Beautiful colours and lines.
The last book has absolutely no clues in English, so I don’t know who or what it is about, but I love it. Woodblocks and watercolours of leaves, boughs, flowers, fruits and blossoms in all their moods. I love it.
As I say, there were 100 other books I could have taken, including the incredible section of craft books, but I’m concerned about having overfull bags. Perhaps I’ll weigh the bags just before we leave and then work out exactly how many more books I can dash out and scoop up.
kylie
I so so so agree with you about the plethora of choices available in NYC. When I visited 2 years ago it was like nothing I had ever seen. The US is interesting – so much choice and abundance and yet so much poverty and distress too.
Having said all that I love Kinokuniya! We have one in Sydney (yay!). There’s also a fantastic one in Bangkok should you ever be looking for books there. The funny thing is I never went to Kinokuniya in all my years in Japan.
Shirley
I have to agree with your observation about the US. I’ve lived in the states all my life and have spent a fair amount of time in NYC too.
To make your statement more analogous (is that a word?), I would alter your sentence to: “so many choices and so much abundance, yet so many limitations and so much poverty” (Let’s face it, when you’re really poor, or even a little poor, you don’t have the luxury of ‘choice’).
But NYC is indeed a wonderful city and I hope to move there soon!
skinnylaminx
You’re right. But I must say that when staying in Manhattan, it’s easy to forget that the US has poverty at all – everyone is so sleek, well-fed and satisfied around here. Hope you get to live here soon (and that you’ll be one of the sleek, well-fed New Yorkers!)
painted fish studio
wonderful choices. the last time i went to kinokuniya, i had to ship my purchases home! 🙂 really enjoying reading about your time in nyc.
lena
yay! i’m so glad you enjoyed kinokuniya. i find it really overwhelming every time! great choices.
Natasha
I love your work and your blog and NY! So it’s fantastic to have all three in your recent postings!
Just a suggestion (as it always happens to me when I go back to Spain) – It’s waay cheaper to ship than it is to pay the extra weight on the plane… The bonus being that when you get back home (with the post-holiday blues) – you have so much to look forward to in the post!
It’s like being on holiday all over again. Yipeee.
skinnylaminx
Thanks for the good thinking! I’ll be sure to keep that in mind. xx
helen:)
Oh boy, I better not visit the book market than…. I’ll end up with a suitcase full of books. Great choices:)!
chia
woaaa! kino i love kino!! heather, im going to nyc end of july.
are you in town?
skinnylaminx
Hi Chia I’m only here till the end of May, so we’ll miss each other. Hope you have a fantastic time! xx
Wendy
Lovely blog!
Don’t worry about over-full bags – it is so easy to get boxes shipped from NY (charged by volume, not weight) back to SA, and it only takes a few weeks.
You will only regret all that you didn’t buy!!
The Shopping Sherpa
If you carry your books they don’t count toward the weight restrictions, or at least they don’t count here as they are considered “reading for the journey” 😉
Jacqui Dodds
You are so lucky to be on this amazing trip and also to be able to buy those beautiful Japanese books.