Book Off: A gold mine for English-speaking readers

Do you like reading? I have always read a lot. Books were my best friends when nobody was at home. Detective stories, Sci-Fi, romance novels, classics… The world of literature is so exciting, but buying too often can break the bank. That’s why I was more than happy to discover Book Off.

It is the biggest used books chain store in Japan. Wherever you go, you will find one of their branches. If you have a lot of books, CDs or DVDs that you no longer need but feel queasy at the thought of throwing them away, this is a perfect place to get rid of them. Just don’t expect to get more than 10 yen or so per book or 20 yen per comic book (manga), if I remember correctly. On the other hand, it is a gold mine for buyers. It always feels good when you pay only 100 – 300 yen for a book that usually costs 3000 yen at a conventional bookstore.

However, most of the stores are Japanese-oriented so you need to know where to look for the foreign literature. Here is my Top 3 list:

1. Nishi-Gotanda. Their foreign book section is huge! Get ready to spend some time and money there. It is not far from the station, so don’t worry about carrying heavy books home.

2. Iidabashi. They have a small corner on the top floor which has a quick turnaround. There was a time when I would visit the branch almost every Saturday and find some new books.

3. Ikebukuro. You have to walk about 6 minutes from the station, but their foreign section is rather large and comprehensive.

Occasionally, I also drop by Book Off at Jiyugaoka station, but their prices are rarely lower than 300 yen. Book Off in Shibuya also offers a good selection of foreign literature and textbooks, but the area is too crowded and noisy to visit too often.

Article by Olga Kaneda