Tsutaya Books opens in city on Christmas Eve
The new branch of Tsutaya Books in Shanghai has some 50,000 books from home and abroad.
There are magazines for readers to choose on the first floor, including some vintage ones.
Tsutaya Books, a Japanese franchise, will open a new branch in the 96-year-old Columbia Circle in Shanghai on Christmas Eve with some 50,000 books and 17,000 cultural items.
It will have an exhibition hall, gallery, cafe, restaurant, craft store and a place where local people can appreciate Japanese and Western culture.
Books from overseas account for about 40 to 50 percent of the stock and visitors will be able to find artwork by of Japanese sculptor Kohei Nawa and crafts from famed Japanese brands.
"The main concept of this bookstore is art education," said Shohei Matsuo, producer of the new store. "And the idea of our design is harmony and comparison. It's known to all that the building is a historic one. So that on the first floor, we introduce the theme of 'harmony' to match the deep feeling of history, while the second floor is a modern area focusing on art."
A 33-meter-long art corridor is on the second door of the bookstore with books related to architecture and fine art on both sides.
The second floor has sections for art, architecture and design.
"Shanghai is a modern metropolis with almost everything. However, in such a place, people may have more demand for a space to gain sensibility and evoke inspiration."
The bookstore is designed to line up with the Tsutaya outlet in Japan's Ginza, where art is connected with Japanese culture and lifestyle through books.
On the first floor, there are sections for literature, humanities and science, history, lifestyle and vacation, as well as stationery goods.
Qi Qi, chief of the store, said some vintage magazines, including British music, fashion and culture magazines The Face and i-D, will be displayed at the store.
Original items such as Collins columns and fireplaces have been preserved and fit with the style and interior decoration of the bookstore. Qi told Shanghai Daily that they also took the loading capacity in the building's different parts into consideration when designing the interior to protect the building.
On the second floor, there’s a 33-meter-long art corridor for architecture and fine art and areas for design, fashion, photo and art crafts. A small gallery is set at the center, currently with calligraphy by Chinese artist Xu Jing. It will serve as a platform to promote works from less well known artists to the public.
The second floor has a small gallery for visitors to enjoy calligraphy by artist Xu Jing.
The "Big Book" section looks like an exhibition area for photography and art. Some of the books are limited editions. Included is the heaviest book in the store a 50-kilogram volume of the work of English fashion and portrait photographer David Bailey.
A book on Ferrari, in the shape of a car engine with materials used in the cars in its cover, is priced at 74,000 yuan (US$11,290). A pair of white gloves is placed aside for readers to wear to turn the pages.
The art crafts area is a nice place to shop. The brands have a history ranging from tens to hundreds of years.
The section’s planner Zhu Yiren showed Shanghai Daily his favorite item — a 145-year-old Japanese tea caddy from maker Kaikado. Its handmade tin tea caddies differ in appearance, depending on how the owner uses it and what is put inside, he said.
Aderia, the Japanese glass tableware maker which celebrated its 200th anniversary last year, has its Sun-Moon glass series of different types of cups for different alcohol, such as whiskey, champagne and sake. With different amounts of wine or sake left in the glass, the gold and silver circle on the glass will show different looks. "When you pour the alcohol into it, you will see how a full moon rises."
At the Cafe Stand on the first floor, there are a few products with Japanese features, such as Japanese drip coffee and a coffee with hojicha, a kind of roasted Japanese green tea.
On the second floor, there's a bar called "Time Flies" and an area for visitors to have a light meal.
The historic building is well preserved with its original features retained.
The heaviest book at the store is a 50-kilogram volume of the work of English photographer David Bailey.
