Category: LOVE Yokohama

Hello, hello! How have you been?

I seem to have forgotten about my blog for a little while, hounded by that thing called “real life.” It can be so time consuming sometimes. But no worries. I’ll be making up lost time by posting like a maniac the next few days 😉

So a couple of weeks ago, I finally made my way to Book Apart.

Book Apart is a bookstore that opened last year in Yokohama. It’s owned by Shuhei Mita, who also owns, Book Truck, a mobile bookstore. His selection of books are wonderfully vast and diverse. But the books were not the only reason this bookstore pulled me in. I mean, books are always enough. But there was an extra cherry on top (for me).

You may have guessed from the name, this bookstore is housed in an apartment. Okurayama Apartment, to be exact. This apartment building was designed by Kazuyo Sejima, one-half of the world renowned SANAA architecture firm. They’re famous for architectural designs such as the 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art in Kanazawa prefecture and the Musée Louvre-Lens in France. You can say they are currently one of the most influential architects in Japan, so I was really interested in the apartment itself.

The apartment had three-stories, very uniquely designed. Large windows, white walls, and simple concrete floors made the place look quite spacious. The bookstore used various sections of the apartment to highlight different books. Children’s books by the bedroom, cooking books in the kitchen, travel books by the patio.

I was there for hours, first browsing, then sitting down with a book, then browsing some more. It was definitely a treasure box. I finally settled on a magazine that caught my eye and I headed towards the register on the first floor. With both books and architecture to tickle my toes, you can bet I went home with a smile on my face.

What do you think of this bookstore? Here are some photos: