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S1E34: Japan fights to save its beloved bookshops
Manage episode 429523321 series 2318075
Japan's Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry wants to take action to get people to return to brick-and-mortar stores.
Synopsis: Every first Friday of the month, The Straits Times chats with ST’s correspondents in the Asia-Pacific, the US and Europe, about life as it goes on, amid the screaming headlines and bubbling crises.
The Japanese are sentimental about bookstores, viewing them as precious communal spaces that do more than just sell books.
And yet, fewer and fewer are going to these stores, in line with global trends.
What is more surprising is how the Japanese government has decided to seize the problem by its horns, with the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry setting up a taskforce to look into the matter, even as the bookshops themselves are striving to find fresh ways to appeal to customers.
In this episode, ST’s foreign editor Li Xueying chats with Japan Correspondent Walter Sim on why the Japanese government has decided to be so interventionist.
Highlights (click/tap above):
1:59 One in two Japanese read “less than one book” every six months
3:26 Why the Japanese are sentimental about bookshops
6:15 A “psychic” bookseller in Osaka
10:06 Laments at shuttered shops but it’s too late
12:15 Taking action
17:12 Walter’s favourite bookshops in Japan
Read Walter Sim’s article here: https://str.sg/AWsW
Produced by: Li Xueying (xueying@sph.com.sg) and Fa’izah Sani
Edited by: Fa’izah Sani
Follow Letter From The Bureau Podcast every first Friday of the month here:
Channel: https://str.sg/JWa7
Apple Podcasts: https://str.sg/JWa8
Spotify: https://str.sg/JWaX
SPH Awedio app: https://www.awedio.sg/
Website: http://str.sg/stpodcasts
Feedback to: podcast@sph.com.sg
Read Li Xueying’s articles: https://str.sg/iqmR
Follow Li Xueying on LinkedIn: https://str.sg/ip4x
Read Walter Sim's articles: https://str.sg/wHY2
Read ST's Letters From The Bureau: https://str.sg/3xRd
Register for Asian Insider newsletter: https://str.sg/stnewsletters
---
Discover more ST podcast channels:
All-in-one ST Podcasts channel: https://str.sg/wvz7
The Usual Place: https://str.sg/wEr7u
In Your Opinion: https://str.sg/w7Qt
COE Watch: https://str.sg/iTtE
Asian Insider: https://str.sg/JWa7
Health Check: https://str.sg/JWaN
Green Pulse: https://str.sg/JWaf
Your Money & Career: https://str.sg/wB2m
Hard Tackle: https://str.sg/JWRE
#PopVultures: https://str.sg/JWad
Music Lab: https://str.sg/w9TX
---
ST Podcast website: http://str.sg/stpodcasts
ST Podcasts YouTube: https://str.sg/4Vwsa
---
Special edition series:
True Crimes Of Asia (6 eps): https://str.sg/i44T
The Unsolved Mysteries of South-east Asia (5 eps): https://str.sg/wuZ2
Invisible Asia (9 eps): https://str.sg/wuZn
Stop Scams (10 eps): https://str.sg/wuZB
Singapore's War On Covid (5 eps): https://str.sg/wuJa
---
Get The Straits Times' app, which has a dedicated podcast player section:
The App Store: https://str.sg/icyB
Google Play: https://str.sg/icyX
#STAsianInsider
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Chapters
1. Japan fights to save its beloved bookshops (00:00:00)
2. 1 in 2 read less than a book every 6 months (00:01:59)
3. Why Japanese are sentimental about bookshops (00:03:26)
4. A “psychic” bookseller in Osaka (00:06:15)
5. Lamenting over shuttered shops: Too late? (00:10:06)
6. Intervention? (00:12:15)
7. Walter’s favourite bookshops in Japan (00:17:12)
1904 episodes
Manage episode 429523321 series 2318075
Japan's Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry wants to take action to get people to return to brick-and-mortar stores.
Synopsis: Every first Friday of the month, The Straits Times chats with ST’s correspondents in the Asia-Pacific, the US and Europe, about life as it goes on, amid the screaming headlines and bubbling crises.
The Japanese are sentimental about bookstores, viewing them as precious communal spaces that do more than just sell books.
And yet, fewer and fewer are going to these stores, in line with global trends.
What is more surprising is how the Japanese government has decided to seize the problem by its horns, with the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry setting up a taskforce to look into the matter, even as the bookshops themselves are striving to find fresh ways to appeal to customers.
In this episode, ST’s foreign editor Li Xueying chats with Japan Correspondent Walter Sim on why the Japanese government has decided to be so interventionist.
Highlights (click/tap above):
1:59 One in two Japanese read “less than one book” every six months
3:26 Why the Japanese are sentimental about bookshops
6:15 A “psychic” bookseller in Osaka
10:06 Laments at shuttered shops but it’s too late
12:15 Taking action
17:12 Walter’s favourite bookshops in Japan
Read Walter Sim’s article here: https://str.sg/AWsW
Produced by: Li Xueying (xueying@sph.com.sg) and Fa’izah Sani
Edited by: Fa’izah Sani
Follow Letter From The Bureau Podcast every first Friday of the month here:
Channel: https://str.sg/JWa7
Apple Podcasts: https://str.sg/JWa8
Spotify: https://str.sg/JWaX
SPH Awedio app: https://www.awedio.sg/
Website: http://str.sg/stpodcasts
Feedback to: podcast@sph.com.sg
Read Li Xueying’s articles: https://str.sg/iqmR
Follow Li Xueying on LinkedIn: https://str.sg/ip4x
Read Walter Sim's articles: https://str.sg/wHY2
Read ST's Letters From The Bureau: https://str.sg/3xRd
Register for Asian Insider newsletter: https://str.sg/stnewsletters
---
Discover more ST podcast channels:
All-in-one ST Podcasts channel: https://str.sg/wvz7
The Usual Place: https://str.sg/wEr7u
In Your Opinion: https://str.sg/w7Qt
COE Watch: https://str.sg/iTtE
Asian Insider: https://str.sg/JWa7
Health Check: https://str.sg/JWaN
Green Pulse: https://str.sg/JWaf
Your Money & Career: https://str.sg/wB2m
Hard Tackle: https://str.sg/JWRE
#PopVultures: https://str.sg/JWad
Music Lab: https://str.sg/w9TX
---
ST Podcast website: http://str.sg/stpodcasts
ST Podcasts YouTube: https://str.sg/4Vwsa
---
Special edition series:
True Crimes Of Asia (6 eps): https://str.sg/i44T
The Unsolved Mysteries of South-east Asia (5 eps): https://str.sg/wuZ2
Invisible Asia (9 eps): https://str.sg/wuZn
Stop Scams (10 eps): https://str.sg/wuZB
Singapore's War On Covid (5 eps): https://str.sg/wuJa
---
Get The Straits Times' app, which has a dedicated podcast player section:
The App Store: https://str.sg/icyB
Google Play: https://str.sg/icyX
#STAsianInsider
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Chapters
1. Japan fights to save its beloved bookshops (00:00:00)
2. 1 in 2 read less than a book every 6 months (00:01:59)
3. Why Japanese are sentimental about bookshops (00:03:26)
4. A “psychic” bookseller in Osaka (00:06:15)
5. Lamenting over shuttered shops: Too late? (00:10:06)
6. Intervention? (00:12:15)
7. Walter’s favourite bookshops in Japan (00:17:12)
1904 episodes
All episodes
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