A Starbucks and a bookstore inside a public library reshaped a small Japanese town

Japan's book scene is moving from bookstores to libraries

In 2013, the bookstore chain Tsutaya opened a public library in Takeo, a small city in Kyushu, adding a Starbucks and a bookstore inside. Visitors came from far away, residents lingered around books, and communities formed. The author, a book lover who seeks out libraries abroad, argues that such places work because they are public: anyone can gather without buying anything. He visits a library in Nankan, population 9,000, where shelves lead from local history outward to the wider world.