There are a number of ways to access books for free in Japan.
Depending on the number of foreign people in your community, you may find that your local library stocks books in foreign languages. The Tsukuba Public Library, for example, has books in English, French, Russian, Chinese, and Korean.
If you are not lucky enough to live in a foreign hub, you can also try using Book Crossing and Library Thing to satisfy your inner bookworm.
See for example:
- Books that have been released into the wild in Japan through Book Crossing
- Groups related to Japan on Library Thing
A final way to find books in Japan is to raid the shelves of other foreign people in your community. Your friends may not be willing to part with the books permanently, but they may be able to lend them out long enough for you to read them and return them (preferably within a reasonable amount of time and in the pristine state in which you received them — booklovers are a very particular bunch).
If you know of any other way to access books for free in Japan, please let us know in the comments.
November 14, 2008 at 9:25 am
There is also http://www.bookmooch.com which requires a bit of reciprocity. And the sender pays the shipping. But it’s still a great way to recycle books.