Japan’s Tsutaya has opened in JB. It is reason enough to brave the queues to cross the Causeway

The by-now “iconic” curved wall of Tsutaya JB

The feature wall from another angle

For the experiential component of book shopping, nothing in Singapore has ever truly made its mark. And for book lovers (and those who really buy), the situation won’t improve. Now, just across the Causeway and a 15/20-minute Grab ride away is Japanese chain Tsutaya Bookstore, the retailer that proves that even the venerable Kinokuniya can’t come close. Opened just last month at Aeon Mall in the mukim (township) of Tebrau (also Teberau), ten minutes away from Singaporeans’ favourite haunt of Taman Mount Austin, Tsutaya Bookstore is the more accessible of the company’s two concept stores (the other is Tsutaya Books, conceived for “the intellectually mature and creative” consumers). Still, it is a space that gives bookstores a good name, especially when it is a vanishing trade here and in the face of supposedly declining numbers of readers of physical books. Once inside, and surrounded by the books, one senses that this is the library we never had. In a word—clichéd as it may be—immersive.

Here, the oldest bookstore (not shop or the barely qualifiable Popular) still standing is Kinokuniya, also from Japan. While Kinokuniya at Takashimaya Shopping Centre is, at 35,303 square feet, big, Tsutaya’s JB store is no slouch, even at merely 2,500 square meters. And Tsutaya looks far larger and more impressive because of the high ceiling and that massive, curved wall shelf of books that Instagrammers cannot resist. Given its scale, this is designed to awe-inspire and to affirm the belief that books in huge numbers can be an element of interior design. For certain, no one will climb to the upper reaches (although, we think the staffers will oblige if you spotted something you desire, even if it is hard to read the titles from so far away), but the sight of those books looming above is comforting, even assuring, as if in a cathedral with the cherubim watching over you.

At the other end of the curved wall, a tiered space that formed sort-of-eaves as counterpoint to the rest of the more industrial-looking space

Regrettably Tsutaya here carries a very small selection of fashion books, and they filled only the other half of the low shelves

And we suspect, it was conceived to be evocative of a place of workship—the basilica of books. Designed by Hokkaido-born Hikohito Konishi of his eponymous practice (we are totally enamoured with his modern barnyard design for Tsutaya in Ebetsu), the store starts somewhat small—almost nave-like—from the main entrance in the mall. As you walk on, passing a Japanese-style cafe on your left and smelling the matcha, you are in a more compact, almost cave-like space, with anthracite fixtures and shelves. A brighter inner sanctum beckons. As you move farther, drawn by the light, it is as though you are walking into an apse. In place of a choir are the books on the blonde-wood wall shelves—their silent song as resonant and soaring as any group of choristers.

The breadth of titles in this store is relatively wide, but the depth requires some work. It is discernible that Tsutaya JB caters to families, or a wide audience, even those who do not consider reading a habit or, crucially a joy. We zero in on the fashion books and are disappointed to find it wanting, even when they have, admittedly, quite an impressive collection of Thames and Hudson’s Catwalk series. While we were quite happy to see Fukusa: Japanese Gift Covers from the Chris Hall Collection and Taschen’s beautifully-bound ‘The Hard Code Edition’ of On NFTs among the art books, we thought they could have done better in those two sections. Noteworthy and appreciable is the pair of white gloves left on one of the island displays for the examining of expensive tomes.

By contrast one half of the store is of black industrial poise

Not quite the arresting entrance but the sleekness does beckon

We noticed that there is considerable effort in creating a mix of merchandise that does not wholly commensurate with the ‘bookstore’ in the moniker. As with so many businesses these days, what’s emblazoned at the top of the storefront is not necessarily indicative of what is sold inside (who would think Louis Vuitton sells portable speakers these days). As with their stores in Japan, Tsutaya has a well put-together selection of general merchandise, such as bags (the Hyey ‘Trio Bag’!), room-fragrancing solutions, even snow globes that look far from globular or snowy. And every stationery you never knew you needed that the Japanese are good at sourcing, and enticing. To think that Tsutaya started as a video rental business in 1983! While the JB store is no mini-me of their T-Site behemoth in Daikanyama, Tokyo (complete with a convenient store—Family Mart), it is a veritable candy store for those who desire to spend time with a spirited retailer of books.

Some retail observers are surprised that Tsutaya has opened in Johor Bahru—the tourist attraction better known for its food and affordable grocery. But the city has its first mega-bookstore, BookXcess in Sunway (Big Box Mall) since 2020. It, too, has a massive feature wall filled with books. While Tsutaya is a strategically-stocked bookstore in the traditional sense, BookXcess is akin to a books factory outlet, with its products less properly zoned. Regulars to Tsutaya Books and Tsutaya Bookstore in Kuala Lumpur—Bukit Jalil and Intermark Mall respectively—might consider them to have better inventory, but we do not find that the JB store suffered from indolent merchandising. Johoreans, of course, read, but could Tsutaya also be trying to entice the Singaporean reader, more? In the two hours we were in the company of hard and paperbacks, we spotted mostly shoppers who looked like compatriots. Tsutaya does allow us to satiate our appetite for a good read, or two. The enjoyment is there if braving the jams and queues can be overlooked for the lilting call of books.

Photos: 麻坡仔