The New York Business Journal browsed at Books Kinokuniya in New York City, which opened originally in Rockefeller Center in 1981, then moved to Sixth Avenue, across from Bryant Park, in 2007.
Over the past five years, the store has increased its selection of English-language books, which now account for 75% of book inventory and are on the first floor; Japanese-language books and comics, on the second floor, account for the rest. Nonbook merchandise includes Japanese gifts, pens, stationery and Japanese magazines. The second floor also features Café Zaiya, which sells a range of Japanese food and tea "and feels as if it belongs in Tokyo."
Manager Kotaro Takano said the increase in English-language titles was needed to appeal to a wider audience and boost revenue. That audience consists of "locals, tourists, and then fans of the Japanese culture and anime and comic books."
Lori Zarahn, the English-language book buyer, said that the store's Japanese clientele has changed somewhat, as it now appeals to second-, third- and fourth-generation Japanese Americans who reside in Queens, N.Y., and several New Jersey communities. "They may read Japanese, but they still want to buy their books in English," she said.
The 25,000-square-foot store also has a large back-office operation that exports academic Japanese books to college and high schools throughout the U.S.