I am a reader. Until I came to Japan. I used to finish 1-3 books in a week. Until I came to Japan. And until I came to Japan, my reading has been limited to Yahoo News with its abundance of Kardashian news. There are e-books of course, but with my eyesight problems I don't want to make it worse. There are bookstores in Japan but the English materials are expensive. I bought 3 books and if I'm gonna buy more, I'll be broke in no time.So, you can just maybe imagine what a treat it was for me when I learned about public libraries in Japan.
| photo credit: http://clancy.jppss.k12.la.us/clancy-library/ |
(For more places in Japan, click here)
A Jamaican friend mentioned it to me when I commented on the stacks of books she has. I thought she bought all of them. In no time, we arranged a library date. The public library was within walking distance from our apartments. Amazingly, there are also a lot of English materials. There are the classics- novels of Charles Dickens, Bronte Sisters, Jane Austen, etc. There are the Newberry Awardees, the New York Times Bestsellers, contemporary novels, unknown ones even trashy ones. It was heaven with my Jamaican friend as the angel messenger.
(Click here to access Chuo Central Library in Hamamatsu)
It was easy to access the library collection. I just filled-out a short form with my name, phone number and address. Then I showed my residence card to the registration counter. The lady typed my info and issued a library card. . In a few minutes, I can already borrow books. I can borrow 15 books at a time but I must return them within 15 days. The library also has audio-visual collections which I can freely watch from the numerous computer stations. There are a lot of animes and some movies.
The library lady also handed me a brochure. I learned from it that I can use my card to other libraries within Hamamatsu. Also, I learned that Japan has more than 3,000 public libraries all over the country. Most of these libraries have English materials. All a foreigner need to present is his alien card. The lady also mentioned that most public libraries are near city offices. So the key is to find a city office and most probably, a public library is nearby.
(For more on Living in Hamamatsu, Japan, click here)
So for those stuck with Yahoo news (and its Kardashian articles), grab your alien card and go to the nearest public library out there. Happy reading!
