Recommended Children's Libraries

In this extra edition, I would like to introduce some children's libraries in Tokyo. Whether you are a parent and child, or even an adult visiting alone, I am sure you will find many ways to enjoy them. Of course, all of them are free. They are wonderful places where you can spend time enriching your heart.

1. Itabashi Bologna Children's Picture Book Library

The Itabashi Bologna Children's Picture Book Library is located inside Itabashi Peace Park. As you walk through the greenery of the trees, you will find a fountain with water flowing vigorously. The humid air of midsummer is swept away, and the sound of the flowing water feels refreshing to the soul.

The artistic building visible beyond the park is the Itabashi Bologna Children's Picture Book Library. Through the large glass windows on the outside, I was able to catch a glimpse of the inside of the library. When you enter the entrance, there is also a cafe. A library for adults is also attached, and since it was the weekend, many parents and children were visiting.

The first floor of the building is the picture book library and children's corner, and the second floor is the general books and teens' corner. When I entered the picture book library, I saw small chairs and tables for children lined up. In the library, where you can feel the warmth of wood, there are small spaces set up here and there where you can pick up a book and sit down to read it immediately.

There are two major features of this picture book library. One is that it has a wealth of books for learning about the world. It carries picture books in various genres, including nature, history, races, ethnicities, lifestyles, and food of countries around the world, starting with Japan. Due to the influence of the coronavirus and other factors, I haven't had a chance to go abroad for a long time, but once I turned the pages, I could feel the atmosphere of those countries along with the visuals of photos and illustrations, and I felt excited.

The second feature is that compared to other libraries, there are many books for children related to minorities. There are many books in genres such as disabilities, gender, sexual minorities, and world religions, and above all, it was impressive that they were naturally placed in the recommended books corner on the bookshelf. I couldn't help but become interested in who chose these books.

It is said that the exchange between Itabashi Ward and Bologna, Italy, began when the ward's art museum held the 'Bologna Illustrators Exhibition' in 1981. Later, in the 25th year of the exchange, a 'Friendship City Exchange Agreement' was concluded, and in 1993, the donation of overseas picture books from the 'Bologna Children's Book Fair' secretariat began. The picture book library was originally opened in 2004, but it was relocated to its current location in 2021. The collection includes 31,448 volumes, with 30,000 picture books from about 100 countries around the world in 70 languages.

If you want to experience picture books from around the world, please be sure to visit.

2. International Library of Children's Literature, National Diet Library

After exiting the Park Gate of JR Ueno Station, passing the National Museum of Western Art, and arriving at the plaza, I found the large fountain that serves as a landmark. While looking at the Tokyo National Museum beyond the fountain, I turned left, passed the Former Tokyo Music School Sogakudo, and proceeded further to arrive at a corner where brick buildings stood in a row. The scenery of the city changed completely, and in front of the buildings that make you feel history, I felt as if I had slipped back in time. Soon after, a modern building came into view. It is the International Library of Children's Literature.

This building was originally opened as the Imperial Library in 1906, and after renovations and expansions, it became the International Library of Children's Literature of the National Diet Library in 2000.

What is astonishing when looking at the exterior and interior is that the solemnity of the brick building, which was built in the Meiji era, and the modern architecture of the arch building are fused magnificently. I was captivated by the refined beauty, such as the detailed and beautiful plaster decorations and the delicately designed chandeliers. It is a precious historical heritage that is rarely seen today.

The arch building is characterized by beautiful curves centered on the courtyard, and the beautiful greenery visible from inside the library through the full-glass walls made me feel calm for a while. I was able to have a valuable experience not only for the purpose of reading books, but also for feeling history and touching the beauty of architecture.

Just around the time I visited, the 'Dream of the
Orient's Best' Imperial Library Exhibition was being held. It is said that at the time of its founding, it aimed to be the best in the Orient, and valuable materials related to the architecture of the time and introductions of the architects involved were on display. Places that are usually not allowed to be photographed were allowed to be photographed during the exhibition period, and many visitors were capturing its beauty in photos.

The architects involved in the Imperial Library were Masamichi Kuru, who was appointed as a member of the Imperial Library New Construction Design Committee, Hideo Mamizu, who created the original design for the Imperial Library, and Tokitaro Okada, who took over as construction supervisor after Mr. Mamizu's resignation. Later, those involved in the International Library of Children's Literature were Katsuhiko Sakamoto, who provided preservation guidance for the expansion and restoration of the former Imperial Library, and Tadao Ando, who designed the glass box that runs through the east and west of the entrance, cafeteria, and rear outer wall.

Since it is a national library, the number of books in the collection is an outstanding figure of 333,790 domestic books and 126,304 overseas books.

Inside the library, there is a 'Children's Room' for elementary school students and younger, a 'World Knowledge Room' where books introducing the geography, history, and culture of countries and regions around the world are placed, a 'Children's Book Gallery' where you can trace the history of children's books, and a 'Research Room' for junior high and high school students.

For those 18 and older, there is a Children's Literature Research Room, which anyone can use after registering. I am sure you will be able to find quite rare picture books here that you could not find in other libraries.

※Below are the websites for children and general users of the International Library of Children's Literature.