Recommendations for a Bookstore Stroll

Good morning.
Today is a different kind of weekend because it's my eldest son's first-grade Saturday class observation.
Since we have a trip coming up the next day, I felt restless and woke up before 2:00 AM.

Oh boy (;'∀')

Well, in my post yesterday, I recommended that you "try taking a stroll through a bookstore" in the conclusion, and since I just happened to take a stroll through my favorite bookstore, I'd like to introduce it.

I'm the type of person who looks for a bookstore every time I visit a commercial facility in any area, and my "holy land" is this place.

Towering over the Marunouchi North Exit of Tokyo Station

Marunouchi Oazo.

Inside Marunouchi Oazo, Maruzen's main store occupies floors 1 through 4.

I get more excited about this entrance than the entrance to Disneyland (lol).

When I entered the store, the first thing that caught my eye was a section on "ChatGPT."

When I flipped through them, they introduced a wide range of topics from the introduction of ChatGPT to examples of how to use it.
Since you can compare several books on the same theme,
it's great that you can choose based on "readability" and "ease of use."

The first floor is a "quintessential office district!" floor with business books and books related to acquiring certifications.

There are many specialized books, and just walking around makes me feel like I've become smarter (lol).

Next to the escalator, there are many books related to acquiring certifications lined up,
and when I looked at this section in my 20s,
I felt like "I could become anything!"It's a grateful floor where I could equip myself with groundless confidence (lol).

The volume is such that I could spend over an hour strolling just on the first floor, but the bottleneck here is the luggage, isn't it?

If you wander around for a long time, your bag gets in the way and you get tired.

I thought, "I wish there were coin lockers," and sure enough, there were!
(I hadn't noticed until now 💦)

As expected of Maruzen's main store (*´艸｀)

They come in two sizes, large and small.
The large one looks like it could even fit a small suitcase.

I was already very satisfied with the first floor, but the upper floors are not to be missed either.

As soon as I went up to the second floor, what I saw was

Noraneko Gundan plushies!!

Yes, this is "EHONS TOKYO"!!
I already loved the Maruzen main store, but now that a corner like this has been created, I have no choice but to stay at the hotel next door ( ；∀；)!

This is a heart-throbbing spot where they sell what could be called "picture book classics" from legends like Akiko Hayashi and Taro Gomi to Shinsuke Yoshitake, along with related merchandise.

The in-store features change periodically, and it's a spot you can't take your eyes off of, with signed books sometimes being sold.

Details were introduced in this article.
Once you see this, you'll be so excited that you won't be able to help but go to Maruzen this weekend (lol).

Before I knew it, an online shop had also started.
You can also check what kind of products they have from here♪
It's a very stylish site♡

On the second floor, practical books, magazines, comics, etc., are available.

I took home a bookmark from here♪

And when I went up to the third floor, what I saw was
a special floor for "Takusan no Fushigi"!

They had many picture books from the Fukuinkan Shoten subscription magazine "Takusan no Fushigi" lined up.

Since it's a "subscription magazine," I rarely have the chance to see it in bookstores, so I was happy to be able to see what the content was like.

The content seems to be aimed at third and fourth graders in elementary school, but it's quite detailed and profound even for adults.

The third floor has education-related books, language books, and new books, in addition to books for children.
It has a wider variety of picture books, teaching materials, children's books for elementary school students and older, and reference books than EHONS TOKYO on the second floor.

When I come to this floor with my child, I end up staying for a long time (lol).

And on the 4th floor, there is stationery, a gallery, and the "MC Cafe," which is famous for its Hayashi rice.
From the window seats at the MC Cafe, you can see Shinkansen trains like the Hayabusa, so it's also fun to come here with young train enthusiasts.

Maruzen Main Store has a large collection of books, and including the stationery floor and other areas, there is so much to see that no amount of time is ever enough.

Before I became a mother, I used to take paid leave and spend five to six hours there (laughs).

Recently, I can only stop by when I have business at Tokyo Station, but every time I come, there is a new discovery, making it an oasis for me.

Someday, I would really like to stay at the hotel next door and immerse myself in the world of books to my heart's content.

Click here for an article introducing the Maruzen Main Store ↓
Reading it will lead to new discoveries.