Q: So, let’s begin the interview with Aoi Komado. Thank you for joining us. How long has it been since you opened?
A: It’s been one year and three months.
Q: These days, bookstores are often described as a declining industry. Do you have any sense of what percentage of new bookstores manage to survive for more than a year?
A: Not at all (lol). It’s true that we often hear about bookstores closing, but when you look into it, you also see new ones opening.
If it’s a declining industry, then we want Aoi Komado to help energize it—that’s how we feel.
Also, because we put a lot of effort into events, we’re fully occupied with day-to-day operations. So the fact that we’ve been able to continue for over a year is something we’re truly grateful for.
Q: One of your unique concepts compared to ordinary bookstores is the strong focus on events. Has your vision changed from when you first opened to now? Did you plan to hold many events from the start, or did they gradually increase?
A: I come from a completely different industry, so I felt that competing as a “normal” bookstore from the beginning would be tough. That’s why I discussed with my co-owner, Yamashiro, and decided early on to make events the core of what we do.
As we continued, our concept—“supporting people who want to take on challenges”—became clearer. That led to the goal of achieving 500 projects in 10 years. In other words, we decided on a concrete number.
Q: Since you emphasize events and the idea of supporting people’s challenges, and because this is a shelf-rental bookstore with a wide variety of books, do you ever encounter books that don’t fit the shop’s concept? If so, how do you handle that?
A: Honestly, I think selling a book itself is already a challenge. So in that sense, what kind of book it is doesn’t really matter. Even if it’s something negative, selling it is still a challenge, so I’ve never felt that it went against our direction.
We support people who want to take on challenges, but we also don’t force those who don’t feel like challenging themselves right now. Rather than pushing everyone toward “challenge,” we try to value what each individual is seeking at that moment. Whether we’re actually doing that well is another question, though (lol).
Q: So it’s not just about selling books, but about walking alongside the shelf owners and their challenges. Was that idea there from the beginning?
A: It developed gradually. As we went along. People who don’t want to challenge themselves often have reasons—maybe they’re tired, or they don’t want to push themselves right now. If you ignore that and just keep pushing forward, it becomes a superficial challenge.
So I try to ask: what kind of mental state is this person in right now? What do they want to do with their life? I make an effort to listen.
Q: When interacting with shelf owners, including private conversations when they visit the shop, do you and your co-owner Yamashiro consciously try to listen to them?
A: Yes. Yamashiro is senior to me as a shop owner, so there’s a lot I learn from him.
Q: You mentioned earlier that you differentiated yourselves by focusing on events from the start. Among the events you’ve held so far, were there any that felt like a gamble or particularly unconventional?
A: None that felt like a gamble. We make sure they don’t become gambles by consulting thoroughly with the shelf owners in advance and preparing carefully.
We clarify the purpose and expected impact, and then hold the event. I wouldn’t say we do this perfectly—if anything, I still have a long way to go—but it’s something I stay conscious of.
Q: Among all the events you’ve held, which was the most well-received? Or are there events that have continued multiple times?
A: Both exist. The most well-received was a talk event about opening a bookstore. It was an event where everyone came together with the desire to support a university student shelf owner who wanted to become a bookseller. In terms of attendance and emotional energy, that one stood out.
As for ongoing events, there’s one called “Talking About Our Love for Suginami.” After the Suginami edition of Globe-Trotter’s Guidebook was released last year, that led to an appearance on Fuji TV. The shelf owner who hosted that event was featured, and that led to coverage of Aoi Komado as well. It’s something we’d like to continue.
Q: Speaking of Suginami and projects like Emptytimes by Yamashiro, and with your sister shop Tenmondozukan receiving a lot of media attention lately—Aoi Komado was also featured on Fuji TV’s Sun! Shine. Did you notice an increase in customers or other effects?
A: More people started talking to us. Little by little, visitor numbers and sales have improved. We haven’t seen explosive popularity like Tenmondozukan, though.
But honestly, if I don’t aim higher than Tenmondozukan, I’d probably slack off (lol). So… we’re still a work in progress.
Q: Given your business model, book sales go entirely to the shelf owners, not directly to the shop. Do you feel that creates management challenges?
A: Once we started, it was exactly as you said: even if a shelf owner’s books sell, that doesn’t become shop revenue. So yes, it can be difficult.
That said, since we give 100% of book sales to the shelf owners, the calculations are simple. There’s no need to work out percentages. The biggest challenge is increasing the number of shelf owners and growing the community. Improving their satisfaction and encouraging them to continue is something Yamashiro and I work on through constant trial and error.
Q: You’ve been trying many creative ideas—capsule toys, a shop newspaper, and so on. Since you often run the shop alone and there isn’t always someone there, do you ever feel lonely during that time? Or do you use it to think, plan, or handle administrative work?
A: At the beginning, I did feel lonely, just as you said. But now I’ve learned to enjoy that time. There’s always something to do—planning the next event, thinking about the newspaper, contacting people.
Because there’s so much to do when I’m alone, I don’t really have time to feel lonely anymore. I’m grateful to be in a situation where there’s always something to work on.
Q: Events are open not only to shelf owners but to others as well, correct?
A: Yes, that’s right.
Q: Through events and shelf ownership, connections between people naturally form. Have there been any memorable connections or new things that emerged from those relationships?
A: Someone connected with others through wanting to start a band! It makes me really happy when those kinds of connections form without me even realizing it.
Q: That’s unexpected. Speaking of music, do you know the term “Blue Note”? It refers to a note that resonates emotionally more than being technically correct. Since it’s also “blue,” does the name Aoi Komado have a particular meaning?
A: There are two meanings. One is Yamashiro’s mental image of Okinawa from his childhood—his grandparents are from there. It’s like looking out from a seaside café onto a white sandy beach.
The second is tied to our concept of supporting people who want to take on challenges. Each “window” (shelf) is a place from which people can leap out into the world.
Q: It sounds like helping shelf owners step out and thrive is a clear goal. You’ve set the goal of being “Japan’s most shelf-owner-centered bookstore.” What does that mean in concrete terms?
A: Our goal is to realize 500 projects with shelf owners in 10 years. But after doing this for a year, I realized we probably don’t even need 10 years.
Q: At one year and three months in, how many events have you held so far?
A: 138. That includes things like interior changes as well.
Q: Finally, if Aoi Komado were to disappear tomorrow, what do you think this town would lose?
A: Its spirit of challenge.
Q: Even though it’s a bit away from the station, losing it would mean losing Asagaya’s spirit of challenge.
A: Yes. I believe the world is built on mutual influence—like the butterfly effect. If a small shop in Asagaya disappears, I truly think it would ultimately dim the brightness of the entire planet.
Q: Listening to everything you’ve said, Aoi Komado isn’t just a bookstore—it’s a place that embodies challenge through events, with blue as a symbolic, forward-looking energy. If it disappeared, the spirit of challenge would be lost.
A: Exactly. At the foundation of that spirit is love. For people to grow, they need to be told “You’ll be fine,” or sometimes be honestly confronted with “That’s not quite right.” Those kinds of relationships are essential.
My basic mindset is “Sounds good—let’s try it.” Nothing starts unless you do something, so let’s act first and adjust as we go.
If I ever say “Let’s not do that” right away, it really means it’s a bad idea (lol).
This is a place for challenge. If it disappeared, it would feel like a candle flame going out from the Earth. Something precious would be lost.
What keeps me going is, ultimately, love. Without it, neither work nor human relationships can truly grow.
Q: You interact with shelf owners with that sense of care. Some have been here since the opening—have you noticed changes in them, or something they share in common?
A: Everyone has changed in one way or another—making zines, doing readings, and more. Seeing others challenge themselves makes people want to try something too.
Q: What kind of person is suited to being a shelf owner?
A: Everyone I meet here.
If I had to say, maybe men with strong spirit—since it’s a world where women are very strong these days. I tend to go easy on women, but I might be a bit tougher on men (lol). That’s because I believe in their potential.
Of course, women’s power is incredible too.
I want to run the shop cheerfully, so that everyone who walks in feels excited and thinks, “I want to become a shelf owner here too.”