62-Year-Old Bookstore's 'Tearful Closure'... Touching Story Featured in Moral Textbooks [Japanese Side]

Sendai City Bookstore Owner Hit by Great East Japan Earthquake
Opened Store for Children Frightened by TV Outage
Children Raised Funds Saying "Let's Pay 200 Won Instead of Reading Comics"

Touching Story Featured in Ethics Textbook
But Ultimately Closed Due to Publishing Industry Downturn

Unlike South Korea, Japan celebrates Chuseok according to the solar calendar. They have their holiday around August 15th, about a month earlier than in South Korea. Recently, a bookstore visited by travelers returning to their hometowns during this Chuseok in Japan has become a hot topic. It was a place in Sendai City that had been run by three generations for 62 years, and news of its closure brought together people who shared memories to bid their final farewell.

This bookstore holds special meaning for the Japanese people. During the Great East Japan Earthquake, Sendai City suffered severe damage, and the bookstore opened its doors to frightened children to soothe their pain. As this story spread, many relief supplies and donations were gathered there. Nevertheless, the owner decided to close the store with tears. Today, we share the story of the bookstore owner, Yuichi Shiokawa.

Bookstore in Sendai City operated by Shiokawa. (Photo by NHK)

Mr. Shiokawa is the owner of "Shiokawa Bookstore" located in Aoba Ward, Sendai City. The store has been in operation for 62 years since his parents' generation.

Mr. Shiokawa and his store became well-known right after the Great East Japan Earthquake on March 11, 2011. Sendai City suffered great damage from the earthquake. With electricity cut off and infrastructure destroyed, there was no way to watch TV or other media, so the children were naturally terrified.

Mr. Shiokawa said, "I wanted to bring joy to the scared children," and reopened the store just three days after the earthquake. He thought that if the store was open, people might come to see books that could comfort the children. Although the books had fallen off the shelves and were in disarray due to the earthquake, he tidied up roughly and opened the store.

After reopening, the store became a shelter and a community gathering place. People came with anxious hearts to talk and share stories. The problem was that roads leading into Sendai City were blocked, so no new supplies could come in. The store had to rely on existing stock, and no new books or comics could be delivered. One customer brought out the latest issue of the comic magazine "Shonen Jump," which he had bought in another town shortly before the earthquake. He said, "I've already read it all, so Mr. Shiokawa can take care of it."

Children sharing a manga magazine "Shonen Jump" at Shiokawa's bookstore during the Great East Japan Earthquake. (Photo by NHK)

So Mr. Shiokawa wrote by hand on the store door, "You can read Shonen Jump here." Although there was only one copy, word quickly spread, and children started coming one after another. They shared the magazine and talked, and the children soon regained their smiles. Seeing the children who had been scared smile brightly, the parents who came with them even shed tears. More than 100 children passed the magazine around, and it became tattered and torn, but they kept taping it back together and continued sharing it.

This story was introduced nationwide, and various magazines were sent as relief supplies from all over Japan. While NHK was covering the closing store, a young man who had read comics there at the age of nine, 13 years ago, came to visit. He said, "After the earthquake, I was stuck at home in a daze, but reading comics at the store gave me a lot of strength. I think it was childish to want to read Shonen Jump during a time when many lives were at risk, but I have very happy memories of coming here then." The publishing industry also expressed gratitude, saying, "It gave hope and courage to children during a disaster."

A poster put up in a bookstore during the Great East Japan Earthquake. It says you can read Shonen Jump, so please visit. (Photo by NHK)

This episode is included in the moral education textbook for third-year junior high school students in Japan under the title "One Comic Magazine." It also contains a story about the children expressing their gratitude for being able to read the magazine. The children, thankful that Mr. Shiokawa opened the store and let them read the magazine, wondered how to show their appreciation. They decided on a rule to pay 20 yen each time they read a book. This was about 200 won, a small amount of pocket money. As the children collected coins little by little, they gathered about 40,000 yen (approximately 370,000 won). Mr. Shiokawa donated this money to a project that delivers books to areas hit harder by the tsunami than Sendai City. It is introduced as a miracle brought by one comic magazine.

Despite this warm bookstore, it eventually disappeared into the folds of history. The publishing industry's recession had an impact. As people stopped reading paper books and started reading e-books, the store faced financial difficulties. Mr. Shiokawa even took on a second job managing a hospital office to try to keep the bookstore running. Still, he ultimately had to close the store with tears.

Bookstore owner Shiokawa Yuichi. (Photo by NHK)

When news came that the store would close at the end of August, everyone returning home for Japan's solar calendar Chuseok on August 15th visited the store to share the final moments. Mr. Shiokawa said, "I wanted to stay no matter what, but I couldn't win against the world," and greeted those who came to the bookstore one last time.

In an interview with NHK, Mr. Shiokawa added, "Earthquakes happen everywhere in Japan, so it's the same situation everywhere. Helping scared children and cooperating together is essential."