When stepping through the door of a sake bar, you might expect to find shelves lined with bottles, but a bar in Shinjuku Ward, Tokyo, greets visitors with bookshelves.
The establishment, called Know by Moto, displays about 200 books in various categories, including travel, maps and photography, as well as books on sake. The bar is designed like a study, with the dark interior creating a calm ambience.
This bar is a so-called "book-reading bar" that allows customers to have alcoholic beverages and accompanying dishes while reading. Patrons can partake in heady intellectual joys, browsing any book they choose.
Know by Moto offers about 80 varieties of sake from around the nation. While appreciating the different flavors and aromas of different products, many guests look through books about sake and travel to find details about the places where the breweries are located. Customers can buy the books if they wish.
"Because books are at hand in this bar, customers can discover something new," said bar manager Kentaro Shimada, 45. "That's what makes this place fascinating."
The bar opens from 2 p.m. to 11:30 p.m. on weekdays, and from noon to 11:30 p.m. on weekends and holidays. Though popular among couples, some people drop by alone just after opening, some having bought reading materials at the nearby Kinokuniya bookstore.
Another such establishment is Bundan Coffee & Beer in Meguro Ward, Tokyo, which allows customers to enjoy the world of literature via foods and drinks on its menu. Located in the same building as the Museum of Modern Japanese Literature, the eatery has about 20,000 books on its shelves.
Amid its retro ambience, customers can consume items inspired by authors and their works, including a beer named Naomi, the title character of the English translation of "Chijin no Ai" by Junichiro Tanizaki. The Lemon Parfait on the menu is derived from Motojiro Kajii's "Lemon," while hot chocolate is also available because it appears in "Soreakara" (And Then) by Soseki Natsume.
Gaku Horii, the 37-year-old manager of the bar and a self-professed bookworm, comes up with these various items, including limited-edition seasonal ones, by getting inspiration from novelists' works and their episodes. Some customers order items in honor of their favorite authors. Some come in pairs, but end up absorbed in their own book.
"Unlike libraries, you can immerse yourself in the world of your favorite books while wining and dining," Horii said.
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