LOUNGE /
BOOK
December 9, 2014
BOOK | Takeshi Takase: "Listen to the Voices of Books: The Work of Book Director Takashiba Inutaka"
BOOK | Non-fiction on Japan's Only Book Director, Shot Over a Long Period
Yoshitaka Haba, "Listen to the Voice of Books: The Work of Book Director Yoshitaka Haba"
Yoshitaka Haba, at 36, is Japan's sole book director, drawing attention for creating "assertive bookshelves" with his unique sensibility. "Listen to the Voice of Books: The Work of Book Director Yoshitaka Haba," a book by journalist Takeshi Takase, who has covered Haba extensively over a long period, has been published by Bungeishunju.
Text by YANAKA TomomiPhotographs by JAMANDFIX
The Secrets of Book Direction Revealed
When Yoshitaka Haba arranges books selected with his discerning eye, bookshelves come alive, people stop, and they begin to pick up books. Haba has previously curated distinctive bookstores such as the "TSUTAYA" at Roppongi Hills and "HANDS BOOKS" at Tokyu Hands Ginza. His reach has since expanded, establishing unique libraries in hospitals, hair salons, banks, wedding venues, and airports, realizing a direction that makes users instinctively want to reach for the books.
Journalist Takeshi Takase spent a long time interviewing Haba. The book chronicles his upbringing, the process of creating bookshelves, and even the objectives of companies that commission his book selections. Through case studies like Roppongi Hills "TSUTAYA," Senri Rehabilitation Hospital, and Tohoku University, it also reveals the secrets of Haba's book direction, including his unique marketing sense and how he chooses "effective books."
Haba, who is active in a wide range of fields using books as a tool, shares the "secret to radiant bookshelves." In an era where e-books are rising and books are said to be unsellable, the passionate work of this "apostle" who conveys the charm of books is filled with hints for living a richer life.

