Mondo Books

By Adam Miller

Nag has an excellent used book store in Osukannon

At the risk of sounding nostalgic and pompous, there are a few things about my university life that I genuinely miss:

• Being able to convince myself that beans on toast, garnished with cheese and dried chilies makes for a well balanced meal.

• Discovering that mixing your drinks is a great way to get slaughtered quickly, quid pro quo, a money saver.

• Having friends far lazier than myself.

• Waking up in time for happy hour.

• Having an endless supply of second-hand book stores to peruse through.

There was also an endless supply of dickheads. (upper-middle class toffs with a double barrel name and a new found obsession with Buddhism, and drama students – they were the worst offenders)

However this article concerns itself with the much more civilized subject of books.

Anyone who has spent any length of time in Nagoya would have found out that new books are expensive… criminally so.  Second hand book stores may well be 10-a-penny, but finding one that stocks books in English, let alone having a book you actually want to read, is a considerably difficult task.  Many find borrowing off of like minded gaijin the best solution, but I for one am sick of reading The Hobbit, Dune and The Beach, the only 3 books that seem to be in circulation amongst simple-minded gaijin.

But all is not lost, as there is a second-hand book store in Osu, which is stocked up with fiction, non-fiction, travel, history, language, art and even coloring books (well maybe not the last one).  A big hand for Mondo Books ladies and gentlemen.

Mondo Books is situated just a few minutes walk from exit #9 of Kamimaezu Station.  As you leave the station, walk towards the big entrance to the arcade and pachinko parlor, then past the Mega Kebab (try not to salivate too much), just keep walking for half a block until you see a crepe stand on your left hand side, right underneath a big green sign.  Go in, venture up to the third floor and you have arrived.  It may be a little tricky to find at first, but the excellent Mondo Books website has detailed directions and even a video of how to get there from the station. Both of which are far better than my lame directions!

There is no denying that Mondo Books is a tiny place, but they have really crammed a lot in.  There are not only a vast amount of books in English, but also Japanese, French and Spanish.  They also have their bases covered with an ever-changing stock, thanks to how easy they make it for people to donate books.  You can either pick up a self-addressed envelope from the store and send in your books free of charge, or you can trade in your books for charity vouchers, which can be exchanged, online, for cold hard cash for over 100 needy causes (see in store for details).  Some may be a little peeved at not receiving ¥6 for their dogged eared copy of The Da Vinci Code, but let me remind you, there is no “I” in “literature”…oh balls!!!

Mondo Books is also a mini-community in itself; it’s free notice board is always stuffed with adverts, job listings, gig info etc. One of the best things about the store however is the Mondo Lounge, a cool little chill out room where you can talk to the staff (great people by the way), or, if you’re lucky, listen to some live music.

In short, Mondo Books is a must know store for anyone with even a fleeting interest in reading and less money than Donald Trump.  If you have a specific book that you are interested in finding, the staff will be more than helpful to get hold of it for you, within reason - the 4th remaining copy of the Magna Carta may be a little tricky.  I for one prefer browsing through and finding a book I might not have picked up elsewhere. 

I am also a bit of a film freak  and there was a book in there not long ago about the history of Japanese pornography; I was interested in it from merely an academic stand point however, and the fact that it was illustrated did not draw my attention whatsovagina.

Mondo Books
Gatten Shouchi Bldg. 3F
Osu 3-30-25
Naka-ku Nagoya,
Mon: 11:30 am - 8:00 pm
Thurs: - Sun: 11:30 am - 8:00 pm

MAP

On The Web www.mondo-books.com
Facebook: MondoBooks
YouTube: www.youtube.com/MondoBooks

You can also browse and buy books online through Biblio:

http://bit.ly/9NdLj6

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