Librairie française à Tokyo

Friends always ask me what the heck I actualy do in Tokyo. Well, this is one of the reasons I go: to get books in French (as well as those Clairefontaine notebooks).

Insane, isn't it? There's a French bookshop in Taipei as well but I don't like it as much. To start with, the staff at the Omeisha bookstore in Tokyo (two in the Iidabashi area, one by the Institut franco-japonais and one is located up on the side of the river) actually speak very good French whereas those in Taipei are usually students and rarely know what people are asking (though the owner of the bookstore in Taipei called La Pigeonier is also French). In short, the staff are more knowledgeable in Tokyo, they even recommand things! Another reason for which I like going to the Tokyoite bookstore is that the books they import seem more interesting (a lot of popular titles) than those in Taipei (more towards selective intellectual groups, I feel). It's expensive, I know but I like the service and I am also able to find tons of Japanese publications that have been translated into French there. I bought a French version of Crayon Shinchan the last time I was there. I didn't know it existed and I was laughing my head off when I made the purchase.

And let's not forget those Clairefontaine papers/notebooks to which I have been addicted since 1995. I refuse to write on other papers unless they have small squares (fortunately for me, I see similar things in Japan).