Battlestar or Bookshop - Coach and Four in Sapporo

6th August, 2010 - As a frequent visitor to Japan, I have found that my spending habits on coming back to Japan have been varying over the years. Over recent years, I've most probably turned away from the traditional "Japanese" things and souvenirs to more practical things. And one of those things are books... Japanese books are difficult to buy here in Adelaide, and when you can buy them, they're expensive. So I've been filling up my additional luggage quota on Qantas (most probably about 5+ kg of my 40 kg allowance) with books. Even English books which can be almost half price in Japan as compared to buying the same book back here in Australia. My wife is very tolerant of my book-buying sessions.

It's strange that even though there's so many resources on-line now (including yours truly), there's still few that come close to a nice book that you can curl up with and just flick through on a lazy Sunday... that is, if I had lazy Sundays.

There are a few decent bookshops in Sapporo - and perhaps the most well known is Kinokuniya, which is on the western exit coming out of Sapporo Station - in the Sapporo55 building. Another bookshop that you might want to check out if you're spending any time in Sapporo is the Coach and Four shop. Now, there are a few Coach and Four shops around Sapporo/Hokkaido, but the one I'm familiar with is on Shinkawa Dori..in the area known as, strangely enough, Shinkawa.

View Sapporo Map in a larger map


Trust me, you would be hard-pressed not to be able to find it driving down Shinkawa Dori. It is...er... distinctive in it's decor (yes the image above is exactly how it appears). I have to say it looks like a cross between galactic battle-cruiser, a Pachinko parlour, and a rather corny looking Love Hotel (but that's a different story). The owners of the chain apparently liked the look, as all of the stores have the same exterior.

Source: the official site (no cameras allowed inside)

Oh well - it's the inside that counts. And the inside is where things get interesting. These are great places to not only buy books (including English books), but also magazines, textbooks, art-works, CD's and DVD's, stationary, Studio Ghibli goods (as well as a wide range of themed and brand-name items). There is also a large range of house-wares and decorations, as well as craft goods - and also a great range of 'Japanese' goods and materials. There's even a decent cafe there, and undercover parking.... what more could you want? Not much more.... seriously, this is always a must-visit shop when we return to Sapporo.

Well - here's some more images taken from the official Shinkawa website (as there was no cameras allowed in the store):

Source: Official website - home decorations

Source: Official website - Japanese items

Source: Official website - children section

Source: Offical website - character corner

Source: Official website - cafe Interlude

Overall - I'd have to say this is one of my fav shops in Sapporo. If you've not visited, take a look.

Kyoto Travel Books

I had mentioned somewhere earlier on that I was going to include some references to books that I used before (and after) my travels to plan the trip to Kyoto. And here they are. They certainly aren't an exhaustive list of books for Kyoto, but they're not a bad start. I've sourced all of the book details from Amazon... but haven't included costs etc.

Kyoto A Cultural History

John Dougill

(click to go to page)

This is an excellent book that gives a great background to the history of the city - and with, much of the rest of Japan through the ages. It's largely text, with a few hand-drawn images. As a scene-setter, it's very readable and enjoyable... however, it's structure is that of different slices or perspectives of Kyoto life... roughly equating to the different epochs of the Japanese history. As such, it's chronological structure makes it hard to relate to the sites around Kyoto without knowing a fair bit about the history of the city. Still, recommended for a general overview.

Hardcover: 272 pages

• Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA; 1st edition (February 23, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0195301374
• ISBN-13: 978-0195301373

Kyoto A Cultural Guide (Revised Edition)

John H. and Phyllis G. Martin

(click to go to page)

This is a somewhat strange book - once again, largely text-based with a few crude maps interspersed. There's a fair bit of detail on each of the sites... but more importantly the structure is that of a series of set tours. This is great for stringing together a number of different day trips if you have the time... and there's a fair bit of detail here to keep you interested... with plenty of history thrown in to describe each of the locations. Would have been perfect if it had been a little more graphical in nature... or if they had provided maps of the sites themselves. Great for planning a large trip.

Paperback: 352 pages

• Publisher: Tuttle Pub; Revised edition (June 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0804833419
• ISBN-13: 978-0804833417

Seeing Kyoto

Juliet Winter's Carpenter

(click to go to page)

This is one of the quintessential tourist books that deals with Kyoto and fits within a series alongside Seeing Japan, and Seeing Tokyo. It's a great book to get enthused about Kyoto, but lacks detail to get a real picture of the city (and can't really be used as a way to structure a tour). Having said that it's most popular due to the large, beautiful photos... but then again... there are plenty of beautiful photos of Kyoto on Flickr these days.

Hardcover: 96 pages

• Publisher: Kodansha International (November 15, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 4770023383
• ISBN-13: 978-4770023384

The Temples of Kyoto

Donald Ritchie and Alexandre Georges

(click to go to page)

This is perhaps the most unusual of the books... as it deals specifically (as the title suggests) with the temples of Kyoto... which, let's face it.... are 90% of the tourist sites. There's a fair range of temples included, and they go into a good level of detail for each. The photos are nice, but have a slightly dated feel these days. Still a good read if you're into temple viewing. Plenty of history to keep you culturally aware... interestingly however, there's not that much background on the Buddhist beliefs or traditions - but focus is squarely on the buildings and the history.

Hardcover: 152 pages

Publisher: Tuttle Publishing (October 15, 1995)

Language: English

ISBN-10: 0804820325

ISBN-13: 978-0804820325

Kyoto - City Guide (Lonely Planet)

Chris Rowthorn

(click to go to page)

If you're planning a trip to Kyoto, then this is a fantastic resource. It's very small (almost pocketable), and yet covers a wide range of areas in and around Kyoto (as well as nearby  locales such as Osaka, Nara and Himeji). Thoroughly recommend this - and I understand the author Chris Rowthorn is available for personal tours throughout Kyoto as well. The book contains great maps, and the level of information is superb for getting you started.

Paperback: 220 pages

• Publisher: Lonely Planet; 4 Pap/Map edition (July 1, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1740598458
• ISBN-13: 978-1740598453

Nara A Cultural Guide to Japan's Ancient Capital

John H. and Phyllis G. Martin

(click to go to page)

This is a relatively densely packed book on nearby Nara... and has a similar feel to their other book on Kyoto (above). The book's a little dry for my liking... but then again, I picked it up at a book bargain bin in Adelaide. There's a reasonable amount of coverage, but you'll most likely find yourself wanting to know more detail. At least I did.

Paperback: 208 pages

• Publisher: Tuttle Publishing (January 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0804819149
• ISBN-13: 978-0804819145

Well - these were the main books that I have used for gathering information... I know... it's somewhat ironic that I've used books as my primary source of info, when there's a whole internet out there waiting to stream into my consciousness with information. At the end of the day, there's something very nice about having a book with you... especially a small one like the Lonely Planet guide which you can shove in your jacket pocket and read whilst on the subway.

I spent quite a long time preparing the trip to Kyoto... and had read, and re-read many of these books. Some of the books I purchased in Japan...as I just couldn't resist. We have generally gone for the full-on holidays where we push ourselves pretty hard. You see a lot when you do... but it takes a fair bit of preparation, and a whole heap of patience and determination. If you're going to Kyoto for 2-3 days, then I wouldn't recommend anything other than a Lonely Planet guide (or equivalent).

Hope this has been a little helpful... and if you want any further info, just give me a bell. Also - feel free to tell me about your own favourite books on Kyoto!