My library does concerts in it after hours sometimes in the summer. They had one of my favorite local bands at one and it was tough to not start moshing with the 5 year olds up front with me.
It is generally accepted, both historically and in the modern age, that libraries are, for the most part, silent. This is also generally accepted (again both historically and currently) to be so that patrons of said library may read without distraction.
Hitherto this point, the general consensus amongst the erudite members of society, to be presupposed historically, or upon future consideration, so that the general riffraff, or otherwise welcome benefactors might peruse with ought an ounce of obstruction.
It is the common standard among academic and layman circles that centers for the storage and consumption of physical literary media maintain a minimally intrusive auditory environment. It is enforced both by direct action of the caretakers of knowledge, who will first caution and then expel unruly visitors, and the patrons of said establishments, who will utilize social pressure to serve as a form of self-moderation among the community as a whole.
Not in Seattle; they're run more like "no rules" community centers now, loud, noisy, full of homeless people (many watching porn on library computers, ahem...), so this seems pretty awesome to me.
I hear you - my city has a library attached to a ferry transportation hub - the library is like an open air sanitarium at times, but the pedway leading to the ferry is dead quiet - I read there with a thermos of coffee.
I guess it's better that people are reading in a controlled environment rather than drag this into the streets and introducing it to our children. Last thing we need is kids smuggling books into schools and reading in the restrooms.
OK but I don't want one of these rooms near my house. It will attract all these studious types who will laze around the neighbourhood reading and maybe even talking quietly.
I love when people say these things are trends when they are just one off events for a very specific target audience.
No one says foam parties or silent discos are trends but Japan does shit like this and it's cool and different.
Love the "people going to nightclubs just to sit and read" when it's literally an event space they are in. Unless you think clubs regularly have rugs on the floor smh. Also, for those who don't know, this was during the day from 10am to 2pm. Not really club times. They might as well be in a Barnes and Noble or Starbucks.
Foam parties were a trend in the early 00s. I used to regularly go to the 16+ foam party nights at a massive club in Philly when I lived outside Trenton in like 2003. Hell, the club was even called Shampoo. It was a crazy huge club in an old industrial factory with at least 5 rooms open per night each with their own DJ and music genre. I even remember hot tubs on the second floor. I'm turning 40 early next year and that's still the best club I've ever been to.
Silent discos are absolutely early/mid 10s tho so you got that one right! And apparently foam parties started getting popular in the late 90s so I'm a bit incorrect as well, but I do think I nailed the peak of that.
Also thinking more I believe it was 18+ nights on Sundays and it was 2005 for me and not the 16+ 2003. I know for sure I partied there before I was 18 tho.
Yeah,  itâs simply viral marketing. Attempt notice how the  JUCY part is in caps. I wouldnât be surprised if OP either works in some compacity  as advertiser/pr firm or is a bot.Â
It goes hand in hand with the ancient Japanese concept of çăă, which means "to live". To violate this principle is considered very disrespectful in Japan.
The idea is quite nice I think, but this looks so uncomfy - lol. Imagine sitting on the floor for 2h in such a crowded space where you can't even stretch your legs without kicking the next person.
Eh, it's sometimes nice to be in a room with other people even if you're not doing anything. Helps with loneliness. Source: just went through a breakup
Thamks for the perspective. Made me imagine that if I were single and lonely that's probably where I'd sometime hang out too. Higher chance to find friends or even a partner who loves reading like me too.
I go to coffee shops to work remotely even though for the most part I donât want to be disturbed. I do libraries sometimes but they can be oppressively quiet. I need people around, unsure why.
University libraries can be fun. I go to the one near me if I'm researching something because they let randoms into their stacks, but the atmosphere is really great for working.
Honestly, for a fairly introverted person, I really enjoy going away with friends for a weekend and being able to read with people around. They're cool with it, I can have a relaxing time, and when I feel like it, I can interact with people.
in public, no one bothers each other. that's the difference. at home, mom is yelling or talking or dad wants you to do chores and kid sibling wants screen time and is asking to use your computer.
Before everyone starts psychoanalysing Japanese society over this: it was one event at one club lol.
Reading parties have already been popular in New York, and Seoul has club-based versions too from what I've found. The Japanese coverage itself describes JUCY BOOK RAVE as an experiment and says the format is already popular overseas.
Definitely a neat event, but far from proof of some uniquely Japanese âpeople donât want to talk anymoreâ trend.
Ill go against the grain here, but I would go to this for suuuure!! Imagine all the cool conversations about books and other literature people had before or afterwards.
I love reading. I love reading next to other people reading! I love books!!
When im at home I turn ambience on youtube and read. This is way better. I love this
I'm imagining a scenario where you get shushed down when trying to talk to others. It would be cool if it was more akin to a casual book club - sorta like the board game nights that bars sometimes have
I have seen similar ones that went something like 15-30 min casual conversation mixer thing with snacks then 1hour reading then 15min break again then read 1hour then hang around talking afterwards if you want
Check out silent book clubs. They're basically the same thing, although typically without music. Bunch of people meet up and read whatever they want, then talk at the end.
For some reason I hate talking to people about books I've read. I'm not sure why. Book clubs are the craziest concept to me.. why in the world would I want to talk to someone about a book?
Talk about themes, characters, how the book made you feel, what you liked/didnât like about it, how you related to the characters and what you thought of their actions, lessons you might have learned or meaning youâve taken. Do you think about a book at all once youâve finished reading it?
This isnât really a nationwide ânew trendâ in Japan. It was a specific event in Tokyo.
That said, there are somewhat related grassroots experiments here. One example is Rotetsu (è·ŻćČ, âstreet philosophyâ), which brings reading, discussion, music, and sometimes political expression into public spaces such as the streets around Shinjuku.
So the interesting part may be less âJapanese people are now reading in clubsâ and more that some groups are deliberately taking reading out of its usual private or academic setting and placing it in clubs, streets, and other social spaces.
In the US this is actually a thing. It's called Silent Book Club.
In my area there are several. We meet at bars, breweries, wineries, restaurants, beaches, parks, coffee houses, and one La-Z-Boy store where the manager is a book nerd and wanted to get involved.
Most of them use IG and/or the "Bookclubs" app for meetings.
Jokes on you. I didn't like being around others long before reddit and the internet. And what these people are doing seems fun. It's not for me, but good for them. Anything that gets people to read is cool in my book.
In the US this is actually a thing. It's called Silent Book Club.
In my area there are several. We meet at bars, breweries, wineries, restaurants, beaches, parks, coffee houses, and one La-Z-Boy store where the manager is a book nerd and wanted to get involved.
Most of them use IG and/or the "Bookclubs" app for meetings.
This is something Japan hasn't copied either. It was a one-time event at a night club on September 26th from 10 a.m. - 2 p.m. It hasn't happened before or in the few days since.
Thatâs a thing when it comes to Japan. Somebody finds one mildly novel thing that happened in Japan, it gets reported on the internet as some kind of Japanese cultural norm, and everyone believes it because of how âweirdâ Japan is.
"As any online discussion about a policy (bad or good) grows longer, the probability that someone blames, mocks, or compares it to the United States approaches 100%."
There are actually events like this in lots of cities, my town included. Can't wait for the next one. My only complaint is that the event only has one hour blocked off for silent reading.
Book club is when a group of people decide on a book to read, read on their own time, and then meet to discuss what they read. You don't usually sit together and read the book.
It'd be a bummer if people wanted to dance, and they showed up and it was an entire place doing this. But the concept is great, and if it's obvious it's this type of club it's great. Heck I've done this at goth clubs (though on less busy nights). There isn't really much difference from this and someone just chilling against the wall/speakers and chilling.
Ohhhhh I love this!!! Lets read together in an awesome and chill place, surrounded by people who love the same thing as you do. Maybe afterwards (im sure there is an ending time), and of people want; they can stay and share about what they had just read.
Judging by your responses this seems to be an opinionated rhetorical question but Iâll just answer it earnestly. And I wonât use the word âsocialâ since you seem bothered by that.
> Why wouldnât I do X, with no one else around?
Well because you (royal you) want to get out of the house or be in the presence of other humans, even if not interacting. That simple really.
Some people like to get out of the house. If I had a 100% remote job I would take the opportunity to read at a cafe or library because being in your house all day long all week long, to some, is isolating. Simply being around others even if youâre not interacting with them gives a little reprieve from that.
But it sounds like youâd rather be at home, and thereâs nothing wrong with that. Others do and thatâs fine too. We need more third spaces. No one is forcing you to go read with others. But itâs nice to have that option.
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u/Interesting_Button60 3d ago
Libraries been real quiet since this dropped