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File #13
book cellar amus/amus arts press
book cellar amus/amus arts press
Oei Bldg. B1F (B6), 2-8-1 Nishi-Temma
Kita-ku, Osaka
Tel: 06-4709-7082
http://www.interform.co.jp/amus/
e-mail: amus@interform.co.jp
Hours: 11:00-20:00 (Tue. 12:00-)
Closed Sun. and every fourth Thu.
In this installment, I continue with another venue that won't
be around much longer. I had only known about book cellar
amus through the free paper and e-mail magazine they publish;
this was my first actual visit. Opened in October 1999, the
shop will be closing after exactly four years at the end of
October. Housed in the basement of an old building in Osaka's
Nishi-Temma, home to a collection of galleries and antique
shops, the book shop specializes in foreign books on art,
photography, design and architecture as well as poetry anthologies
and picture books.
Comprising a small cafe and a gallery, the shop hosts a variety
of interesting events, making it a center of cultural information
in the city. The publishing company, amus arts press, also
emerged here. With an emphasis on visual art that supersedes
time and place as well as language, the company publishes
books with a contemporary perspective and has served to introduce
some of Japan's most radical writers to the world. Though
he is not the owner, Hamada Nobuyoshi has been involved with
the company since its inception and has been working with
books for close to 30 years. With a career that has included
everything from book shop manager to editor, his principal
occupation, Hamada's work at amus involves a host of different
jobs.
If nothing else, the fact that the shop is the only one of
its kind in Osaka makes its imminent closure a tragedy. With
increases in the purchase of used books and on-line shopping,
it is, I suppose, a sign of the times. This is not only limited
to the publishing industry - following various media developments,
the distribution system (supply and demand) is going through
massive changes. Ultimately, it is human relations and communication
that will suffer I fear. The only thing one can do is hope
that something new will grow out of the situation.
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