Yamanekodo: A Purveyor of Culture and Memories

Nestled just off the main road running through Takekoma-cho sits Yamanekodo, a former akiya, which was repurposed into a secondhand bookstore. Since its start, the owners have built it out into a community space where anyone can enjoy the homely vibes and participate in local culture.

What exactly is Yamanekodo?

Yamanekodo is a small aspect of a larger issue that affects all rural communities across Japan, which is the increase in what are called akiya, or empty houses. As people move from rural areas to bigger cities for work, and older citizens pass away, houses become unoccupied and unmanaged. The owners of Yamanekodo work in Rikuzentakata as managers of akiya. As part of their work, they clean out the houses they manage and, inevitably, there is stuff that needs to be properly dealt with. Yamanekodo functions as a way to find new homes for the items that still have life in them.

All of the furniture, books, clothes, and other miscellaneous goods in Yamanekodo are recovered from akiya and would have been thrown away. Instead of throwing them out, the items retrieved from akiya are displayed and sold. Each and every item, from clothing to furniture, dishware, and tools, was owned and used by a family. The memories inherent to every item are not lost on the owners, and their goal is to find a new home for all of them. With this goal in mind, they have fostered a space where the community can gather and create new memories in the house.

Why open a bookstore?

While cleaning out a different akiya, the owner found a collection of old books that he felt were too interesting to just throw away. However, the idea of taking them to a normal secondhand store and selling them also felt wasteful, since as soon as the books left his hand, the story tied to the books would disappear as well. This was something he noticed was happening often in Rikuzentakata. As the city built back from the 2011 Earthquake and Tsunami disaster, and depopulation continued to take its toll, much of the local culture was being left behind.

At the time, there were not many bookstores in the area, especially ones that offered used books for sale. From that idea Yamanekodo opened, and over time has evolved into more than just a bookstore.

More than just a bookstore?

In addition to selling books, the owners want Yamanekodo to be a beacon of Rikuzentakata culture. To that end, they sell books, clothes, and sundries recovered from akiya, host art exhibitions, campfires, and community events, as well as accommodate short term guests via Airbnb. The intent is for Yamanekodo to facilitate interaction and broadcast culture with an at-home atmosphere.

They have couches and chairs where you can relax while reading a book, listen to music with their collections of CDs, and through an Airbnb reservation guests can stay the night if they are traveling in from outside the area. While speaking with the owners, they informed me that a majority of their guests are foreign hikers traveling the Michinoku Coastal Trail, and are always welcoming visitors of different cultural backgrounds. Wherever you may be arriving from, Yamanekodo is there for you to enjoy.