Reminder!!!
Due to renewal of Green e books, Sorry we are no longer secondhand foreign bookstore. Instead we change into “Mindful Living Store”. Mainly import yoga, meditation, organic, natural eco minded products from world. We still have 20% of books left which we handle self-help, cooking, art, spiritual, yoga related books.
Green e books started May 15, 2004.
「The business only I can do 」 The founder of Yuko Iwasaki was searching the business for a while which only she could do. When she was visiting every two month to India for two weeks with her previous job, she was working for Kimono producer.
And when heard her friends talking of there are not second hand English bookshop in Kyoto, she just came up with the idea of starting a bookshop. Even though she had no experience nor knowledge with book business….
First thing she did, making an AD, ” We want books” . She spread to places in Kyoto mentioning new bookshop opening. Then foreign supporters donated almost 500 used books to her. That’s how it started and determined to open Green e books!
Also Yuko went to listen to Dalai Lama speech on fall of 2003.
“Get the right knowledge is the first step to make Peace in the world.”
this word made her decision so certain.
Then she looked for the places, really wished the place which is closed to the river, and found one small place on 2nd floor. At that she didn’t know the business on 2nd floor in Kyoto is like not existed anywhere….But! later on she found that place is closed to Immigration office, Kyoto University, Handy craft center, German institute…and imperial palace, sightseeing places!
So in the end, Green e books, a foreign language bookstore, opened on May 15th 2004.
Yuko and graphic designer Naomi Kawai created the signs and logo for the store all by their hand, at the beginning. Naomi taught herself how to make the previous home page.
In 2005, they started looking for Volunteer interns, who could help make Green e books a place for people from all over the world to have fun and learn. It would be a shame if she were the only one having a good time!
At the volunteers staff has grown beyond expectations, Green e books has come to involve many people, students from abroad, college students, salary men, researchers…who have gone on to study abroad, travel around the world and get good jobs…Everyone has gone out in to the world in their own way helped, hopefully by their experiences at Green e books
Over the next three years, Yuko and Naomi continues running the bookstore, supported by foreign customers from Kyoto and all over Kansai. In 2007, however, Naomi found her a job she wanted in Tokyo, and so left Kyoto….
Then Yuko had begun to feel that it would be difficult to run just a bookstore, but then an amazingly talented marketer on the Green e books staff offered his suggestions and help, because of him, Green e began a movement to help others feel close to English itself, as a language.
Hat they produced are the
“Rapid English acquisition Seminar!” and “English ‘Sparta’ Seminar”
There have been countless customers who want to change their language awareness through a program focused on rapid English acquisition. As of 2010, the Sparta seminar is also held in Osaka and Tokyo!
A year after starting her seminar series, Yuko felt it would be a shame to only have English seminars. So she shortened Green e books ‘hours’ and used the evenings for lectures. Since June 2008, seminars on many topics have been held in Green e Books.
You can find details about seminars and workshops at http://seminar.greenebooks.net
Lastly, since August 2009, one of our first volunteer from 2005, Pikako, has become store manager, handling the fundamentals of store business.
So that’s how things are now, and we will keep making new stories at Green e books. Please visit us and enjoy the rest of the world while in Kyoto!!!
Green e books,
Yuko Iwasaki.
Everyday goings-on are here (in Japanese)→ blog
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