What are DIY BOOKS?
DIY BOOKS is a "bookstore where you can make things" operated by TOGL Co., Ltd. As a bookstore, it's rarely open, and we're working to increase the number of people who make books themselves. We create zines, hold schools about zines and writing, and host talk events.
DIY BOOKS aims to increase the number of people who create and write books through online and offline schools and courses.
In addition, we offer events that provide tips and inspiration for a DIY lifestyle, help establish writing and reading habits, and provide opportunities for relaxation.
Schools/Online Courses: DIY ZINE School, Writing & Living, etc. Workshops: Everyone quietly "Writing Day" Events: Rakugo shows and talk events
Of course, you can also buy books.
DIY BOOKS is not so much a local bookstore as it is a bookstore that helps increase the number of bookstores in town.
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Store Information
TOGL Co., Ltd. (President and Representative Director: Dai Hirata)
Transportation
Bus is recommended for those coming from afar 🚌
・Hanshin Bus
Approximately 20 minutes walk northwest from Hankyu Kobe Line Mukonoso Station
Hanshin Bus Route 45 (for Muko Depot) or similar, get off at "Mukomotomachi" bus stop, 1 minute walk east (in front of "Sandy Mukomotomachi Store" supermarket)
Please take the Hankyu Kobe Line from Osaka Umeda or Kobe Sannomiya to Hankyu Mukonoso Station.
Irregular holidays
※We are only open on days when events, workshops, schools, or gallery exhibitions are being held. We apologize for the inconvenience, but please check this website, Instagram, etc. for future announcements.
It started from the hell of a 1DK apartment.
When I was working in a 1DK office of 50 square meters. Things started to go wrong around the time I bought Meta Quest 2.
The owner, Dai Hirata, became independent as a web editor and writer in 2019 and incorporated the business in 2021. He worked with over 10 freelance staff and 5 clients, both domestic and international, on content marketing. All this from a 1DK office, working remotely. Days spent alone in front of a screen.
- Eye strain
- Stiff shoulders
- Back pain
- Irritability
- Tenosynovitis
- And many more
What was the cause? I didn't have a "my local."
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, I couldn't leave the office even more, and I spent more time at the nearest Mukonoso Station. The more I talked to people at local shops—cafes, curry shops, farms, bookstores—the higher my happiness level became.
Why? Because it was local and analog (and less eye strain in reality).
- Local (visible connections)
- Analog (stores, farms, paper books)
Everyone at the local shops was building their own connections. There was interaction with people and an economy moving there.
I hadn't built my own connections, my "my local." It was just freelance work, remote work, content that no one might even see.
I thought.
Could I use my content creation skills to do local, analog work? Could I build my "my local"?
What came to mind were zines and risographs.
I've been making zines since around 2010.
I realized that whenever I was lost in life, I would make a zine to overcome it.
※ZINE: A small-circulation publication, primarily created by individuals. The line between zines, fanzines, and little presses is ambiguous.
※Risograph: A stencil duplicator manufactured by Riso Kagaku Corporation. It prints quickly and produces prints with a distinctive, tactile quality.
Opening DIY BOOKS, "The Bookshop Where You Can Make Books"
From then on, I quickly signed a property lease, secured financing, and built the store myself with the help of contractors, designers, and local people. All of this to increase the number of writers in this town.
If people can connect through zines and more people can discover small "wonders," then the town and the world should become better.
Why is it good for more people (bookstores) to make books in town?
Because if more people write and read books, the town is likely to become a better place. To write a book, you need to be conscious of your daily life.
Books contain the author's "insights." Furthermore, the author "likes" those insights. They want to share them with someone. They want to spread them.
If more books are created, more "likes" will be created.
It's all about the details.
The more detailed a "like" is, the more it grabs people's attention.
(Rough expression)
Mukonoso is a good town. Anyway... well...
Since I'm saying it... it's a good town.
(Detailed expression)
Mukonoso is a good town.
Above all, there are nearly 10 supermarkets within about 1km of the station.
KOHYO, Hankyu Oasis, Fresco, Coop, Maruhachi, MaxValu, Monmarche, Gyomu Super... and there are even two Sandi stores, one in the north and one in the south.
Mukonoso is a convenient and good town for shopping.
※The above text follows the "PREP" method: Point (conclusion) / Reason (reason) / Example (evidence) / Point (conclusion). When you try to explain details, a logical structure naturally emerges.
The more specific it is, the more everyone will be able to notice the small changes and good things about the town.
Of course, the theme doesn't have to be just about the town.
It can be your own insights from your daily life.
The perfect fried egg you made this morning.
How the dry soil in the park resembled a giraffe pattern.
How the beauty of cherry blossoms isn't just about the density, size, or ephemeral color of the flowers, but also their "gestures" as they sway in the wind.
It doesn't have to be words; it can be drawings or photos.
If a town has many people with wonderful "likes," it feels safe.
Small books foster connections with people
While creating DIY BOOKS, I wrote a zine called "Living in Mukonoso." I poured my struggles and what I found "wonderful" into it.
The first edition was printed externally, but subsequent editions have been printed on the store's risograph and hand-bound. The fourth edition reached 1,000 copies.
This book allowed many people to understand my and the store's philosophy. I believe that precisely because it's a physical book with a limited print run, it reaches the people it's meant for.
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