Official

What is the Book Forest?
Floor guidance
What is the boronoi figure studded in the hall?
Attractive 1 space spacious! Bright library
Attractive 2 Equipment enhancement! A place to relax with a child
3 There are many seats! Let's find your favorite seat
Attractive 4 One-stop information collection! Regional Archives
Charming 5 Forest in the city center! Feel the green and the sunbeams
Attractive 6 Exchanges are born! Modern Cafe and Local Museum
Yeah

In the first place, Book Forest Chuou is a complex with Kyobashi Library, Local Museum, Multipurpose Hall, Cafe, Rooftop Garden, etc.
The concept is "a local lifelong base that can be used by everyone from children to adults with familiarity and conveys history and culture to the future." You can also enjoy events.
In particular, the fact that cafes and rooftop gardens were attached was different from the former Kyobashi Library and the former local museum, and attracted attention before the museum opened.

For details, we would like to see the "Facility Overview" released by Chuo-ku, but we will introduce what you actually felt about each floor.

According to the floor guide installed near the entrance, the indoor environment on each floor has been changed according to the "hierarchical structure of the forest", and it has been devised so that users can experience which floor they are on. That is.
Therefore, I decided to go up the stairs to the rooftop garden while being aware of the differences between each floor.

　

First of all, on the second floor, which is crowded with families with children, the main counter and return port, and the third floor where there is a `` Teens corner '' for teens, I noticed that natural sounds such as babbling and birds singing are flowing. .
I think the library has the impression that it is a quiet place, but thanks to this pleasant sound, you can feel as if you were reading in the forest.
Please listen carefully to the 2nd and 3rd floors.

On the other hand, the upper floor is quiet, and the books on display are also turned into adult ones.
On the 4th floor, there are books and reference counters on natural sciences, technology, industry and art.
You can also pay attention to the arrangement so that the classification of books is easy to understand and that it is easy to pick up.
There are plenty of business books on the 5th floor, just a floor for working adults.
It cannot be overlooked that a new Western-style book corner, which is expected to increase the number of books in the future, has been newly established.
There is a lounge where you can eat and drink with vending machines installed on this floor, and it is nice to be able to switch on and off while you are in the hall.

This floor guide can also be checked on the "floor signage" installed near the elevator on each floor.
In this signage, event information and recommended books are also introduced, and one of the ways to enjoy the book forest Chuo is to obtain seasonal information using the time waiting for the elevator.

While there is a difference in each floor that is conscious of the hierarchy of the forest and users, some people may notice something like a unique pattern that can be seen in common throughout the site and building of the book forest Chuo.
Especially when you look at the book forest Chuou from the street at night, you should think that the lighting inside the building is a unique arrangement.

According to Director Gosho, this facility is studded with a design based on the motif of the geometric "boronoi figure" that exists many in the natural world.
I will omit the details, but this figure was drawn by the division method called Boronoi division, and is now being applied to architecture and urban planning and attracting attention.

In nature, it seems to be found in leaf veins, dragonfly wings, giraffe patterns, etc.
This shape can be confirmed everywhere, including the ground of the square near the entrance on the first floor, lighting, floor, and information signs in the hall.
When using the book forest Chuou, be sure to pay attention to the mysterious geometric patterns derived from the natural world.

From here, I would like to delve into each charm!

What should be noted is its size and brightness.
The old Kyobashi Library did not have windows like windows, and it was an image of books being displayed in a limited space.
On the other hand, the Kyobashi Library in the Book Forest Chuo is able to fully incorporate natural light through large windows with UV protection.

In addition, due to the increase in the number of floors, the bookshelf was spacious.
Displays and exhibitions have been devised so that you can see recommended books and books read at a glance at the talks for children, and although it is a library, it also gives the impression of a stylish bookstore.
The space between bookshelves is wide, and access in a wheelchair is smooth.
A family with a child who visited the library on the first day of the museum's opening said, "It's bright and wider."

Next to the main counter on the 3rd floor, there are two electronic newspaper terminals that can be used by wheelchairs.
Many people read newspapers in the library, and some people may have encountered a situation where there is no newspaper they want to read when they want to read.
However, this electronic newspaper can be read easily without waiting if it is a newspaper that provides online services.
It's a revolutionary service unique to the new library!

We also offer senior handicap services, including large print books, senior glasses, magnifying glass, and senior picture story show.
As a new lifelong learning base in Chuo-ku, it is a device that can be familiar to people of all ages.

And although not well known yet, the back of the transparent glass behind the main counter is a valuable library.
Isn't it attractive to be able to feel the existence of books that you can't usually see in this way?

Personally, one of my favorite points is the high transparency of facilities, including the glass upholstery adopted by Book Forest Chuo.
The brightness of the hall was secured, and not only was it possible to feel the existence of valuable books even over glass, but also to check the presence or absence of magazine back issues and the number of books.
Due to the effects of infectious diseases, it is thankful to be able to check them without opening and closing the magazine shelves.

The next noteworthy attraction is the enhancement of facilities for children.
However, there are not only a lot of picture books, picture story show, stories and picture books for children in the Children's Corner on the second floor.
There is also a spacious stroller storage area that is easy to access from the elevator, a nursing room equipped with a crib, etc., and a child-sized "children with children" that are installed in kindergartens and nursery schools!
Isn't it unusual to have a library that is generous in child care support so far?

In addition to regular talk sessions, you can't miss the "Talking Heya" where you can take off your shoes and relax with your family while enjoying books and picture story show!
Located on the east side of the building (Shin-ohashi-dori St. side), the bright and open "Ohanashi Heya" is very popular from the first day of opening!
Even after a few weeks after the museum opened, families with children can enjoy picture books and picture story show on weekdays and holidays.

On the shelf of the Children's Corner, where books for children are lined up, "Let's touch the forest this fall!" As introduced in the "Chuo-ku Forest" Introduction Exhibition, bookshelves made of thinned wood from Hinohara Village are used.
On a chair for children where you can feel the warmth of wood, you can find a stuffed animal of Harako Aomushi.
Combined with the aforementioned natural sounds of the river babbling and birds singing, you can relax as if you were at home and feel the existence of trees and creatures as if you were in a forest.

Similarly, on the second floor, there is also a `` Living Corner '' that handles books on travel, cooking, handicrafts, and child care, so parents can search for books that are close to the needs of the child care generation within the reach of the child care generation. I am.
It's nice that there is room between bookshelves, and it's barrier-free and easy to move with a stroller.

In addition, the apple shelf, which is marked by a stuffed apple, has a Braille book, a touching picture book, a cloth picture book, a picture LL book, a large print book, a reading tracker, and a communication board, and everyone can enjoy books equally. It has become.

The next attraction is the fullness of seats.
The number of seats at the former Kyobashi Library was about 170, while the number of seats at Honnomori Chuo has about 495 *, about 3 times!
(* Includes a general study room (40 seats), a learning terminal (3 seats), and a group study room (8 seats).)

There are also different characteristics in seats, such as a sofa-like easy seat that can be seated when you want to do a little research, a seat that can be used slowly for study, reading, research, a lounge seat where you can eat and drink, and a terrace seat where you can relax in the sunshine.
In the group study room, which is rented by reservation system for students, conversation is exceptionally OK.
Located in a luxurious place overlooking Shin-ohashi-dori St., it is very enviable to be able to study and study with group colleagues in a beautiful and stylish study room!

In each seat on each floor, there are also high school students who bring red books and work hard to study for university entrance exams.
In addition, the general study room on the 2nd to 5th floors requires a reservation, and personal computers cannot be used on the 2nd and 3rd floors, but can be used on the 4th and 5th floors!
There are partitions so that you do not mind the existence of both neighbors, and these study rooms may be quite useful when you want to change your mood and concentrate.

Seats with different characteristics are set up throughout the hall, so why not find your favorite seats and enjoy reading and research?

On December 27th, Chuo FM's program "Hello! As I mentioned in the "Chuo-ku Tourism Association Correspondent's" Love Chuo-ku "Year-end Special", which was aired at RADIO CITY, the local reference room of the Kyobashi Library is actually my favorite place in Chuo-ku .
When writing articles on this blog, I sometimes do research in the regional archives on a daily basis.
For this reason, I was very much looking forward to seeing how the regional archives will change when the Kyobashi Library relocated.

The first difference is that it is located on the second floor, not underground, and becomes bright and wider.
Although it is on the second floor, which is often used by families with children, it has a structure that is independent as a regional reference room, so you can browse local materials quietly.

The second is that it has become easier to access books.
In the past, I used to pick up a book displayed at the top on a mobile platform, but this time every book can be easily reached.♪

Third, books that had previously been asked by staff members and taken out of the library can now be freely picked up and viewed from the bookshelf when they like.
After all, with the expansion of the regional archives, the number of books that can be viewed freely at all times has increased, and the atmosphere has changed significantly.

Fourth, local materials for each theme, which were previously displayed near the entrance of the library, are now introduced in a special corner in the regional archives.
Distribution of information magazines issued in Chuo-ku is also being carried out, and it has become a place where local information can be collected in a one-stop manner!

Since the book forest Chuo is a facility inspired by the forest, some of you may be worried about how it looks like a forest?
As introduced so far, Boronoi figures are arranged everywhere, bookshelves made of thinned wood from Hinohara Village are used, natural sounds are flowing, and in addition to the fact that elements that make you feel the forest are still in the hall It is studded.

The main feature is that there is a lot of greenery.
Outside on the second floor, there is an area called "Gathering Forest" with outdoor seats and water supply.
There are really various trees planted there, and I'm looking forward to seeing what kind of scenery you can enjoy in spring.

In addition, as you can see from the exterior of the facility from Shin-ohashi-dori St., plants are planted on each floor, including the third floor with terrace seats.
Speaking of the inside of the hall, the stairs and the carpet of "Ohanashi no Heya" reminds you of the forest!
The light of the sun coming in through a large glass window is like a sunbeam, and a relaxing space is waiting for you.

And many people were looking forward to the rooftop garden before the opening!
Although it is a little smaller than the lower floor, there are benches and observation deck surrounded by greenery, so you can enjoy reading comfortably on sunny days.
From observation deck, you can see the Chuo-ohashi Bridge, which resembles a helmet over the Sumida River.
If you live near you, why not look for your own apartment or house?

The rooftop garden can be accessed not only by elevators, but also by stairs while enjoying the scenery outside through glass windows.
If you actually go up the stairs, you may notice that as you approach the rooftop, there will be more exhibits related to celestial bodies near the stairs.
When I was worried and asked Director Gosho, he said that he plans to have a starry sky viewing party using the rooftop garden every month!

Some people may be wondering, "Do you see the starry sky from the city center with lots of light?"
It may be surprising, but before, "[Yaesu night activity] correspondent recommended! As introduced in "Starry sky observation that can be done in the city center" (* current project), I am surprised that you can actually enjoy the starry sky from Chuo-ku.

Book Forest Chuo holds a starry sky viewing party, a mini planetarium, a dome planetarium, and a starry sky yoga.
Click here for the event schedule from December to February.

The charm of the book forest Chuo, which I will introduce at the end, is the cafe "Ampere" on the first floor and the local museum located at the back of the first floor.

The cafe is modern and stylish, with indoor seats where you can focus on reading, and open outdoor terrace seats.
The menu includes cold sandwiches such as carrot cakes, cheesecakes and fruit sandwiches in showcases, hot sandwiches, hashed beef, vegetable and chicken chowders, various toasts, baked goods, drinks, etc.

As a lunch set, we offer salad sets and soup sets, so it is convenient to finish meals in the hall without finding a restaurant nearby!
Personally, I am very concerned about the carrot cake that reminds me of my days of studying in the UK.♪
The menu is subject to change, so please check the latest information at the cafe store.

The newly reborn local museum is closer to the nearest station than when it was in the local Tenmonkan in Akashicho, making it easier for people outside Chuo-ku to access.
On the first floor, there is a permanent gallery space consisting of a history chronological table, an exhibition corner for each theme, and a picture scroll vision corner that can be enjoyed by touch panels.gallery space on the second floor, a detailed exhibition of regional history and valuable materials in cooperation with museums inside and outside the city.

The permanent exhibition rooms have had an academic impression, but the current permanent gallery space is like a modern museum.
In addition to simply appreciating the exhibits, the touch panel that catches the user's eye can be used to learn what they are interested in voluntarily.
A map of Chuo-ku in 1950 (Showa 25) is designed on the floor, so be sure to pay attention!
Project gallery space, which allows access to regional archives, is expected to hold exhibitions linked to regional archives in the future.

You have introduced the appeal of the book forest Chuo from various perspectives, how was it?
Kyobashi Library has a renewed image so that anyone can use it comfortably, bright, open, and comfortably.
Even if you live outside Chuo-ku, wouldn't you want to stop by when using Hatchobori Station?
The attached cafe, the local museum, and the rooftop garden where you can enjoy Nikko and the starry sky while you are in the city center are filled with mysterious charms that you want to repeat and visit instead of once.
Please come and experience these charms.

[Thank you]
I would like to thank Director Gosho who carefully guided me through the museum while I was busy, and the staff of the Kyobashi Library and Chuo-ku Office for their cooperation during the interview.

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The Forest of Books
Address: 1-13-14, Shintomi, Chuo-ku, Tokyo
Opening hours: From Monday to Saturday 9:00 to 21:00 / Sundays and holidays 9:00 to 17:00
Closed days: Please see the calendar for the third Thursday, the year-end and New Year holidays, and other temporary closed days.
Official Website: https://www.library.city.chuo.tokyo.jp/