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What to read during Golden Week in Tokyo (free library picks)

Book Lists

If you're staying in Tokyo during Golden Week and not traveling, it can feel a bit quiet. Everything slows down, the city feels different, and you suddenly have more free time than usual.

So instead of scrolling all day or not knowing what to do, this is actually a perfect time to pick up a book.

Here are five English books you can find at Shibuya Central Library that are easy to get into during Golden Week.

Shibuya Central Library is open during Golden Week from 9 am to 6 pm on May 3 - 6. It's closed on May 7.

— Emily Henry

Funny Story

(Romance) This book is about two people who end up as unlikely roommates after their partners leave them for each other.

— Colleen Hoover

It Ends With Us

(Romance) This book is about a woman who falls in love, builds a life, and slowly realizes that love isn't always enough.

— Bonnie Garmus

Lessons in Chemistry

(Fiction) This book is about a female chemist in the 1960s who ends up hosting a cooking show after her career takes an unexpected turn.

— Jane Harper

The Lost Man

(Crime / Mystery) This book is about two brothers who find their third brother dead in the middle of the Australian outback with no explanation.

— Lisa Genova

Still Alice

(Fiction) This book is about a Harvard professor who is diagnosed with early onset Alzheimer's at 50.


If you want to borrow any of these you'll need a Shibuya library card. I wrote a full guide on how to get one here: [How to get a Tokyo library card]

And if Golden Week gives you the reading bug, subscribe to my English Shelf below — a free monthly list of English books found across Tokyo's libraries, straight to your inbox.

Happy reading!

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