From japannews.yomiuri.co.jp
By Yuki Kobayashi
Reading and collecting ordinary people’s diaries is rising in popularity. Writers selling their own diaries is a booming business. An increasing number of books and magazines about the appeal of reading diaries are also being published and there is even a plan to establish a physical museum dedicated to collecting diaries.
Publishing own diaries
Diaries are familiar to Japanese people, as keeping one is a typical summer vacation homework assignment.
“There is a phenomenon that could be called a ‘diary book’ publishing boom, in which people publish their own diaries in book form,” said Reina Hisaki, director of Nikkiya Tsukihi, a store specializing in diaries that was established in Tokyo’s Shimokitazawa district in 2020.
Hisaki says that the number of applications to participate in the store’s biannual diary book sales events and to sell diaries at the store have both surged to several times the numbers seen when the store was established.
This trend is partly driven by the increased ease of book production, facilitated by the widespread use of personal computers and improved services from printing businesses. There is also a growing tendency for people who want to express themselves through writing to choose the diary form, as it is a familiar format.
Recently, diaries published in book form that are compiled from messages on dating apps or book reviews have become popular reads.
When asked about the appeal of reading diaries, Hisaki said, “Even when you read a stranger’s diary, you can find some connection with that person and gain the sense that their life somehow exists in parallel with your own life.”
With today’s online culture, which tends to focus on winning debates, reading people’s differing views in diary form discourages outright rejection of those ideas but rather makes us recognize the simple truth that “there are many different kinds of people,” Hisaki said.
Diaries may have the power to help us re-examine our relationships with others and with society as well, he added.
In December, Hisaki launched the quarterly magazine “Kikan Nikki” (Quarterly diary) as editor-in-chief, intending to spread the appeal of diaries further. The magazine features diaries by cultural figures and essays on the charm of keeping a diary. It has sold well and is already in its third printing.
Library of datebooks
Since 2014, Shirado has collected handwritten diaries and the like, such as datebooks and appointment books, each filled with their owners’ freely expressed thoughts and ideas. He wrote the book as a result of his serious exploration of why reading ordinary people’s diaries is so interesting.
While the book title implies “peeking,” Shirado states that the appeal of reading diaries goes much further. Diaries and the like, intended to remain private, record how personal time and space were used and how the writers felt. The readers may also find that “intimate details” such as the writer’s writing habits, styles and changes in handwritten letters are naturally exposed.
“As you enjoy looking at them, you’ll probably discover how interesting humans are and realize that you must respect individuals,” he said.
To let people “hold in their hand and appreciate” such diaries, Shirado established the “Techorui Toshoshitsu” (Library of diaries and the like) initially in Shibuya Ward, Tokyo, in 2017. It relocated to Minato Ward, Tokyo, in February.
As the library’s collection has grown to over 2,000 volumes and he has some collaborators, he established a branch in Fujisawa, Kanagawa Prefecture, in July.
In recent years, as many people feel it is harder to express their true feelings online where aggressive feedback often follows, keeping a diary has become meaningful again, Shirado says.
Easing social media fatigue
Kaneko became fascinated with diaries in high school, after reading his grandfather’s wartime diary following his death.
Realizing that his grandfather had narrowly survived the war, Kaneko had the strong feeling that “it is not true that only the lives of the people featured in textbooks are interesting. The records of everyone’s lives are worth preserving.” He then conceived the idea of collecting diaries.
Kaneko plans to establish a physical museum by 2032, and is preparing by actively purchasing diaries from ordinary people.
He has so far collected about 200 diaries from 60 people, some of which he has already released online.
“Diaries don’t make money. When the writers die, their diaries are usually discarded,” Kaneko said. “I didn’t want collecting diaries to end as just a hobby. I created the online museum to build a system for preserving as many diaries as possible. I want it to continue even after I’m gone.”
Kaneko lists the appeal of diaries, including the power of handwriting, giving a glimpse into the prices and social climate of the era in which they were written, and putting the readers’ worries into perspective.
“On social media it feels like people only show carefully crafted highlights of special days, and the writing is somewhat affected. Diaries are the complete opposite. That’s probably why tired people find reading diaries a fresh, enjoyable experience, and why they find it soothing.”
Liberation from norms
According to Associate Prof. Yusuke Tanaka, a diary culture specialist at Meiji Gakuin University, “diary booms” have occurred multiple times since the end of World War II. Around 1980, “kokan nikki” (exchange diary), or taking turns to write in a shared diary, was popular among young people. In the 2000s, the blogging style boomed.
Tanaka says that reading ordinary people’s diaries is a key feature of the recent boom.
He praises Shirado’s “Techorui Toshoshitsu” library, saying: “It makes people realize a little-known fact that things written by people are very interesting, even fragmentary records written by ordinary people. It is a sharp point of view.”
Tanaka also says that in the current situation, diaries by ordinary people are being published one after another, which is a significantly different trend from the past.
Previously, it was primarily great politicians, famous authors and other celebrities whose diaries were published. Aside from their narratives being considered major historical testimonies, the contents of these diaries satisfied people’s desire to glimpse the writers’ unique experiences or attributes, for example.
In contrast, in recent years, the contents of some published diaries have diverged significantly from the traditional style of candidly writing facts to include elements of creativity.
“Their writers create and accept their own stories without trying to attract business-oriented publishing companies, and share them with others by influencing each other. People are becoming liberated from the authority and norms related to writing,” Tanaka said, analysing this recent phenomenon.
https://japannews.yomiuri.co.jp/society/general-news/20260517-327919/
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