It’s a heartbreaking period for many bibliophiles in Jakarta, as one bookstore after another has been closing for good in recent years, with Kinokuniya at Plaza Senayan (PS) soon joining the list.
The Japanese bookstore chain announced on Saturday that the PS store will shut its doors for good on March 31. After closing its Pondok Indah Mall store back in 2018, only one Kinokuniya store, located in Grand Indonesia, will remain.
The chain is known for its vast collection of imported books, particularly those in English and Japanese, as well as manga. The store in PS is particularly large and cozy, too, and has been a favorite for many Jakartans who loved losing track of time while book hunting.
Many bibliophiles took to Twitter to share their fondest memories of Kinokuniya PS, with some regarding it as their safe haven.
Toko buku paling favorit karena tempatnya gede, nyaman, dan koleksinya paling lengkap. Too bad to see it getting closed by this month.
Thanks for all the good books and memories, Kinokuniya PS. pic.twitter.com/vbw1bjBkzp
— Handoko Tjung (@handokotjung) March 28, 2021
My favorite bookstore because the place is big, cozy, and it has the most complete collection. Too bad to see it getting closed by [the end of] this month. Thanks for all the good books and memories, Kinokuniya PS.
Ive never cried this much for a store before.. kalau keluarga jalan-jalan aku nongkrong di sini berjam-jam, naik mrt sama mama cuma buat minta ke sini, pacaran juga ke sini. RIP Kinokuniya PS i’ll miss your warm woodsy scent. You’re my happy place so thankyou pic.twitter.com/XH6wUYqTmH
— ebi (@chromatogrebi) March 28, 2021
I’ve never cried this much for a store before… When my family [strolled around PS] I hung out here for hours, took an MRT ride with my mom just to ask her for taking me here, I also had dates here. RIP Kinokuniya PS, I’ll miss your warm woodsy scent. You’re my happy place, so thank you.
Ok, last time before permanent closed #ThankYouKinokuniyaPS pic.twitter.com/mjZQ3yXiCd
— Souちゃん (@Soushikaaa) March 27, 2021
kinokuniya ps closing will be jkt second biggest loss after timezone citos
— (@skipberat) March 26, 2021
Man, I’m still upset about this. I love Kinokuniya PS because it’s located in a secluded area and they have a large collection of Japanese books. I’m going to miss everything about this bookstore especially the homey ambiance https://t.co/sliGdV4vsh
— aloy | (@aylmhrn) March 28, 2021
Kinokuniya Indonesia is now focusing on online sales, and book lovers can still buy from its official stores on Blibli, Shopee, Tokopedia, or its official website.
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