A piece on Livedoor News discussed the Nintendo Wii's role in the shutdown of a couple of well-established bookstore locations (not the bookstore company itself) in Japan. No matter that the print industry in Japan in general has been suffering for the past several years -- according to a source quoted in the article, people are spending much more of their disposable income on video games and cell phones. In turn, the Wii is the nail in the coffin that finally did these bookstores in.
What this article suggests is that people in Tokyo's most affluent districts have a limited budget on which they have to choose between buying a few extra books or an extra racing wheel for Mario Kart Wii.
The Wii has been blamed for arcades shutting down, but bookstores? Where's the scapegoating going to go next?
Source:
任天堂栄えて本屋潰れる 旭屋書店閉店の衝撃度
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