As of last Sunday, I went to three different libraries and each of these is 15 minutes away from my home if I go there on foot.
I also have the same feeling on each. Japanese really like reading no matter if you're old or young. You may see all ages in the library, there are retirees with their friends spending most of their time reading, there are students who just came from school, doing their homework as a group, little kids with their moms sitting on the floor and reading picture books with a low voice, you can even see homeless people in there holding a book.
In Jp, almost every street has their own library and most of them are built beside a school or district center. You can enter without presenting a card. This is beneficial for most people because you can read your own book or pick up books that interest you from a specific shelf. The most convenient thing is that the Tatami that they put on the floor for the babies to sit comfortably while their moms are reading to them or showing them some pictures. To avoid distractions and unnecessary noise, there are two different rooms, one for adults and the other is for children by bookshelves.
That's the reason why all the people here are interested in reading. That's what I recently discovered in Japan, how about you? Do you always go to library?
