Hoshiten Circular Library

Circular Hoshiten Library is a book sharing project designed to hand off a book someone has finished reading to the next reader. Operated by Circular Yokohama, the initiative began in July 2023.

You can use the bookshelf in 4 steps: bring a book you’ve finished, look for a book that interests you on the shelf, read it, and then take home as many books as you brought. Each time people use the shelf, its contents change little by little, creating a continuous circulation. Anyone, be it children or adults, can use it freely, and it accepts books of any genre, from picture books and novels to business titles.

Books that have served their purpose at home are brought in by community members, placed on the shelf, and picked up by someone else. By letting books travel through the town as they circulate, the project aims to continuously share the materials, knowledge and stories held by local residents.

*As of 2025, the Hoshiten Circular Library permanent exhibition is closed due to relocation. We’re still open to inquiries about setting up our mobile bookshelves—feel free to reach out anytime!

1. Unwanted items become something valuable to someone

Books sitting unread at home are dormant personal assets. By shifting the concept from ownership to sharing and treating them as community assets, these books become valuable to others. This aligns with the sharing‑economy model of sharing goods, spaces, skills, and time. By creating a place where anyone can use the bookshelf without financial burden, the project encourages both the sharing of physical items and the exchange of local knowledge through books.

2. Lower environmental impact by circulating books as books

Passing finished books to the next reader instead of discarding them promotes reuse. The Butterfly Diagram of the circular economy shows that keeping a product in its original form for as long as possible reduces environmental impact. Recycling old books as paper is one method of resource circulation, but keeping books in book form within the community extends their life span and further lessens environmental load.

3. Building a local community through book circulation

Because the shelf’s lineup changes time to time, users enjoy returning regularly. While reading inside the gallery, conversations naturally spark among staff and visitors, sharing local networks and knowledge. Collaborations—such as pop‑up shelves with other organizations and accepting book donations with Value Books (certified B Corp based in Ueda, Nagano Prefecture), which also promotes book circulation, forms a relaxed community connected by books, and fosters multifaceted circulation.