POST is a bookstore that, every two months, transforms its shelves to feature a single publishing house specializing in art books, dedicating the entire space exclusively to that publisher’s output. Initiated in 2011 by Yusuke Nakajima — who had run the antiquarian bookshop limArt since 2005 — this innovative format attracted attention from its very beginning. The collapse of Nippon Yōsho Hanbai, a major distributor of foreign books, in 2008 had made it increasingly difficult in Japan to access high-quality art books published abroad. At a time when purchasing art books from around the world online was not yet straightforward, POST became a conduit for introducing outstanding international art publishers to Japan. What began in a small shop in Yoyogi gradually expanded to Ebisu, Ginza, and Gaienmae, and today POST is recognized globally as a leading art bookshop, featured widely in media.

Centre Inc. has been responsible for design since the limArt era, and when POST was conceived, we worked closely from the planning stage to shape the visual identity. As of 2025, POST has introduced more than 50 international publishers.

POST, Ebisu – Bookshelf

POST began as a bookstore with the unusual and rare concept of introducing new art books by publisher, replacing its entire inventory on a regular basis. Yusuke Nakajima, who had been running the antiquarian bookstore limArt, and centre Inc. drew inspiration from the name POST — suggesting delivery, posting, or a designated site — to envision an identity in which publishers and their publications would continually change, yet through archiving would gradually establish a visual presence. Through POST, the accumulation of publishers is stratified into layers that together form a library accessible both in printed form and online. Within this framework, the featured art books can be experienced not just as individual titles but as part of a visualized system — one that conveys the identity of each publisher, the classifications of painting, sculpture, photography, architecture, and design, and the cultural shifts traceable through their contemporaneity. This layered structure stands as a permanently open library, always accessible to the public.

POST – Brochure / Buchhandlung Walther König

The collapse of Nippon Yōsho Hanbai, a major distributor of foreign books, in 2008 triggered a wave of closures among specialist bookstores focusing on foreign publications, making it increasingly difficult to obtain high-quality art books published abroad in Japan. While certain titles continued to be imported by some bookstores, the fragmented selections made it nearly impossible to grasp the full diversity of art book publishing overseas. POST’s distinctive approach — presenting the “face” of each publisher by dedicating its space entirely to them — helped reimagine Japan’s distribution and retail system and suggested a new framework for how art books might circulate in the future.

POST – Various Brochure, Bookmark

At centre Inc., we carried out extensive research into each featured publisher and its publications — identifying the authors, genres, design approaches, price ranges, and publishing identities. These findings informed brochures regularly produced for POST. When 50 to 100 new titles were imported from abroad for a given feature, we began the design process by photographing every book and tracing their contours into drawings. From there, we designed visuals that consolidated each publisher’s unique traits — their conceptual colors, chosen typefaces, logotypes, and bookmaking practices — into a coherent visual identity. Alongside printed materials specialized in visualizing a publisher’s philosophy, the POST website archived analytical information essential to a library, including title summaries, page counts, formats, and publication years.

POST – Web / edition fink, 010 Publishers, Book Works, Buchhandlung Walther König

Conceived with long-term operation in mind, the collaboration between POST and centre Inc. has continued for more than 15 years, maintaining a visual identity that remains universal. Over 50 publishers have been featured, with more than 4,000 titles now accessible through POST’s infrastructure. What began as a bookstore the size of a single shipping container has since expanded to Ebisu, Ginza, and beyond. Most recently, POST ARCHITECTURE BOOKS, co-run with Shinkenchiku-sha, opened as a new venture. Today, POST plays a vital role as a cultural foundation for viewing and acquiring art books in Japan.

POST – Brochure / MACK, Pierre von Kleist editions, Libraryman, Gestalten, Roma Publications

POST ARCHITECTURE BOOKS, Minami Aoyama – Facade

Addendum

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POST, Ebisu

2013 –

POST ARCHITECTURE BOOKS, Minami Aoyama

2022 –