Worship of the written word isn’t limited to the West; Asia has some truly awe-inspiring libraries that implement innovative design and architectural expertise for stunning results.
Tama Art University Library (Tokyo, Japan)
Even if you can’t read a word of its 120,000-strong Japanese collection, the Tama Art University Library is worth a visit for its unique and innovative architectural designs. The interior combines concrete minimalism with wide arches and rounded or curving tables and chairs to create a space both stark and strangely alluring.
Though most of the library is reserved for university students, the occasional open campus event allows anyone to get the full feel of this library’s open, fluid spaces, and unique architecture.
Address: 2 Chome-1723 Yarimizu, Hachioji, Tokyo 192-0375 Japan
Opening hours:
- Monday to Friday: 9AM - 8PM
- Saturday: 9AM - 5PM
- Sunday: Closed
Kadokawa Culture Museum Library (Tokorozawa, Japan)
The Kadokawa Culture Museum merges a library, art museum, and natural history museum under an imposing granite facade. It has multiple floors, and book lovers will automatically gravitate to the 4th floor, designed to resemble a town for books.
It’s also on this floor that you can find the library, filled with towering shelves interspersed with screens looping abstract, futuristic imagery. It even comes with its own light show that takes place across the bookshelves themselves. Meanwhile, the second floor has a bright and modern café serving drinks, desserts, and snacks.
Address: Tokorozawa Sakura Town, 3 Chome-31-3 Higashitokorozawawada, Tokorozawa, Saitama 359-0023 Japan
Opening hours:
- Wednesday to Monday: 10AM - 6PM (last entry at 5:30PM)
- Tuesday: Closed
Starfield Library COEX Mall (Seoul, South Korea)
We’ve got a two-for-one sale here: Seoul’s iconic Starfield Libraries in COEX Mall and Starfield Suwon Mall. The library in COEX might just be the most recognizable bookstore in South Korea, showcasing massive, sentinel-like bookshelves and a wide open space that frequently hosts cultural events and a seasonally-changing art display.
Address: B1-1F Starfield COEX Mall, 513 Yeongdong-daero, Gangnam District, Seoul, South Korea
Opening hours:
- Monday to Sunday: 10:30AM - 10PM
Starfield Suwon Library (Suwon, South Korea)
Starfield Library Suwon, meanwhile, opened just last year and is even bigger than COEX’s library. Its shelves stretch up four floors of Suwon Mall in vibrant geometric design, with various shops peeping through large windows into the library’s open space.
Address: 4F-7F Starfield Suwon Mall, 175 Suseong-ro, Jangan-gu, Suwon-si, Gyeonggi-do, South Korea
Opening hours:
- Monday to Sunday: 10AM - 10PM
Yusuhara Community Library (Kochi, Japan)
Also known as the “Library Above the Clouds,” Yusuhara Community Library opened in 2018 in a mountain town in Japan’s southwestern Kochi Prefecture. The library is built with locally sourced cedar wood and is designed to resemble a manmade forest, beams crisscrossing as they hang from the ceiling like tree branches.
And that’s just one small section. The library has multiple levels and reading rooms with unique but peaceful designs, creating the perfect atmosphere to lose yourself in a good book.
Address: 1212-2 Yusuhara, Takaoka District, Kochi, Japan
Opening hours:
- Wednesday to Monday: 9AM - 8PM
- Tuesday & Last Friday of the Month: Closed
National Library of China (Beijing, China)
It’s pretty fitting that one of the biggest countries in the world also has one of the largest libraries, and that just so happens to be the National Library of China. And that means both in the sense of it being physically massive and having a mind-bogglingly enormous collection, boasting roughly 41 million items.
It’s not just big, but also quite beautiful. One room stands like a manmade forest with massive white pillars and an interlocking canopy, while another has tiered floors, one overlooking another, amidst a wide, airy space.
Address: 33 Zhongguancun S Ave, Haidian District, Beijing, China
Opening hours:
- (Below are for reading services; opening hours vary depending on what part of the library you’re visiting)
- Tuesday to Sunday: 9AM - 5PM
- Monday: Closed
Taipei Public Library Beitou Branch (Taipei, Taiwan)
The Beitou branch of the Taipei Public Library system perfectly melds with nature, fitting, considering how its collection of over 63,000 books has a focus on ecological conservation.
In fact, the entire building is designed with the idea of sustainability and environmental friendliness, using wood from managed forests, floor-to-ceiling windows for natural lighting and ventilation, solar panels, and even a rainwater collection system. The library as a whole looks beautiful as well, with a clean, naturalist feel.
Address: No. 251, Guangming Rd, Beitou District, Taipei City, Taiwan
Opening hours:
- Monday & Sunday: 9AM - 5PM
- Tuesday to Saturday: 8:30AM - 9PM
Singapore Central Public Library (Singapore)
For trippy architecture and colorful, creative design, the Singapore Central Public Library can’t be beat. Located in the basement of Singapore’s National Library Building, the library has quite a few spaces you don’t want to miss out on.
One highlight is the Children’s Biodiversity Library, which is ocean-themed and proud of it, featuring a towering, artificial coral reef, calming blue backdrops, and bookcases bookended with colorful seaweed decor.
Address: 100 Victoria St, #B1-01 National Library / Lee Kong Chian Reference Library, Singapore
Opening hours:
- Monday to Sunday: 10AM - 9PM
Shanghai Library East (Shanghai, China)
As massive as the National Library of China is, Shanghai Library East might just have it beat. At seven stories tall near Century Park, its monolithic, prism-like glass form towers over the surrounding trees, presenting a unique landmark as gravity-defying as an inverted pyramid.
Inside, visitors can enjoy a light-filled atrium connecting to spacious reading rooms and other learning spaces. Many feature beautiful and creative art installations, whether hanging from the ceiling or standing proud center-stage.
Address: No. 300 Yingchu Road, Pudong New Area, Shanghai, China
Opening hours:
- Tuesday to Sunday: 9AM - 8:30PM
- Monday: Closed
Rotunda Library & Archive (Singapore)
Located in the National Gallery Singapore, the Rotunda Library & Archive is Singapore’s go-to for Southeast Asian art history research. The library once housed Singapore’s Supreme Court collection, and its interior is colonial-style, featuring Roman columns and a high domed ceiling dotted with arched windows.
Its current collection includes 20,000 physical and digital art-historical resources from the 19th to 21st centuries, including rare collections from prominent Southeast Asian artists.
Address: 1 St Andrew’s Road, Singapore
Opening hours:
- Monday to Friday: 10AM - 12:30PM & 2PM - 5PM
- Saturday & Sunday: Closed
Tianjin Binhai Library (Tianjin, China)
The Tianjin Binhai Library has to be one of the most stunning yet surreal libraries in the world. Painted in stark white, its most noted room has a giant sphere at its center known as “The Eye,” surrounded by a ceiling that looks almost like it is rippling outward. Bookshelves that double as stairs curve around the Eye, cascading from the ceiling down to the floor.
That’s not all there is to the library, though; it has a broad collection of books and serves as an educational and cultural hub for local residents.
Address: No. 347, Xusheng Rd, Binhai, Tianjin, China
Opening hours:
- Monday to Sunday: 9:30AM - 9:30PM
Nakajima Library at Akita International University (Akita, Japan)
Designed by the architect Mitsuru Senda, Nakajima Library presents a bold statement with its semicircular, tiered room. Its design was inspired by the Roman Colosseum, and is even called the “Book Colosseum” in honor of that.
But while the word “Roman” might make some think of imposing stone, the construction here utilizes mainly cedar wood with reinforced concrete, making it look almost like a giant tree or mushroom, with the ceiling beams fanning out like a canopy in natural splendor.
Address: Okutsubakidai-193-2 Yuwatsubakigawa, Akita, Japan
Opening hours:
- Monday to Sunday: 10AM - 5PM
The David Sassoon Library and Reading Room (Mumbai, India)
While many libraries on this list showcase contemporary, innovative design, the David Sassoon Library and Reading Room revels in the full glory of beautifully preserved Victorian Gothic architecture.
However, while it has the classically pointed arches, it has many elements pulled from local sources, such as the Burma teak wood ceilings and yellow Malad stone used in its construction. The patterned floors also reflect traditional Indian design, offering a bright splash of color and flavor to the normally reserved Gothic style.
Address: 152, Mahatma Gandhi Road, Off David Sassoon, Library Marg, opposite Jehangir Art Gallery, Kala Ghoda, Fort, Mumbai, Maharashtra, India
Opening hours:
- Monday to Sunday: 8AM - 9PM
