Having a place to belong makes you want to go out. This is truly Japan's best library!

(Top image) Toshihiko Kato, SS Co., Ltd.

Go, see, and experience the world of art
File.8 Yamato City Cultural Creation Center Sirius
Miyuki Inoue (Magcal Editorial Department)

There's a banner that catches your eye when you're driving on the Tomei Expressway.
They call it "Japan's best library."
Enticed by the enticing words, I decided to visit "Yamato City Cultural Creation Center Sirius."

Its official name is the Yamato City Cultural Creation Center.
A cultural complex centered around a library, arts and culture hall, lifelong learning center, and indoor children's play area.
Rather than listing them all like this, it's more fitting to call him by his nickname, "Sirius."
That's because the facility, which just opened on November 3, 2016, has a very stylish exterior. Located in a prime location just a 3-minute walk from Yamato Station, where the Sotetsu Main Line and Odakyu Enoshima Line intersect, it could easily be mistaken for a shopping mall.

Entering through the main entrance, you'll find a coffee shop and library space neatly arranged. The open-plan floor is bright and spacious, with mothers pushing strollers chatting as they pass by.
I guess it's a shopping mall after all?
Thinking this, I picked up a nearby book and noticed a classification sticker on it, which made me realize, "Ah, this is definitely a library."
With a collection of approximately 410,000 books, it's certainly not a large library in terms of scale. However, I'm gradually beginning to understand why it can declare itself "Japan's best library."

When I visited, there was a special section featuring books related to music and orchestras, linked to information about concerts being held in the main hall on weekends.
These multifaceted projects are planned by "Yamato Mirai," the designated manager and joint venture that operates Sirius. For example, if a rakugo performance is held in the hall, the library will feature related books, the lifelong learning center will hold courses to learn more about rakugo, and the indoor children's play area will host "children's rakugo."
This is a wonderful initiative that seems obvious but hadn't been done before.

This is the open-shelf area on the second floor. Across the atrium, there is also a paid space that can be used as a second office.
The library's collection is spread across different floors, so finding the book you're looking for might be a little difficult at times. However, discovering new books while wandering around is one of the joys of a library. In fact, you'll see quite a few people strolling around with a cup of coffee in hand... That's right, at Sirius, you can drink beverages anywhere you like.

The third floor is "Yamato Children's Land".
The "Children's Library," filled with picture books and kamishibai (picture-story shows), has bookshelves and chairs all sized for children. The colorful decor makes it enjoyable for adults as well.
*Photo: Toshihiko Kato, SS Co., Ltd.

Located at the back is "Genkikko Hiroba," a play area for parents and children aged 3 to 2nd grade of elementary school. With play equipment produced by the popular "Bornelund," children can play actively, and despite the fee, it is always bustling with activity.
The Healthy City Library on the 4th floor is an area unique to Sirius.
First, the bookshelves in the "Health Corner" display a wide range of health-related books, going beyond typical library classifications. The "Health Terrace" offers daily lectures on various themes, from medical information to traditional games, and also features a "Health Visualization Corner" equipped with body composition analyzers and bone health measuring devices. There are also exhibits related to disaster prevention, giving a sense of the broad scope of the "health" theme.
What's surprising about Sirius is the number and variety of reading seats. There are 915 seats in total, ranging from counter tables perfect for studying to sofas perfect for taking a nap. This is what happens when you properly realize the concept of a "library where you can stay."
Moms raising children and elderly people living alone would likely find a place where they feel completely at home.
*Photo: Toshihiko Kato, SS Co., Ltd.

The fifth floor offers the most library-like atmosphere, complete with a reference counter where you can get help with research. Perhaps because of the sophisticated colors, even your posture and demeanor become "library-like"—it's strange how humans are.

The sixth floor is the only floor without books. It houses meeting rooms and other facilities available for use by citizens. In "Plat Yamato," a community space where people can eat and drink, high school students were working on their homework with their friends while snacking.
And there, before their eyes, was a terrace seating area with a great view!
It's a bit chilly in winter, but I thought to myself that I'd love to relax here and read a book when it gets warmer, along with a cold drink.