“I have an illustrated cheese book,” says Tomoyo Ozumi, a customer at a growing bookstore in Japan where anyone who wants to sell their volumes can rent shelves.

Proponents of the concept say it brings the joy of browsing real books back to communities where many bookstores have been shuttered, offering readers more eclectic options than online sellers’ algorithms suggest.

“Here you’ll find books that make you wonder who’s going to buy them,” laughs Shogo Imamura, 40, who opened such a store in Kanda Jimbocho, Tokyo’s bookstore district, in April.

“Normal bookstores sell books that are popular according to sales statistics, excluding books that don’t sell well,” says Imamura, who also writes novels about samurai fighting during Japan’s feudal period.

“We ignore such principles. Or in other words, capitalism,” he says. “I want to rebuild bookstores.”

His shop, just 53 square meters (570 sq ft), has 364 shelves and sells books – some new, some used – on everything from business strategy to manga comics to martial arts.