（株）大垣書店

What （株）大垣書店 does

Ogaki Bookstore Co., Ltd. (株式会社大垣書店) is a privately held, Kyoto-founded Japanese bookstore chain established in 1942 (Showa 17), operating more than 50 group stores across nine prefectures with concentrations in Kyoto, Osaka, Hyogo, Shiga, Tokyo, Saitama, Hiroshima, Shizuoka, and Hokkaido. The group runs a multi-format retail network that includes mainline bookstores, Aeon mall locations, university campus stores (notably at Bukkyo University), and rental-format 'Book Pal' branches. Beyond retail, the company operates an in-house publishing division that issues original novels, manga (including the long-running '花鈴のマウンド' series), and non-fiction titles under its own imprint; a food and beverage arm with cafes (SLow Page, Blue Books Cafe Kyoto) and the '京都かつりき' restaurant; event and rental spaces including '催' at Kyoto Honten and 'NEUTRAL' at the Horikawa New Culture Building; and a coworking offering '大垣書店&lounge' near Karasuma Mikoike Station launched in April 2026. Distribution extends to e-commerce storefronts on Yahoo Shopping and Rakuten, a partnership with the honto digital reading platform, an external/corporate sales division (外商部), and the Kyoto Prefecture government publication service station.

The company's revenue mechanics combine unit-priced physical book sales (typical ¥500-¥2,000 per title), online retail sales through proprietary e-commerce storefronts, publishing royalties and direct-to-consumer book sales, food and beverage revenue from in-store cafes and restaurants, and event-space rental fees. Customer acquisition is primarily consumer-direct via foot traffic to physical locations and event attendance, supplemented by publisher collaborations (KADOKAWA, Shogakukan, Micro Magazine-sha) for exclusive purchase benefits, social media engagement through X (Twitter), Facebook, and Instagram, and a loyalty point card combined with a co-branded LIFECARD credit card for repeat-customer retention. The company's strategic segmentation spans general consumers (primary), university students served through dedicated campus stores, and corporate/institutional customers served by the external sales division.

Recent capital allocation signals a format pivot: the group opened coworking space '大垣書店&lounge' in April 2026 and renovated Karasuma Sanjo Store to integrate it, opened Soyora Iriso Store in Saitama in March 2025 following the 2023 opening of the Azabudai Hills flagship in Tokyo, while simultaneously announcing closures of Prico Kobe (August 2026) and Book Pal Yamashina (September 2026). The publishing division released multiple original titles in June-August 2026, and a data-breach incident at Bukkyo University Store tied to a third-party EC vendor (Kagasononet) was disclosed. The business is privately held under a kabushikigaisha corporate form, with no parent company, institutional investors, or funding rounds identified in available data, and no public revenue, headcount, or financial disclosures.

Name

（株）大垣書店

Legal name

株式会社大垣書店

Website

https://books-ogaki.co.jp

Company type

Private

Founded year

1942

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Ogaki Bookstore Co., Ltd. is a privately held Kyoto-founded bookstore chain established in 1942, operating 50+ stores across Japan alongside in-house publishing, cafes, event spaces, and a coworking service for general consumers, students, and institutional buyers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Retail Bookstore Services

NAICS

Book Publishers (513130), Book Retailers and News Dealers (4592)

SIC

Books: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2731), Retail-Catalog & Mail-Order Houses (5961)

akta.pro primary industry

General Bookstores (New Books) (CRALAAAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Manga Publishing (Japanese & Global) (MPAJAGAA), eBook & Digital Reading Platforms (BPAMAJAK)

Keywords

• Retail bookstore chain
• In-house book publishing
• Cafe and event spaces
• Community bookstore services
• Loyalty point programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Kyoto

HQ country

Japan

HQ region

Asia

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Physical Retail Sales: Revenue from selling books, magazines, and related products through physical retail stores across Japan. Stores operate under various formats including main bookstores, Aeon mall locations, university campus stores, and Book Pal rental locations.
2. E-commerce Sales: Revenue from online sales through proprietary Yahoo Shopping and Rakuten stores, offering book sales with exclusive purchase benefits.
3. Publishing (Self-Published Titles): Revenue from publishing original works under the Ogaki Bookstore brand, including novels, manga, and non-fiction titles.
4. Food & Beverage Operations: Revenue from cafe and restaurant operations including Blue Books Cafe, SLow Page, and Kyoto Katsuriki restaurant.
5. Event Space Rental: Revenue from renting event spaces such as '催' at Kyoto Honten and co-working spaces like '&lounge' at Karasuma-Sanjo.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Ogaki Bookstore is a Kyoto-based regional bookstore chain operating 50+ stores across Japan that sells books, magazines, manga, stationery, and related cultural goods through physical retail and e-commerce storefronts. The company complements retail sales with an in-house publishing division producing original literary and manga titles, in-store cafes and restaurants, event and coworking spaces, and a loyalty point program with a co-branded credit card. It also operates a WEB signed-book sale service for author personalized copies.

Product overview

（株）大垣書店 is a Kyoto-based regional bookstore chain founded in 1942, operating over 50 group stores nationwide. The company's product portfolio centers on its core bookstore business offering books, manga, magazines, and stationery, complemented by an in-house publishing division that produces original titles including the popular 花鈴のマウンド manga series. Beyond retail, the company operates diverse lifestyle services including cafes (SLow Page, ブルーブックスカフェ京都), restaurants (京都かつりき), event spaces (イベントスペース「催」, NEUTRAL), and coworking spaces (大垣書店＆lounge). The publishing division collaborates with the Horikawa New Culture Building multi-purpose cultural facility, while the company also offers corporate sales services, loyalty programs, and WEBサイン会 online signed book sales. KYOTO MAGAZINE represents their original media publication covering Kyoto culture.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Book Pal: A bookstore sub-brand operating under the Ogaki Bookstore group, with multiple branch locations.
• Blue Books Cafe
• 京都桂利 京都本店

Products and services

• Bookstore Chain Operations (大垣書店 書店事業) Core retail bookstore chain operating more than 50 stores nationwide across Japan, offering books, magazines, manga, and stationery products with community-focused services through main bookstores, Aeon mall locations, university campus stores, and Book Pal rental branches in Tokyo, Kyoto, Osaka, Hyogo, Shiga, Hiroshima, Saitama, Shizuoka, and Hokkaido.
• In-House Publishing Division (出版事業) In-house publishing division that produces original novels, manga, and non-fiction works under the Ogaki Bookstore brand, including the Karin no Mound manga series, literary short story collections such as 「満ち潮 潮加満男初期短編集（一）」, and historical and social-issue titles.
• External Sales Division (外商部) Corporate sales department providing bulk book purchasing and corporate gift services to businesses and organizations in Japan.
• Kyoto Prefecture Official Gazette Sales Office (京都府官報販売所) Official designated sales office for Kyoto Prefecture government publications including the official gazette, serving institutional and government buyers.
• Point Card Loyalty Program (ポイントカードサービス) Loyalty point program offering accumulated purchase points with a co-branded Ogaki Bookstore × LIFECARD credit card providing enhanced point benefits for customers.
• SLow Page Café and Bar Cafe and bar operated within Ogaki Bookstore locations (including Horikawa New Culture Building and Aeon Mall KYOTO), offering coffee, alcoholic beverages, and a cultural reading and gathering space.
• Blue Books Cafe Kyoto (ブルーブックスカフェ京都) Cafe brand operated by the bookstore group, providing a reading environment with beverages for bookstore customers.
• Kyoto Katsuriki Restaurant (京都かつりき) Restaurant operated by Ogaki Bookstore at its Kyoto main store, slated to close the Kyoto main-store location on 2026-09-30.
• NEUTRAL Rental Space (ニュートラル) Rental space facility located within the Horikawa New Culture Building, available for events and gatherings.
• Event Space 'Sai' (イベントスペース「催」) Event space within the Kyoto Main Store hosting exhibitions, seminars, book events, and cultural programs with equipment rental services.
• Horikawa New Culture Building (堀川新文化ビルヂング) Multi-purpose cultural building in the Horikawa Shopping District featuring the Ogaki Bookstore store, cafe/bar, event space, and rental facilities under one complex.
• Ogaki Bookstore &lounge Coworking Space Coworking space service operated near Karasuma-Oike Station in Kyoto, combining bookstore products and services with workspace amenities.
• Online Signed-Book Sale Service (WEBサイン会) Online service where customers can purchase books with personalized author signatures through web lottery or first-come-first-served registration.
• KYOTO MAGAZINE Original magazine published by the company covering Kyoto culture, events, food, and lifestyle topics, co-published and distributed in partnership with KYOTO MAGAZINE.

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered minor.

• LIFECARDminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCo-branded credit card partnership offering point rewards and exclusive benefits for Ogaki Bookstore customers. The 大垣書店×ライフカード credit card provides enhanced point services for cardholders.
• hontominorGTM or Marketing PartnerDigital reading platform partnership for e-books and digital magazines. Customers can purchase digital versions of KYOTO MAGAZINE through the honto platform with promotional campaigns.
• KYOTO MAGAZINEminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerOgaki Bookstore co-publishes and distributes KYOTO MAGAZINE, a local cultural magazine covering Kyoto events, food, and lifestyle content.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves11 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• 蔦屋書店 / T-SITE (CCC): CCC-operated bookstore-and-lifestyle concept that pairs book retail with cafes and shared spaces, closely matching Ogaki's 'bookstore + cafe + coworking' ecosystem.
• ブックファースト (Book First): Chain bookstore operator with locations in major train-station buildings and shopping centers across Japan, comparable to Ogaki in mall and station-store strategies.
• 文教堂 (Bunbundo): Japanese bookstore chain with mall and station-based formats, comparable to Ogaki in store distribution and category mix.
• 丸善 (Maruzen): Historic Japanese bookstore chain with a similar blend of retail, institutional/corporate sales, and event-driven cultural positioning to Ogaki Bookstore.
• 三省堂書店 (Sanseido): Mid-sized Japanese bookstore chain with strong store footprints in Tokyo and university-area locations, comparable to Ogaki's mix of mall, campus, and main-street formats.
• ジュンク堂書店 (Junkudo): Major Japanese bookstore chain operating large-format stores nationwide, directly comparable to Ogaki Bookstore's general bookstore retail model with a similar mix of new releases, magazines, and events.
• 宮脇書店 (Miyawaki Shoten): Large nationwide Japanese bookstore chain with broad geographic coverage, comparable to Ogaki in store-count scale and general bookstore offering.
• 紀伊國屋書店 (Kinokuniya): Long-established Japanese bookstore chain with both physical stores and publishing; comparable to Ogaki's mix of new-book retail, original publishing output, and event-driven culture.

Broad incumbents

• honto (DNP / Maruzen-Junkudo-MARUI JV): Major Japanese e-book and online bookstore platform, already a partner of Ogaki via digital distribution and a benchmark for Ogaki's online channel strategy.

Emerging players

• TSUTAYA (rental / media retail): CCC's bookstore and lifestyle concept format, relevant for benchmarking Ogaki's move toward bookstore-plus-workspace hybrid formats such as &lounge.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/%EF%BC%88%E6%A0%AA%EF%BC%89%E5%A4%A7%E5%9E%A3%E6%9B%B8%E5%BA%97

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about （株）大垣書店