FadedMoonlight
Level 60
Karakura is truly a town like no other. Whether you’re venturing deep in the woods and stumble upon the beauty of the Shinsei and Seinaru Monastery, or you’re exploring the concrete oasis of the shopping district, you’re always likely to find something beautiful in Karakura. It’s no secret that I, like many others, are passionate about writing. I mean, there’s a reason I decided to join the journalism club, no? Thankfully, there’s a place where people like myself can go to and fulfill their thirst for literature. That place is none other than the Karakura High School Library. What about this place makes it special? Well, you need to look no further than the library’s selection of student submitted novels. That’s right, every book within this place is an original story written by a student like you.
Photo of Karakura High’s Library - 12/19/22
While on paper, this doesn’t sound like a great idea, right? What kind of stuff could a group of angsty teens and children alike come up with? Well, as it turns out? Quite a bit. The first thing we must do when submitting a book to the library is have the poor librarian read the entire thing. If your name is Tommaso Vinogradov, you were in for a wild ride. It’s somewhat of a secret that I’ve submitted my own book, ‘Fragile Souls’ to the library during my first few years living in Karakura. It follows the story of a homeless girl who struggles with trauma from her childhood, meeting ‘friends’ along the way who either help her, or make things much worse. Well, I wouldn’t want to ruin the story for you, as it’s still currently available for checkout at the library!
When the librarian (sorry Tomma.) is finished reading your book, they must decide if it’s appropriate for the library’s selection. After that, you will receive quite a few reward tokens, which can be exchanged at the receptionist’s desk for prizes! After that? It’s off to the Student Leadership Team to see if your book meets their quality standards that are expected of a school that has several leaks in the roof and other floors.
If your book meets the quality standards of our (for the most part) beloved Student Leadership Team, your book will be ready for checkout within the next few months. Oh the joy you will bring to all who read your own novel! But, now what are you going to read? You already know how your own story ends, so what’s the point in reading? Well, you may have guessed from the name of the room that this is indeed a library, and as such you can view other works. All of which have been submitted by students just like you. There’s a wide selection to choose from, so just find your favorite genre and start digging!
Once you find a book you like, it’s time to make your way to the Librarian’s desk and check out the book you wish to read. But there’s a catch! You must pay a two-thousand yen fee for a library card. Gotta afford that duct-tape somehow, huh Akihito? Once you pay the fee, you are finally free to check out that book. Some recommendations? Fragile Souls by Marilyn Tominaga (me!), Grieving Genji by Arisu Mishimi, and finally Living Hope by Okemia Kuroki. All three of these novels tell tragic stories in their own unique ways. If you’re a fan of tragedy, or simply find enjoyment in good storytelling, these may be choice picks for you!
To get an inside perspective of the school’s library, I contacted the Head of Department Sachihiro Hirasawa to schedule an interview to see just what it was like to be in charge of such a unique style of library.
Marilyn:
"Hello, Mr. Hirasawa. Could you tell me a bit about yourself?"
Sachihiro:
"Well I am the head of department at the library in Karakura highschool"
Marilyn:
"Interesting, and what is it you do as the Head of Department?"
Sachihiro:
"Well, I was the most hard working librarian I guess I think the boss thought I deserved the role and I will not disappoint"
Marilyn:
"Interesting... you seem proud of that achievement."
Sachihiro:
"I am very proud of it indeed"
Marilyn:
"Right... Now, this book seems to be full of books written by students from this school. It's quite an interesting choice for a library. Why do you think Karakura High chose to go in this direction?"
Sachihiro:
"Well it's always good to give the students an opportunity to show off their amazing work and creativity... even if the books may be questionable from an outsider"
Marilyn:
"Have you read some of the books submitted by our students?"
Sachihiro:
"I have! The ones I think are excellent I have submitted to SLT to look at to get them put into the library"
Marilyn:
"Are there any recurring themes displayed in the books?"
Sachihiro:
"Main themes yes, they are usually either fiction or factual books. Yamaro has submitted a lot of amazing factual books which will be getting put into the library soon!"
Marilyn:
"Interesting... and out of all of the books you've read in the library, which one would you say is your favorite?"
Sachihiro:
"Living Hope! It is an amazing book by an amazing author by the name of Okemia”
Marilyn:
"Interesting choice, I enjoyed that book as well. What about the book did you like?"
Sachihiro:
"The story itself was very good, the characters was also well developed"
Marilyn:
"Interesting take on it. What would you say about the people under your leadership? Is it easy leading the department?"
Sachihiro:
"It used to be very hard to run. however now we have new librarians it's so much easier”
Marilyn:
"Would you say that the change in atmosphere, mainly the Christmas decorations found in the library, helped alleviate some of the stress that came from your job?"
Sachihiro:
"Not really, if anything the Christmas decorations help me. Despite me being old I love Christmas as much as a kid does.”
Marilyn:
"That's... alright. And if you had to make a statement to your superiors, if any, what would it be?"
Sachihiro:
"Continue giving the support to the library that it's already receiving. You are doing a great job"
Marilyn:
"Thank you for your time, Mr. Hirasawa."
Despite what seems to be a language barrier between Mr. Hirasawa and I, he seemed to agree with me on the fact that the library is a wonderful opportunity for young, aspiring writers to indulge in creative writing and show off their works to like-minded individuals. He also mentioned an ‘Okemia’ who I previously mentioned in this article as the author of ‘Living Hope’. Thankfully, I was able to also track down Ms. Okemia and hold an interview with her as well.
Marilyn:
"Hello Okemia, thanks for agreeing to be interviewed. Tell me a bit about yourself."
Okemia:
"Myself? Well alright. I've been a resident at Karakura for a long time now. I moved here with my father Jin Kuroki from Kyoto. He inspired me a lot in my passion for writing as he is a reporter. I wanted to create a impact like he had, towards people in our town. And show them its ok to express themselves. I see it in our town all the time, the amount of anguish and violence for those seeking some fulfillment. I write to show others they are not alone in the difficulties. I'm also currently seeking a english major, in hopes to one day before a author and convey struggles to a wider audience. I'm just a normal Karakura highschool student, nothing all that special."
Marilyn:
“Right, and as a Karakura student, you have the ability to submit your own works into the school's library. Which is exactly what you did, no? Tell me a bit about the process that you underwent submitting your novel.”
Okemia:
"My process? Well at the time the school was hosting a contest for submitting short stories and other works of writing. I entered for the fun of it. I didn't know at the time you could submit works, however since then I've submitted another book through the normal process. I wrote a specific short story for this contest and handed it in, as there was a basket in the library for it. It was rather easy to submit, the hard part was picking what to write."
Marilyn:
"And how do you feel about the concept of a library that relies on student submissions?"
Okemia:
"I think it's a wonderful idea! It helps inspire young writers. We can all relate to one another in many ways, struggles conveyed in student submitted books may help the readers of our city. Overall I wish my hometown had done the same thing. I would have started writing much sooner and the quality of writing would have been stronger. Whoever came up with the idea should be given a promotion. In any case, I think other schools should take some notes. This is a way to nurture the minds of our future."
Marilyn:
"Certainly, and how do you feel about some of the stories submitted by your fellow 'authors'?"
Okemia:
"I have only read a few, however I do know that we are amongst very talented writers. Our community has passion and it is a shame some choose to take that passion out in destructive ways. I truly believe, based on what I've read by my fellow authors, writing could change how this city has operated, especially with people my age. Each one of those writers has put their heart and soul into the passion of something they believe. It is clear by how they express themselves and I want that to be spread like the plague. No one is alone, someone has dealt with the same difficulties and made it out."
Marilyn:
"Interesting, I won't ask you much else because you've been very well-spoken with your answers. But if you were the head of the department for the library, what changes would you make?"
Okemia:
"What changes would I make? Well I've actually spoken with the head of the department of the library. He is a very passionate man who takes his job seriously. If I could change anything it would be the advertising of submission and books within the library. As I said earlier until a contest was hosted I was not aware you could submit books. I think having more events with small incentives would inspire new writers to come forth with their bright ideas."
Marilyn:
“I couldn’t agree more. Thank you for your time, Ms. Kuroki.”
Okemia, a high school student, managed to give me one of the best interviews I’ve had thus far in journalism. Not only that, but her way with words managed to sway me with each response she gave. Okemia also made the good point that there isn’t much pointing out that you can indeed submit a book to the library, aside from a single sign in the library that is easy to miss if you aren’t looking for it. It would be interesting to see what would happen if there was more advertising for book submission, maybe even another contest as Okemia had mentioned.
Overall, the Karakura High library is a great place if you’re in the mood to read, or even submit a work of your own. It is a source for inspiration, and provides a quiet, calming atmosphere for those who need a place to calm down in the loud, chaotic building that is Karakura High. If you’re ever in the neighborhood, be sure to stop by and check out a book. Try spending a relaxing hour with a book written by a young author, one that could be much like yourself.
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