Floor Plan
| Brick Building | Arch Building | |
|---|---|---|
| 1F | Children's Library, Meet the World, Story Hour Room, Common Room, Cafeteria, Terrace | Seminar Room1, Seminar Room2 |
| 2F | Gallery of Children's Literature, Teens' Research Room | Researchers' Reading Room |
| 3F | Museum, Hall, Lounge |
Brick Building 1F
* For visitors with small children, Diaper changing stations are available in multipurpose restrooms on the 1st and the 3rd floors.
Please ask the staff if you want to use a nursing room.
Children's Library *Adults are also welcome.
- About 10,000 volumes, including narrative fiction and picture books read for many generations and well-known knowledge books, primarily for children up to elementary school are available here. Small themed exhibitions are also held from time to time.
Meet the World *Adults are also welcome.
- About 2,000 volumes, including books on the geography, history, and culture of many different countries and regions of the world, and books in a variety of languages are available here. These materials stimulate children's interest in the world and enable them to deepen their understanding of other countries.
This room was a VIP room back in the Imperial Library era (Meiji era).
Story Hour Room
- Storytelling and reading events for children are held on Saturdays. Nursery rhyme and picture book readings for small children aged 3 and under and their parents are held. (in Japanese)
Common Room
- The Common Room is available to patrons who wish to take a break, to consume food and drink, or to nurse infants.
Drinks are available from a vending machine.
* Food and drink are allowed only in these designated areas and are prohibited elsewhere.
Cafeteria
- This cafeteria offers you set meals for lunch, other light meals and drinks.
Terrace
- Tables and chairs with umbrellas are available. You can bring your own boxed lunch and drinks out on the terrace (except on rainy or windy days).
Brick Building 2F
Gallery of Children's Literature
- You can browse materials that provide an overview of the history of children's literature and picture books in Japan from the Meiji era to the present.
You can also use the computer terminals to browse online galleries such as the Picture Book Gallery or the National Diet Library Digital Collections.
Teens' Research Room
- About 10,000 volumes are available on open shelves, primarily to help junior and senior high school students in their research and writing a report. The room is also open to the public.
Brick Building 3F
Museum
- Exhibitions of children's literature are held several times a year. The decorative plaster work and the 10-meter ceiling should not be missed. The two pillar display towers are of the famous Japanese architect Tadao Ando's design.
* You can enter the museum, only during the exhibition period.
Hall
- An exhibition which introduces the International Library of Children's Literature is available. Events such as concerts are also held here.
Lounge
- Wide open space with the glass-curtain wall and benches for resting. The exterior wall of the Imperial Library (Meiji era) is left exposed.
Arch Building 1F
Seminar Room1
- Librarian training programs and meetings are held.
Seminar Room2
- Lectures, trainings, and events for children are held.
Arch Building 2F
* Please visit a Reading Room counter to go through necessary procedures to enter Reading Room. Most materials are stored in closed stacks, so please ask the staff if you need something.
Researchers' Reading Room
- Japanese children's books, picture books published in foreign countries, as well as materials for research on children's books and literature are available. In addition, there are sections such as Japanese textbooks currently in use and materials on supporting the promotion of children's reading activities.
For more detailed information, please see the following page: Researchers' Reading Room