If Japanese books are read right to left, do they shelve their books in order from right to left also?

Question

Serious question. I've been curious about this for a few years now, and it just never occurs to me to ask when I can find someone who might know.

Answer 1

maybe  

Answer 2

The answer is NO.

We Japanese normally shelve books from left to right.

See this pic.

http://uso8oo.com/zakki/20041005_3.jpg

When you put vertically-written books on a shelf, seeing the backbone of the books, the pages of each books go from left to right, so shelving books from left to right is perfectly natural.

And if you are right-handed, it's hard to shelve books from right to left, isn't it?

Because of this custom, we also shelve horizontally-written books from left to right usually.

Answer 3

From what I have seen in the libraries and bookstores around Fukui, books that are part of a set, or have several volumes are generally stored from right to left.  

Answer 4

In the first place, reading direction is not only "right to left".

If texts are written lengthwise, we read from right line to left line.

In case, written horizontally, we read from left to right.

Horizontal writing books are read from left to right usually.

Virtical writting books are read from right to left.

I think, The order when anyone put books in a bookshelf is get decided by the person's preference in personal residence.

I feel,

- Bookstore: no majority

- Libraly: majority is "from right to left"

Answer 5

Japanese language is flexible in how to write. It can be written and read both ways, vertically and horizontally.

Traditionally, it is popular to Japanese write and read vertically than horizontally, but sometimes write and read horizontally even old days.

We used to change rows right to left, when write and read vertical in a row. In that case, we turn a page left to right.  When we write and read horizontally, we write and read left to right and of course turn a page right to left even old days.

The answer for your question is:

YES, we shelve books right to left if those books are written vertically,

BUT NO, we shelve books left to right if the books are written horizontally.

If we have to mix both type of books, I think many people don't care about the oder.

You can confirm my opinion in Japanese libraries.

Most of Japanese young people today (may include all Japanese people around you) misunderstood that their grandfathers write and read right to left in a row even when they write and read horizontally, but it's not true.

One reason of this misunderstood widely seen today is some car signs are right to left horizontally, but it is a kind of exception because it is a "one-word-vertical-expression".

Even Japanese today don't believe this, but I've read about it many books, and recently read about it again this book.

http://www.amazon.co.jp/%E6%BC%A2%E6%96%...