The Beauty Apothecary book corner on the second basement floor of the Isetan Shinjuku store, which opened in September this year, is said to be popular for its essays and biographies depicting women's lifestyles. The selection of books is based on the floor concept of "gaining the right knowledge to stay beautiful 5 to 10 years from now." "We wanted to offer practical books like macrobiotic recipes and yoga poses, while also providing emotional support for women, so we chose poetry collections by female poets, biographies, photo books, and novels. We also paid particular attention to the way books are presented, a style unique to a department store," says Masataka Haba, book director and president of Bach, who was in charge of book selection. Approximately 1,000 items are displayed on the shelves, and new orders are placed daily with Kinokuniya Bookstore. A promotional space at the front of the corner hosts seasonal events. In late October, the company proposed "SEE! OH! Ribbon" (1,260 yen), bookmarks made from ribbon material in the shape of flowers and butterflies that were exhibited at Design Tide Tokyo 2011, as a book-related item, and saw a noticeable increase in purchases as gifts.

The same floor has since moved from the second floor to the second basement level, and it seems that an increasing number of male customers are using the book corner while waiting for female customers to shop.