BUKU AKIK: A Must-Visit Bookstore in Yogyakarta

For book lovers, I would like to invite you to a place that is very famous among book lovers. This place is located in the city of Yogyakarta. As you may have heard, Yogya always has many things that make people want to return to the embrace of this city, including me.

Although not every year, there are certain years when I plan a trip to Yogya. However, this time, as I said above, I will take you around a bookshop that is very nice, aesthetic and loved by people, even beautiful enough to take selfies in. LOL. Why is that important? In this digital and social media era, existence is sometimes necessary.

So here we are...

BUKU AKIK

This bookshop is actually quite far from the city centre. It's about 10 kilometres away. Therefore, I ordered an online motorcycle taxi and rode to Buku Akik's address on Jalan Kaliurang.

When I arrived at the address, I was confused because I couldn't find the shop. It turned out that the shop was tucked away and I had to walk a little further past a fence made of plants. There was a small yellow sign there that read “BUKU AKIK”.

From the outside, Buku Akik looked more like a boarding house than a bookstore, but once I entered, I was greeted by a calm atmosphere, the smell of books, mixed with the faint scent of air freshener. The air conditioner was working at full capacity. This was the bookstore I had often seen on social media.

Every corner of this shop is very beautiful. I walked around, wondering what books I would buy. Then I found a book by George Orwell that was already on my list. I continued walking around, looking at the books, until I found a book that was highly recommended by my favourite philosophy lecturer, Mrs Kalina Supelli. She recommended that everyone should read Miguel de Cervantes' Don Quixote at least once in their lifetime.

I found several books by my favourite activists that I already own, such as Madilog by Tan Malaka and Catatan Seran Demonstran by the one and only Soe Hoek Gie.

Seeing good books everywhere, I had to steel my resolve not to go on a shopping spree. I kept looking around until I found a tote bag with a picture of Frida Khalo on it, and it was the only one left. What to do? I couldn't let Frida stay behind. In the end, yes... one more item came home with me.

I found unique corners, such as many ceramic decorations of Ghibli anime characters, and there were also ceramic decorations of Harry Potter characters. And I was so happy, because I am a fan of both: Ghibli and Harry Potter. How could I not be happy and feel at home in this bookstore?

Do you know how many items I brought home? Two books, one tote bag, two Van Gogh postcards, and three pins that read Buku Akik, Anak Semua Bangsa, and 1984. I got a bonus from Buku Akik in the form of a bookmark. So, did I buy a lot? Ha ha ha

In addition to the books for sale, Buku Akik also has a collection of books owned by the owner that can be read there. The room is divided into two sections: the right side for books for sale, and the left side for books that visitors can read. There are also decorations made from unused typewriters. All of this adds to the unique and aesthetic feel of the bookshop.

How about it. Did you also feel satisfied with my trip to the bookshop this time? If you have any unique experiences visiting bookshops in your city or country, please let me know too; I’m very excited.

Thank you for reading my travel notes; see you in the next post?