We all have our idiosyncrasies, those automatic things we do each day that form the way we are in the world. Whether we scrunch or fold, or leave the toilet seat up or down, these are things we do (or don’t do) automatically. Much like the urgent need to crap your dacks in a Japanese bookstore. 

That’s right, there is a significant portion of Japanese people who feel overcome by a heaving sensation in the rectal passage whilst browsing books. 

In 1985, 29-year-old Japanese woman, Mariko Aoki, contributed an article in the Hon no Zasshi or “Book Magazine” about her strong urge to defecate whenever she visited a bookstore. Surprisingly, a significant number of readers wrote to the editorial department to share their similar experiences. Who would have thought so many people had been fending back faeces in the fiction section?! Turns out a lot. 

CHAPTERS:

00:00 Idiosyncratic & Biological Habits

02:21 The Aoki Mariko Phenomenon 

08:07 Feature Article explains Book Bowel Tendency

12:13 Japanese Survey to Revitalise Bookstores

14:28 Millions suffer with Aoki Mariko Phenomenon 

21:11 Symptoms: Body Shivers & Unusual Urges

26:13 Psychiatrist Speculation: Hyper Response to Stress

33:27 The Wholesome Verdict: Psychological or Sociological Phenomenon?

37:49 What’s Next on The Wholesome Show

SOURCES:

• What is “key in lock” syndrome? - Hands on Healthcare
• A Doctor Explains Why Bookstores Make Some People Feel the Need to Poop
• Bathrooms and Noble - The Current
• https://web.archive.org/web/20120509063936/http://www.tokyo-np.co.jp/article/national/news/CK2012042902000077.html
• Mariko Aoki phenomenon - Wikipedia
• Let’s Talk About Poop. Specifically: bookstore poop | by Judey Kalchik | Artisanal Article Machine | Medium
• Mariko Aoki Phenomenon | The Daily Omnivore
• The Mariko Aoki Phenomenon: When You Need To Poop After Entering A Book Store | Faculty of Medicine