The is a Japanese expression referring to a sudden urge to defecate that is felt upon entering bookstores. The phenomenon is named after Mariko Aoki, a woman who described the effect in a magazine article published in 1985. According to Japanese social psychologist Shōzō Shibuya, the specific causes that trigger a defecation urge in bookstores are not yet clearly understood. There are also some who are skeptical about whether such a peculiar phenomenon really exists at all, and it is sometimes discussed as one type of urban myth.
The series of processes through which being in a bookstore leads to an awareness of a defecation urge is something that cannot be explained from a medical perspective as a single pathological concept, at least at present. According to a number of discussions on the topic, even if it can be sufficiently found that this phenomenon actually exists, it is a concept that would be difficult to be deemed a specific pathological entity (such as a "Mariko Aoki disease", for example).
Origin The term receives its name from Mariko Aoki, an otherwise little-known Japanese woman who contributed an essay in 1985 to the magazine ("Book Magazine"). In that essay, she related how she came to the realization that, for some years, walking around a bookstore inevitably made her want to go to the toilet. The editors of the magazine received reports of other readers who had similar experiences, and named it the "Mariko Aoki phenomenon."
Hypotheses Possible theories behind the phenomenon include the smell of paper or ink having a laxative effect, the association with reading on the toilet at home, and the posture of browsing making bowel movement easier. The evidence for these explanations, however, remains weak. The psychological hypothesis that the effect arises from feelings of nervous tension in the face of all the information represented on the bookshelves is supported by certain literary figures. Some booklovers, including Roger Miller, hypothesize that being surrounded by thousands of beautiful books relaxes them so thoroughly that the bowels themselves become relaxed.
Research into the phenomenon remains inconclusive, with no definitive scientific explanation for why some individuals experience this sudden urge.
History in Japan
Before "Mariko Aoki" One known mention in Japan dating back many decades regarding a relationship between bookstores and the defecation urge is in Junnosuke Yoshiyuki's Amidst the Hustle and Bustle (1957), and similar mentions can be found in works by Jō Toyoda (in 1972's The Emperor and the Lieutenant) or Nejime Shōichi (in 1981's Words, Too, Can Sweat—Literally), but it is uncertain from exactly what point in time the phenomenon first began to be a topic of discussion. It appears to have already been raised in the media from as early as the 1980s. For example, the magazine Common Man Weekly (August 31, 1984, issue) records television newscaster Tetsuo Suda talking about a similar experience.citation: p. 4 of Vol. 41 of Book Magazine Also, the radio program Young Paradise (on Nippon Broadcasting System from 1983 to 1990) had a segment for sharing bowel movement related episodes, and one time the defecation urge felt in bookstores was discussed by being referred to as the "Yoshiko Yamada syndrome".
Vol. 39 of Book Magazine (December 1984; Book Magazine Company) contains a man from Ikoma city in Nara prefecture discussing a similar experience.citation: p. 85 of 傑作選7 Although this man's account of his experience did not garner any particular attention at the time of Vol. 39's publication, the magazine's publisher, Kōji Meguro, later conjectured that the phenomenon probably already existed "below the radar" even before "Mariko Aoki".傑作7 p. 85
Special feature article of Book Magazine and naming of the phenomenon The name "Mariko Aoki phenomenon" had its beginnings in a real-life experience account sent in to the readers' letters column of the Japanese magazine Book Magazine (published by Book Magazine Company) in 1985.活字探偵団 増補版 p.117 Printed in the magazine's 40th volume (in February 1985), the letter was by a woman from Suginami city in Tokyo who was 29 years old at the time, and stated that "I'm not sure why, but since about two or three years ago, whenever I go to a bookstore I am struck by an urge to move my bowels." The magazine's publisher, Meguro, has recalled that, at the time "Chief editor Makoto Shiina included the letter because he thought it was amusing."Aera 2003 Nov p. 74 Although the letter itself was short in length and was not augmented by any particular editorial comments or the like, immediately upon the magazine's publication, a large number of readers troubled by the same phenomenon sent opinions in to the editorial department.Book Magazine Vol 41, p. 3 Due to the scale of the reaction, the next issue (Vol. 41 in April 1985) included a special feature article bearing the sensational title "The Phenomenon Currently Shaking the Bookstore Industry!", containing discussions on the issue from various perspectives.活字探偵団 増補版 p. 118 In the course of such discussion, the phenomenon (the sudden occurrence of a defecation urge when in bookstores) came to be named the "Mariko Aoki phenomenon", after the author of the original letter.Book Magazine Vol 41 p. 5 In relation to this, it has been noted that it was popular in late 1980s Japan to have terms ending with "phenomenon", an example being the use of the expression "Akira Asada phenomenon", which took the name of a central figure in the "new academism" that was a much-discussed topic at the time.Library News Vol. 16 No. 4 p. 2 Although the feature article ran very long at 14 pages, it did not ultimately offer any clarity regarding an explanation for the phenomenon.Aera 2003 p. 74 The name of the phenomenon was also displayed on the cover of that issue, which has been said to have led to the name's becoming known throughout Japan.活字 p. 119
Reaction to the naming When the special feature article was published in 1985, the Mariko Aoki phenomenon received considerable coverage, with even one of Japan's leading magazines Weekly Bunshun (published by Bungeishunju Ltd.) being quick to feature the topic in its May 2, 1985, issue.活字 p. 118 Book Magazine publisher Meguro believed that one of the reasons that the reaction was so considerable was that it was an ordinary, young woman who had divulged this concern regarding the delicate topic of her own defecation urge.傑作選 p. 85 Aoki herself has been interviewed multiple times by the Book Magazine editorial department since 1985, and has remarked that she is not particularly bothered by her name being used. The phenomenon has continued to be referred to sporadically in various media since 1985 and has given birth to a large amount of conjecture and speculation.週刊朝日 1995 7月21日号 p. 125
In the 1990s (television programs that sought to verify the phenomenon) While there has at times been a tendency to view the connection between bookstores and the defecation urge as a preposterous urban legend,東京新聞 2013年4月29日付朝刊 p. 27 specialists have also appeared who have added detailed insight into the topic, such that in the latter half of the 1990s it came to be accepted as an actually existing phenomenon. This can be considered to be due to the impact of television programs that were broadcast during that time.読売新聞 1997年10月9日付朝刊 p. 29
The topic was favorably introduced in 1995 on the television program Lifestyle Refresh Morning (in the episode broadcast on July 26, 1995, on NHK G).ステラ 1995年7月26日号 p. 55
In his 1993 book Seinlanguage, comedian Jerry Seinfeld described the experience, and joked that more bookstores should include a bathroom for this reason.
On the 1998 television program The Real Side of Un'nan (in the episode broadcast on October 28, 1998, on TBS Television), personalities claiming to have experienced the phenomenon—including Kiyotaka Nanbara, Maako Kido, Seikō Itō and Keisuke Horibe—carried out extensive tests that also featured experts.サンデー毎日 1998年12月6日号 p. 170アンアン 1999年2月19日号 p. 60Kansaiザテレビジョン 1995年10月24-30日号 p. 82TVガイド 1998年10月24-30日号 p. 87 There was a big response to this broadcast, and the program featured special segments related to this topic on multiple occasions thereafter (such as in the episode broadcast on January 20, 1999).TV Guide 1999 1月16-22日号 p. 87
In the 2000s (the Internet era) From the year 2000 onward as the Internet grew, the Mariko Aoki phenomenon came to be even more widely known.『なぜ本屋さんでトイレに行きたくなるのか』 p. 52『本心と抵抗 自発性の精神病理』 p. 6 In 2002, an Internet search using the keywords "bookstore, defecation urge" in Japanese produced links to dozens of websites discussing the phenomenon.『潮』2002年3月号 p. 292. Another factor that increased its visibility was when, in 2003, the weekly magazine Aera (November 17, 2003, edition; The Asahi Shimbun Co.) compiled a comprehensive report on the phenomenon.『最強の都市伝説3』 p. 186 According to one person from the bookstore industry, around that time university students could often be seen visiting bookstores to interview staff in order to research the phenomenon.『アエラ』2003年11月17日号 p. 74 The 2004 film Mean Girls features a joke where Karen Smith mentions Gretchen Wieners having diarrhea while they were at Barnes & Noble.
In 2012, on the television program The Quiz God (TBS; episode broadcast on June 29, 2012), the contestants were asked the question, "What is the name generally given to the phenomenon named after the woman who submitted a letter to a magazine in 1985 about the phenomenon of experiencing a defecation urge when one is in a bookstore for a long period of time?" Of the 20 contestants, 10 correctly answered.Wire Action. "THEクイズ神". gooテレビ番組. 2015年11月2日閲覧。 Quiz scholar and designer Hiroshi Nishino has observed that even when phrases—such as the "Mariko Aoki phenomenon" or the "Dylan effect" (a Japanese phrase referring to how a song or part of it can get stuck in one's head on an endless loop)—have not received academic consensus, "when they have an appealing sound to them they are increasingly being asked as quiz questions".hiroshism74のツイート (390172750553169920)。2013年10月15日10:50。2016年4月7日閲覧。
According to Book Magazines publisher Shigeru Hamamoto, the magazine was still occasionally receiving inquiries from television programs or other magazines even in 2012.『東京新聞』2012年4月29日付朝刊、 p. 27 Hamamoto stated that the phenomenon was not just a one-time topic and is probably one that will continue to be talked about into the future.
While the phrase "Mariko Aoki phenomenon" is not one generally used in fields such as medicine or biology,ウェブページ："便秘女子必見!? とある場所で女子会をひらいてみた" due to its history of being a topic of interest such as in the examples set out above, it is even sometimes introduced as being standard nomenclature.『「話のネタ」のタネ500』、 p. 32ウェブページ："本屋に行くとお腹が痛くなる理由"ウェブページ："「書店でトイレに行きたくなる現象」の正式名称、知ってる？" It has also been introduced in the same category as terminology from psychology and sociology such as "Peter Pan syndrome" and "empty-nest syndrome".ウェブページ："もしやあなたは何とか症候群では？「3サイズ下の服を買う→このドレスは私には小さ過ぎるんだもの症候群」"
Epidemiology in Japan Persons with a history of experiencing the Mariko Aoki phenomenon were described as having a in Vol. 41 of Book Magazine.『本の雑誌』41号、 p. 3 No epidemiological research regarding people with a book bowel tendency had been reported as of 2012, nor do any statistics exist regarding a detailed morbidity rate or the like.
According to one very small-scale study, while the fact that people with a book bowel tendency existed throughout all of Japan indicated a lack of any regional difference,『本の雑誌』41号、 p. 4 a female bias was observed, with a male to female ratio of between 1:4 to 1:2.『読売新聞』1997年10月9日付朝刊、 p. 29 It has also been posited that the tendency is uncommon in so-called "sporty males".『週刊朝日』1995年7月21日号、 p. 125