Tokyo library cards for a 60-day research stay

For a 60-day Tokyo research stay, choose the library by the material you need. The National Diet Library has an extensive collection, much of it in closed stacks: staff retrieve the books for you instead of leaving them on shelves you can browse. If you want to take books back to your apartment, look at a municipal library such as Chiyoda.

Search the catalogue for the titles you need before applying for a card. Check which library holds the material and whether you can request it on the day you plan to visit.

National Diet Library: one day or full registration

Anyone aged 18 or over may use the National Diet Library's Tokyo Main Library. You can get a one-day card or complete full registration.

A one-day user card gives access to electronic resources and some open-shelf material. It does not let you request the majority of the collection from the closed stacks. The NDL entry guide sends first-time visitors to the Annex and explains that difference.

With full registration, you can request books from the closed stacks. NDL material stays in the library. The registration rules require identification showing your name, current residential address, and date of birth. A work or school address is not accepted.

If your passport doesn't show your current residential address, check NDL's identification list before the visit; don't assume a Tokyo address is required simply because you're using the Tokyo Main Library. If your ID does not prove your current address, NDL accepts electricity, water, gas or telephone bills or receipts issued within the past three months, showing your name and address.

You can register at the Tokyo Main Library’s Annex counter. Check the latest time you can register and request books, and allow time to do both if you need them that day.

Chiyoda: borrowing books to read at home

Chiyoda City Library issues cards to people with a current address in Japan, even when they do not live, work, or study in Chiyoda. Apply in person with an original document showing name, address, and date of birth plus the application form. The current registration page does not accept applications by email.

Tell Chiyoda whether you live, work or study in the ward. The registration category affects which borrowing services you can use.

The borrowing rules currently allow an outside resident to borrow five books or magazines for two weeks. A Chiyoda resident may borrow ten. CDs and DVDs have separate limits.

If you're considering an evening visit to Chiyoda Library at Kudanshita, check the day's opening hours and the cutoff for the particular service you need. A building's closing time isn't necessarily the last time you can register or request material.

If you don’t have accepted proof of address

Your rental confirmation or apartment contract may not be accepted as proof of address. Ask the library about the documents you have before visiting.

Use your current home address, not the rental company’s office or a university address. NDL requires proof of where you currently live; Chiyoda requires an address in Japan.

While you sort out the documents, you may be able to use:

• NDL one-day access for open-shelf material and on-site electronic resources
• Public reading rooms that do not require a borrowing card for entry
• A university library, if the university hosting your research has arranged access for you; ask your contact there
• Online catalogues, where you can search for books and save the titles you want to request

Match the card to the research task

Save the catalogue entry for each book, including its shelf location or the number you need to request it. You can show that information at the library desk when you arrive.