Public library commemorates never-ending love story

Though Yogyakarta is known as a university city for its dozens of institutes of higher learning, the city actually has more shopping malls than quality public libraries.

If you are looking for a library with a pleasant atmosphere, you can try Sumberan village in Sariharjo, Sleman.

Located about two kilometers north of the Yogya Kembali Monument, the village has a library called Natsuko Shioya, named after a Japanese woman.

The building itself is Japanese style, and inside the library has been designed with an eye on the comfort of visitors. The reading room, measuring 10-by-20 square meters, is walled with large glass windows to allow fresh air and sunshine to enter.

Through the windows, visitors can enjoy the visual feast of a beautiful Japanese garden.

They can also read in the garden, which is furnished with a gazebo and a small pond where turtles and koi race each other.

The restful atmosphere of the Japanese garden is further enhanced with bonsai and bamboo trees.

When you are tired of reading, you can gaze upon Mount Merapi looming to the north of the library. Green paddy fields add to the picture postcard beauty of the place, with the paddy swaying in the breeze, dancing like the waves of the ocean.

There is no room for noise, including from motorized vehicles. The only sounds you hear are the chirping of birds, the bells on the oxen ready to plow the paddy fields and the bleating of herded goats passing in front of the library.

The library, which opened in August 2002, has a collection of some 2,300 books, mostly children's books. There are also novels, books on philosophy, biographies and encyclopedias.

The library has many children as well as adults who are regular visitors.

One afternoon six-year-old Wulan and her friends were enthusiastically reading picture books.

"I am already in the first grade and I have to tell stories in front of the class," Wulan said.

On another day, two Japanese women who live in Yogyakarta came with their children, reading books and playing in the garden.

"Every day, at least 15 children come to this library," said SP Sedyaningsih, one of the librarians.

Natsuko Shioya is possibly the library with the most comfortable atmosphere in Yogyakarta. To be frank, most libraries in the city are noisy, dusty and "shabby", and the buildings are not equipped with convenient and comfortable facilities.

Anyone can come to Natsuko Shioya and you do not have to pay to read the books or browse through the magazines in the library.

However, if you want to borrow a book you have to become a member. The membership fee is Rp 50,000 (US$6) for children under the age of 15 and Rp 100,000 for adults. Members can borrow books for up to a week at a time.

But who is Natsuko Shioya?

She was a Japanese tourist who regularly visited Indonesia. In 1996, she visited the Sosrowijayan international kampong in Yogyakarta, where she met Glen Goulds, a tourist from Australia. They fell in love and traveled together around Yogyakarta and Bali.

"Natsuko enjoyed visiting temples," said Goulds, who now lives in Yogyakarta.

However, their love story had a sad ending.

In August 1997, Natsuko died tragically when a heavy machine being used at a building construction site crashed into her house in Sapporo, Hokkaido. She was 23.

"I am broken hearted," Goulds said. "She was very kind; she never got angry."

Goulds, 44, works as a quality control consultant for CV Satria Grafika in Yogyakarta. It was his company that built the library, while the concept and the idea were from Goulds.

"All the beauty in the library is a reflection of Natsuko," said the man whose favorite books include The Prophet by Khalil Gibran.

The library also has a spiritual function. Visitors can make use of the library to search for their true selves through meditation, which can be done in the gazebo located at the back of the library.

A dedicated bookworm, Goulds reads three books and three magazines a week.

"I remembered a suggestion from (musician) Sawung Jabo when I asked him what I could contribute to the people. He suggested that I build a library to help increase the reading culture in the nation," he said.

The library's collection is heavy on children's books because Goulds believes the reading habit should be nurtured at an early age.

Even though the library still does not have many members, it has encouraged people to regularly visit the library and read books.

The library has started to "shine" as beautifully as the smile of Natsuko, which, according to Goulds, was as beautiful as the sunshine.

-- Bambang M.