A new chapter of stories and tea
Fully Booked Power Plant Mall reopens as a Kinokuniya collaboration with Wasachi Café
Published Oct 29, 2025 07:42 am
The hum of anticipation filled the air at Rockwell’s Power Plant Mall as Fully Booked reopened its flagship branch, now transformed into a collaborative store with Japan’s renowned bookseller, Kinokuniya.
Opened to the public on October 24, 2025, the refreshed Fully Booked x Kinokuniya Power Plant Mall store blends the best of two literary worlds. Fully Booked’s curated selection of titles now sits alongside Kinokuniya’s signature collection of Japanese manga, literature, art books, and language learning materials.
Adding to the experience is Wasachi, a beloved independent matcha café from Japan, which anchors the space in calm green hues and the earthy scent of whisked tea. It is a new kind of sanctuary, where pages meet matcha, and reading becomes ritual.
From passion to pages
The reopening marks a homecoming of sorts for Fully Booked’s founder and managing director, Jaime Daez. Power Plant Mall holds a special place in the company’s story, as it was the first Fully Booked branch to open back in 2003.
“Power Plant Mall is where our journey began and where our vision continues to grow,” said Jaime. “As Fully Booked continues to expand geographically and conceptually, our focus remains the same, to create spaces that inspire curiosity, foster learning, and bring joy through stories.”
Jaime’s journey began in the 1990s, when he noticed how hard it was to find architecture and design titles in the local market. He began importing them for his own use and later for others, hand-delivering copies to clients around Metro Manila. That passion became a business with the founding of Bibliarch in 1997, and eventually, Fully Booked six years later.
Books, matcha, and memory
Takuma Yamanaka, founder of Wasachi
Today, the Power Plant branch reopens as the sixth Fully Booked x Kinokuniya collaboration, joining stores in Mitsukoshi BGC, SM Mall of Asia, SM North EDSA, Glorietta 4, and SM City Cebu. Yet this particular space feels more personal, a chapter written where the story first began.
Visitors can explore shelves of both global bestsellers and rare Japanese editions, then take a seat at Wasachi Café to enjoy a warm matcha latte or delicate wagashi treat. It is a gentle blend of cultures, Japanese calm and Filipino creativity, coexisting in the rhythm of quiet pages turning.
At the opening of Fully Booked x Kinokuniya Power Plant Mall: From left, Hiroyoshi Kageyama, director of Kinokuniya Thailand; Satoshi Ito, general manager of Kinokuniya Company; Takuma Yamanaka, founder of Wasachi; Chris Daez, PR director of Fully Booked; Jaime Daez, managing director of Fully Booked; Christine Tan Coqueiro, vice president for retail at Rockwell Land Corp.; and Hiroyasu Soeya, owner of Dreams Global Trading Manila Inc.
Fully Booked x Kinokuniya Power Plant Mall, featuring Wasachi Café, is located at Level R3, Power Plant Mall, Rockwell Drive corner Estrella Street, Makati City.