Books Kinokuniya at Pavilion Damansara Heights
Heads up, Klang Valley bibliophiles. KL’s favourite bookworm haunt, Books Kinokuniya – or simply “Kino” to us locals – has finally opened a second outlet in Malaysia, at Pavilion Damansara Heights.
Here’s what you can expect to find at the new bookstore:
Table of Contents
Where is the new Books Kinokuniya located?
After dropping the announcement of a second Malaysia outlet in July 2025, Books Kinokuniya at Pavilion Damansara Heights finally and officially opened to the public on 4th September.
Consider the bookstore a new spot for you to bury your nose in books, shop for quality stationery, and hunt out quirky goods, just a step away from the hustle and bustle of downtown KL. The outlet is located in Bukit Damansara – close to the heart of the city, but far enough so you can browse for your next read peacefully, without having to wait for the aisles to be decently empty.
You’ll find the bookstore on Level 4 of Pavilion Damansara Heights.
What to expect at the new Pavilion Damansara Heights outlet
There are two reading nooks at the new bookstore.
In terms of size, the new Kinokuniya doesn’t beat the Suria KLCC branch. But the shelves of books have been specially curated with avid readers in mind, with the same, though sized-down, quality selection of book titles.
Find a sizable section of fiction books here, covering titles that went viral on Booktok, popular young adult fiction sagas in paperback, and literary fiction by Asian authors. The second largest section here is comics, located towards the back of the bookstore. Popular manga such as Sakamoto Days and Solo Levelling on the shelves, in both English and Japanese, fill the shelves here.
There are corners for other genres like world and nations, travel and culture, self enrichment, home and leisure, pop culture, and the arts. The outlet also manages to squeeze in a decent collection of books in non-English languages like Malay, Japanese, and Chinese.
Towards the front, there’s a children’s corner decorated in cosy blue with cloud mobiles overhead, where the kiddos can explore children’s titles to their heart’s delight and squeal in excitement if they need to. Next to this is a stationery section with essential writing tools and quirky office and lifestyle products from Japanese brands.
Greeting visitors at the entrance of the bookstore is a Highlights section, where avid and casual readers can scout out their next read. Titles here include critic-approved titles and fan-favourites – spot books from authors like Banana Yoshimoto, Han Kang, and Bret Easton Ellis.
You can take the brand’s “Curated for you” tagline seriously at this outlet. Here there are special highlight sections with exciting collections from publishers like Taschen, Tintabudi, and MACK Books, which run for limited times. There are special merch shelves for beloved pop culture icons like Studio Ghibli, Harry Potter, and Superman.
A cafe and a gift corner
If you want a spot to go through your new book haul after shopping, head to this Kinokuniya’s in-house coffee spot, O’Coffee Club Atelier. It has a dining area with a calming view of the surrounding Damansara Heights suburbs and a surprisingly wide selection of hot foods like pizzas, coffee, milkshakes, and fresh bakes.
A corner at the front of the bookstore is dedicated to gifting, with shelves for handcrafted goods from local brands and also a wall of blind boxes from Smiski and Sonny Angel.
Events throughout September for its opening
To celebrate its opening, the new Books Kinokuniya is hosting a series of events and freebie giveaways throughout the month of September.
Here are the freebies that you can claim on the following days:
- 5th, 6th and 7th Sept: Free Smiski keychain, Kinokuniya button badge, Terada Katsuya hand fan, and Terada Katsuya bookmark tote for the first 50 customers with a purchase of RM100
- 13th & 14th Sept: Terada Katsuya tote bag, Terada Katsuya hand fan, and Terada Katsuya bookmark for purchases worth RM300 or any Terada Katsuya books
As for events, you can check out the following:
- 16th Sept: Jazz session by Tay Cher Siang & Farid at 6pm
- 27th Sept: Sonny Angel Workshop with NALA Design at 12pm-2pm and 3pm-5pm & Bluey Meet and Greet at 12pm-1pm
The history of Books Kinokuniya in Malaysia
Books Kinokuniya was founded way back in 1927 in Japan, with its first store in Shinjuku, Tokyo. It now operates over 70 bookstore outlets in Japan and 30-plus more around the world, each one carrying books in various languages, with magazines, quality stationery, and more on the side.
The bookstore first set foot in Malaysia in 1990, with its first Malaysian branch at Isetan Department Store in KL. On 1st April 2001, it relocated to a bigger dedicated bookstore space spanning 34,300sqft in Suria KLCC, complete with a mezzanine floor and a cafe. It further expanded in 2023 with a gift and stationery shop, sans the books, at The Exchange TRX’s SEIBU.
New Books Kinokuniya outlet at Pavilion Damansara Heights
The opening of a second Books Kinokuniya store in KL is certainly great news for any book lover in KL. Here’s to yet another cosy haven in town for great curated reads and quality stationery.
Address: Lot 4.59.00 & 4.60.00, Level 4, Pavilion Damansara Height, Jalan Damanlela, Damansara Town Centre, 50490 Kuala Lumpur
Opening hours: 10am-10pm, Daily
Contact: Books Kinokuniya Instagram
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Cover image adapted from: TheSmartLocal Malaysia
This article was first published on 4th July 2025, and was updated on 4th September 2025.