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“Smell stimulation theory” is a compelling hypothesis for the phenomenon
Originally published on Global Voices
[ Image removed: used bookstore in fukui city japan ]Kobunto Antique Books, in its old location opposite Fukui Station. The bookstore has since moved to a new location. Photo by Nevin Thompson. (CC BY-NC 2.0)
Have you ever felt the urge to the lavatory when visiting the bookstore? If you have, you're not alone. Whether urban myth or actual physiological condition, pooping at the bookstore has generated some discussion in Japan over the years. The compulsion may also be common in many cultures around the world, but it's possible people are just too embarrassed to talk about it.
The sudden need to defecate at the bookstore is known in Japan has been known as the “Mariko Aoki phenomenon” since 1985.
According to Wikipedia:
The Mariko Aoki phenomenon (青木まりこ現象, Aoki Mariko genshō) is a Japanese expression referring to an urge to defecate that is suddenly felt after entering bookstores. The phenomenon's name derives from the name of the woman who mentioned the phenomenon in a magazine article in 1985.
Both the Japanese- and English-language Wikipedia articles provide an unusually comprehensive overview of the Mariko Aoki phenomenon. For example, according to the English-language Wikipedia article, between one in 10 and one and 20 people experience the condition. Women are four times as likely as men to need to be afflicted by Mariko Aoki phenomenon.
[ Image removed: Books Ogaki Kyoto Main Store ]Books Ogaki, Karasuma, Kyoto. Photo by Nevin Thompson. (CC BY-NC 2.0)
However, in both versions of the Wikipedia article, most of the information, including hypotheses about what...