Tokyo Toshokan

Founded back in 2006, Tokyo Toshokan feels a lot like another classic torrent site that gained notoriety in the 2000s. While Tokyo Toshokan can be used to download Japanese Adult Videos (JAVs) and other Japanese pornography like hentai, it can also be used to download other forms of popular Japanese media. Most notably, users can download anime and Japanese music.

Where it counts is the amount of JAVs a person can download from the site. To that end, Tokyo Toshokan offers a wealth of torrents that are waiting for JAV fans to browse through. Users that are even remotely interested in JAV porn owe it to themselves to at least check out Tokyo Toshokan and see if it’s right for them.

Can use an RSS feed to see the latest torrents

Tokyo Toshokan proves that the new ways are not always the best. The JAV torrent site uses RSS feeds to make it simple for visitors to see the latest torrents in their preferred RSS reader. This is convenient because it allows fans to still download the latest torrents without having to redirect their browser to Tokyo Toshokan in the first place.

It's the perfect option for the person that can't access these types of sites on the regular. Some torrent clients traditionally could automatically download a torrent as soon as a new entry in an RSS feed is live. Although it isn't a feature of Tokyo Toshokan, theoretically, a person could automate their JAV downloading by merely using Tokyo Toshokan's RSS feeds. Very convenient. 

The design of the website feels a lot like classic torrent sites

Tokyo Toshokan has been around since 2006, and based on the design of the website, it shows. That's not a knock on Tokyo Toshokan, though. Torrent sites are in a category all their own in terms of proper web design. An emphasis is placed on finding good torrents quickly and easily versus creating a website that is pleasing to the eye.

That isn't to say that Tokyo Toshokan has ignored the fundamentals of good web design. For those that have used a torrent site in the last 15 years, Tokyo Toshokan is going to feel like one of the classic; traditional torrent sites regular downloaders have visited probably hundreds of times. If it isn't broken, there is nothing to fix. Tokyo Toshokan knows this. That's why they've kept the same site design for well over a decade with no signs of changing now. It works, it’s functional, it should be kept as-is.

Can chat to request new videos

Tokyo Toshokan also features a handy chatroom where users can discuss the JAVs and other content they are watching. It is also an excellent place to request additional videos and different types of content. This is an outstanding feature to have on a torrent site – specifically a website catering to JAVs. Because most people do not have access to JAVs (mainly because they live in a different country), it's one of the best ways to have a lifeline to make a request.

Most torrent sites do not have this level of interaction. They should, though. Specifically, torrent sites where getting the content is impossible for most people visiting.

Downloading is super simple

For the user that wants to download torrents on Tokyo Toshokan without any of the headaches or bouncing from one ad to another like on many torrent sites, they are going to be beyond pleased. That's because, for the person that wants to download a torrent as easily as possible, all they have to do is click the torrent name. From there, the torrent automatically downloads.

Users exist that want to know more about the content. Tokyo Toshokan has provided a details tab on each torrent listing that shows information those peering behind the scenes will want to know. It lists trackers, torrent names (usually ending in a video file extension, like .mp4), and the option to click the website to view the origin of the torrent.

Keep in mind most links will not take a person to a website. Most of the time, it links to an image showing a screenshot with an ad placed before the image. Tokyo Toshokan most likely does not moderate the links in torrents. Users should use their best judgment before clicking any redirecting links.

The details page also lists the number of seeders, leechers, and how many times the torrent has been successfully downloaded. It also shows a magnet link for users that prefer downloading magnet links over .torrent files. Finally, users can report an entry if they feel it doesn’t belong on Tokyo Toshokan.

Categories look out of place at the top

Although most people don’t expect to find many categories on a torrent site, Tokyo Toshokan still uses them. Because users can download content other than JAVs, people can click on a tag to see only the torrents of that particular category. For some reason, Tokyo Toshokan chose not to use the icons they use on the actual torrent listing. Instead, they list categories as hypertexts rather than icons.

Not only that, but the categories are placed at the very top of the homepage. There is no indication as to what these items are until one starts putting two-and-two together. Then they notice that the categories at the top are the same as the tags in the list of torrents. Icons and an appropriate place for the categories like the sidebar would have been a much more beneficial and proper way to handle these items.

Torrents have an icon that shows what you are downloading

Speaking of appropriately using icons, it’s a good thing Tokyo Toshokan uses them. Filenames of torrents typically do indicate anything about what is being downloaded or the nature of the content. It's unclear what one is downloading unless looking at the icon associated with the torrent listing. As stated, there are more things one can download than JAVs. Whether a person was redirected from ThePornDude or elsewhere, they’re likely on Tokyo Toshokan for the JAVs, though.

For starters, there is a ton of hentai. Those that prefer watching real-life sex scenes over the intricacies of hentai scenes will be pleased to know they won't ever make this mistake. It's also useful because so many of the torrents are large. It takes serious time to download many of the torrents on Tokyo Toshokan, especially if the seed/leech ratio isn't ideal.

Adding these icons eliminates wasted time and annoyances by those that cannot read or speak the Japanese language. It’s clear what one is downloading before the torrent even begins to download. That’s useful information to have!

Tokyo Toshokan shows the top searches on the site

A neat feature that Tokyo Toshokan provides for visitors is the most popular searches on the torrent site. It’s convenient by design, but it’s unclear how many JAV fans will get much use out of it. The popular searches often use Japanese characters (so unless a person can read Japanese, they won't be able to decipher what the search says), or they are searches for anime subs and manga issues.

It's worth looking at to get an idea, though. Who knows? One of the hottest JAVs the world has ever seen may pop up in the popular searches one day. When that happens, it will be simple to know!

No sorting options to sort between most seeded, most downloaded, most completed

Sorting options are essential to ensuring that a torrent site is easily accessible. It's essential to be able to sort between torrents in a way that is simple and helpful to the individual looking for particular torrents. Unfortunately, Tokyo Toshokan doesn't offer any sorting options, and it's unfortunate.

How are users supposed to be able to figure out which torrents have the most seeds and the most leechers? It makes it impossible to discover which torrents are the fastest and healthiest. Users have to look at torrents one-by-one, hoping that they come across a JAV they want to download that's also healthy enough that the user will be able to download the full file(s). It's a huge misstep and one that Tokyo Toshokan should correct.

No way of knowing if the JAVs being downloaded are censored or uncensored

Tokyo Toshokan also doesn’t label JAVs as uncensored and censored. While Tokyo Toshokan doesn’t solely specialize in JAV content, it would have been nice to differentiate between the two. The difference between uncensored and censored JAVs is night and day: it’s like they are two different genres. Tokyo Toshokan needs to consider putting a proper label on censored/uncensored JAVs to make using the site even more convenient.