Rakuten, Japan’s largest internet retailer, is expanding into the brick and mortar side of the publishing industry, it seems. The Asahi reports that Rakuten will soon start selling books wholesale to local bookstores, citing that traditional distribution channels take bookstores up to seven days to order more books, while Rakuten promises to do it in just two.

It’s a direct attack on Amazon, hoping to snag customers who prefer shopping at regular bookstores, but also want the speed at which Amazon can deliver their goods. Of course, Rakuten is still a direct competitor to the local bookstore, but as one bookstore spokesman said, “An enemy of my enemy is an ally.”

The Asahi article goes further into the economics and logistics of this new venture. But speaking as a bookstore employee, guaranteed two days is pretty good; our distributors can often get books to us in two days, especially if it’s the latest bestseller that they just have piles of lying around, but not always. Convenience plays a factor into this as well; in Japan, there are so many local bookstores in the Greater Tokyo area (usually at or near the local train station) that it would be almost as convenient to stop there on your way home than it would to have home delivery. Here in the US, a trip to the bookstore could well be out of your way.