Jimbocho vintage book town area guide when in tokyo. Students flock to the mausoleum of confucius at yushima to pray for good exam results, and readers trawl jimbocho for new and secondhand books. Apa hotel kanda jimbocho ekihigashi hotel tokyo policies the japanese ministry of health, labour, and welfare requires all international visitors to submit their passport number and nationality when registering at any lodging facility inns, hotels, motels, etc. A fantastic and varied array is available, including japanese and western literature, and specialized books. See our complete list of things to do in tokyos akihabara, kanda and jimbocho. Though its best known as a haven for bibliophiles, the surrounding areas are brimming with an eclectic mix of outlets. The other two streets worth walking in the area are the horizontal main street, hakusandori, and the small street in the upper right quadrant of the map, kandasuzurandori. Due to its proximity to several universities and publishing houses, jimbocho has become the mecca of used bookstores and quaint coffeeshops.
Jimbocho is named after a highranking 17th century samurai, nagaharu jinbo. Jinbochoa pictorial tour of publishers and book stores in. Kanda jimbocho bookstore area chiyoda all you need to. Ukiyoe book store ohya shobo a treasure box of rare old books. Interesting part of tokyos chiyoda district, the jimbocho area features many great shops related to japanese traditional paper, ancient maps, old books in jimbocho book town, you can even see shops with walls of books outside. For more on japanese travel and japanese literature, visit. Fall in love with the citys number one destination for book lovers. Jimbocho, located in tokyos central chiyodaku district, is home to close to 200 book shops, all located in an area just a few blocks big. Books on art, and art itself, is also a thriving industry in jimbocho. What impressed me at sakura cafe jimbocho was the friendly international atmosphere with japanese guests and travelers, as well as the very welcoming staff of the hotel and cafe.
Anegawa book store 22 kanda jimbocho, chiyodaku, tokyo, japan today we visited jimbocho book town, one of the largest secondhand book markets in the world and home to over 170 bookshops. Bordered by the university of tokyo and meiji university, the kanda and jimbocho area has a laidback, student town atmosphere thats perfect for leisurely exploration. Tokyos jimbocho is said to be the worlds best antique book town, but there are many gourmet restaurants where you can have unique curries, original coffees, and more as you visit their book stores. The organizers go further to claim its the largest event of its kind in the world. See our complete list of things to do in tokyos akihabara, kanda and jimbocho districts, including places to eat, nightlife and places to stay. Although there are many new stores and stores, most bookstores in the area specialize in their favorite books and old books. Kinokuniya kinokuniya sydney offers a large range of books with. From books and music to theater and visual arts, jimbocho has become one of most fascinating districts in japan. Jimbocho is a town in chiyoda ward, tokyo, best known as the largest book town in japan.
Its the place to go for cheap used books, unusual books and rare collectors editions. Tokyos book town, jimbocho, is where youll find them. An information center for the books and town will help your visit to kanda. Just a one minute walk from the a7 exit of jimbocho station is sanctuary for all book lovers. All were japanese, but selected for their diverse backgrounds.
Spending a day in tokyos book district savvy tokyo. If you walk along jimbocho,you can meet with the japanese traditional books, pictures, prints, and so on. Evening walk jimbocho, the book town in tokyo 2019. Jimbocho in the heart of tokyo is a bookworms paradise with over 200 book stores to choose from that serve both japanese. It is not a prime tourist district, but more of a typical local district with residential areas and numerous universities. Kanda jimbocho is japan s largest used bookstore street.
Whether halal, vegetarian or organic, popular sakura cafe. Exploring the bookstores of japans booming booktown, jimbocho. This street primarily consists of secondhand book stores with an impressive collection of art, design and fashion books. Detailed information for old towns shitamachi kanda used book street located in the akihabara area. Tokyo is a city full of neighborhoods iconic for different things. You can enjoy the cultural feeling of jimbocho where old meets new. Jimbocho boasts anywhere from 150 to 180 bookstores, depending on which source you reference, and most of the those stores are on the south side of yasukunidori, the vertical main street on the map above. My favorite one paws down hah was anekawa bookstore which sells books. A book lovers guide to tokyos jimbocho district culture trip. Komiyama books is another goto for photography and art books. Jimbocho in the heart of tokyo is a bookworms paradise with over 200 book stores to choose from that serve both japanese and english readers.
Takizawa bakins well 1 chome55 kudankita, chiyoda, toky0, japan. The other two streets worth walking in the area are the. Booktown is a place of pure heaven for book lovers. If youre visiting more than one city, save a ton of money with a japan rail pass. Here are some japanese language bookstores in jimbocho that might be worth your time. If youre a fan of books and travel, and you find yourself in tokyo then look no further. Jimbocho, the socalled book town of tokyo, is home to approximately two hundred bookstores that sell new and second hand books.
Jimbocho is a historical, book centric district in central tokyo. Magnif zinebocho specializes in vintage fashion magazines, which are always fun to browse through. Jimbocho used book town many schools were established here from the meiji era 18681912, and even today there are approximately 180 used bookstores in the kanda area boasting a grand total of over 10 million volumes in their inventories. Tokyos jimbocho neighborhood wont close the chapter on books. Most of the books sold in the area are japanese but several shops specialize in foreign books mostly english. In the neverending bustle of the busy city, explore a place where bookshelves run infinitely and pages turn slowly. Opening in february 2015, sotetsu fresa inn ochanomizu jimbocho is located a 4minute walk from jimbocho subway station a7 exit. This is an area where you can find all kinds of antique. Jimbocho book town is located in tokyos akihabara, kanda and jimbocho districts. One of the largest secondhand book markets in the world is centered on the intersection of yasukunidori and hakusandori in the kanda district of tokyo. On this website, you can read travel reports and discover fascinating travel routes that allow you to take in both the iconic sights of tokyo and the beautiful natural scenery and historical sites of the tohoku region. The town also has the literary preservation association and the tokyo book club, as well as numerous universities, publishers, and libraries, making it an ideal place for a reading book in tokyo. Every book store has its own specialization, and mostly are secondhand bookstores, so in this area, you can easily find english books and even other countries books. Kanda jimbocho bookstore area chiyoda 2020 all you.
Explore jimbocho tokyo the book town of tokyo for book. Kinokuniya sydney offers a large range of books with over 300000 titles in english, japanese, chinese, french and german. Harajuku for its influence in fashion and pop culture or akihabara for its wealth of electronics and anime. If you know japanese or chinese, though, or youre just willing to enjoy the beauty of crumbling manuscripts and retro magazines, jinbocho is a book lovers heaven. I cannot think of any stroll, rain or shine, that a book lover would enjoy more. Jimbocho is also a book town, but there are many famous curry restaurants. Kanda used book festival, late octearly nov, 2020 tokyo. Retro modern hotel saku ren jimbocho was born there.
If you are strolling around the book town jimbocho. In this video, i walk around in this fascinating part of. Jimbocho, tokyos used book town, is easily accessed from shinjuku via the shinjuku subway line toward motoyawata, jimbocho station, exit a7 located in tokyos chiyoda ward, kanda district, near meiji university, jimbocho. Book tokyodo is a trendy bookshop that sells new books. The bohemians guild carries art books covering both japanese and western artists. The kanda used book festival is one of the largest annual events in the jimbocho district of kandarenowned as a town of used and antique books. Known as tokyos book town, jimbocho is home to a concentration of over 170. I read about book town on the internet, while looking for book stores that specialised in traditional japanese art books. There are countless places in japan for the eager anime and manga fan to visit, but one area that can be quite rewarding for anyone who desires a sense of history is jimbocho, the book town of tokyo.
Near the old bookstore street, there are sanseido bookstore headquarters that sell new books, and publishers such as shogakukan and shueisha. Jimbocho book town begins at around the intersection of yasukunidori. Walk into a store and you might be transported to the 1960s, or the 1920s, or the age of the shogunate. There is japanese books, chinese book, english book, french books, german books. Many people go here to look for rare and unique books that are highly prized by many scholars in different fields. Toyokuni atelier sumie ink wash painting, yes in japan. Kanda is a city district of tokyo, northeast of the tokyo imperial palace. As an alternative, the kindle ebook is available now and can be read on any device with the free kindle app.
The fusion of japanese interior and classical image. Within a 15 minute walking radius, you can browse close to 200 bookstores of tokyos all second hand bookstores. When it comes to all things literary, however, no district is greater than jimbocho, tokyos book town. Go retro at the coffee shops passed down for generations. Tokyos underappreciated book town jimbocho sometimes alternately spelled with an n as jinbocho and often referred to by its nickname of jimbou. Located in tokyos chiyoda ward, jimbocho boasts over 200 bookstores. Jimbocho district in tokyo is also called book town because its full of familyowned book stores. Whether youre a local or traveller, this cultural pocket from the meiji era has everything from the 100 yen manga books to thousand dollar collectible antiques. Jimbocho is a district within tokyo that is dedicated to used books and publishing. Ecowall see jimbocho book town, kitanomaru park, koishikawa korakuen garden. Any number of beautiful treasuretroves of original ukiyoe prints to tomes on traditional japanese fashion line the streets, hidden between the shops specialising in old comic books even american ones and fiction english language books.