Jimbocho: Spending A Day In Tokyo’s Book District

In the never-ending bustle of the busy city, explore a place where bookshelves run infinitely and pages turn slowly.

Tokyo is a city full of iconic neighborhoods: Harajuku for its influence on fashion and pop culture and Akihabara for its wealth of electronics and anime. When it comes to all things literary, however, no district is greater than Jimbocho, Tokyo’s book town.

Jimbocho is home to more than 130 bookstores. While there are many new and chain stores, the majority of booksellers in the area specialize in pre-loved and antique books. The neighborhood is, too, home to the Literature Preservation Society and the Tokyo Bookbinding Club, as well as a number of universities, publishing houses and libraries, making it outstandingly the place to go in Tokyo for a bookish day out.

Jimbocho’s History

© Photo by Christy Anne Jones

Naturally, an area known for its antique and second-hand books has quite a story to tell in terms of its history. Named after Nagaharu Jimbo, a Samurai from the 17th Century, the neighborhood and many of its bookstores were burned down in the great fire of 1913. In answer to the tragedy, university professor Iwanami Shigeo opened up a bookstore, which has since grown into the publishing house Iwanami Shoten.

Since then, the neighborhood has flourished into a popular area for the bookish and intellectual, with hordes of bookstores and cafes popping up to suit the growing popularity of the area. With Nihon, Senshu, Meiji and Hosei Universities all located within close proximity to the main shopping strip, it’s no wonder Jimbocho has grown into a bookish wonderland.

How To Get There

© Photo by Christy Anne Jones

Like many of Tokyo’s popular shopping districts, Jimbocho is remarkably easy to travel to. While there are a number of surrounding stations and bus stops available, the best station to access the district from is, undoubtedly, Jimbocho Station. Just 11 minutes on the train from Shinjuku, Jimbocho station comes out onto Yasukuni-Dori, right in the heart of the book district.

The majority of the neighborhood’s bookshops are located just south of the station, along Yasukuni-Dori and the streets that run parallel to it. Given that the station is located right in the center, this means that the district’s booksellers are all located a short walk from each other. Jimbocho Station is accessible from the Mita, Shinjuku and Hanzomon lines.

Shopping For Books

© Photo by Christy Anne Jones

If your nihongo skills are A+ and you’re already an old hand at devouring Japanese works of literature translation-free, then you will have no trouble at all finding bookstores in Jimbocho to suit your needs.

On the other hand, if you, like me, aren’t quite as confident in your ability to dissect the latest Murakami novel in its original kanji-filled form, then foreigner-friendly bookstores are what you are going to be after. Luckily, Jimbocho is well-equipped with a number of stores that are favorable to English speakers.

When searching for foreign books, try looking for this kanji: 洋書 (yosho; “Western books”). It will surely come in handy during your hunt.

While there is an abundance of beautiful, dusty old bookstores catering to Japanese speakers only—which I still recommend checking out even if you can’t speak Japanese because many of them are absolutely beautiful. Here is a small list of stores that are better suited to foreigners:

Kitazawa Bookstore (北沢書店)

Wonderful for English books concerned with humanities or social science. Kitazawa specializes in illustrated books and books about history, linguistics and literature, and has a wide selection of both rare and paperback texts.

Address: 2-5 Kanda Jinbocho, Chiyoda-ku

Komiyama Book Store (株式会社 小宮山書店)

A must-see for contemporary art and photography lovers. It also specializes in magazines and books on design, fashion, culture and history.

Address: 1-7 Kanda Jinbocho, Chiyoda-ku

Books Sanseido (三省堂書店)

Great if you’re looking for Japanese language books. It has a very small English section, despite its enormous five-story size.

Address: 1-1 Kanda Jinbocho, Chiyoda

The Isseido Booksellers (一誠堂書店)

If you’re going to visit just one store, make it this one. Located on the eastern side of Yasukuni-Dori, close to Jimbocho station, the bookstore is a two-story wonderland of polished wooden shelves and silence that hits you the moment you step in off the noisy street. The second floor is home to a brilliant foreign books section, while the rest of the store houses an excellent range of rare and antique books. 

Address: 1-17 Kanda Jinbocho, Chiyoda

Cafe & Restaurants

© Photo by Cafe Ataraxia

If all that book hunting turns you hungry, rest assured that Jimbocho has all of your food-nibbling and coffee-sipping needs. The area is home to a wide range of restaurants and cafes, spanning from the usual chain restaurants to a smattering of independent restaurants (such as Curry Bondy, located just over 50 meters from Jimbocho Station).

If you’re after a really classy hangout, look no further than the Cafe Ataraxia. This cafe is the perfect combination of antiques, books and coffee. It’s a brilliant place to chill out and grab a bite to eat while enjoying vintage records, art, books, antique interiors or literary goodies you’ve already found at another bookshop.

For another relaxed break, head to Savoul just outside Jimbocho Station’s Exit A7. With a history of over 65 years, this coffee house is a landmark in the area—and we can’t help but think that a number of famous writers had a few cups of coffee there while writing or reading.

Have you ever been to Jimbocho? What did you love about it?

Republished with updates for 2024.