Jimbocho - The Book Lovers' District

Since I am a big book person, we had to check out Tokyo’s book district, Jimbocho. With over 100 bookstores clustered together around a few blocks, it is an interesting place to find a mix of modern and vintage books and book-related items. Some places have been open for over a century, and some have been recently renovated into multi-floor displays with upscale cafes. We went on a rainy afternoon and had an enjoyable time perusing pages and sipping cozy drinks.

I call this post the book lovers’ district because of its many new and used bookstores, but it also happens to be a really good area for sporting goods (the Mizuno flagship store is located here) and numerous cheap food options (Japanese BBQ and yakisoba ended up being our choices for the day).

Over 100 years in business, Yaguchi Book Store has been around the block, literally, with a unique outdoor book display on the corner of the street, it is an iconic image of the area.

On the second floor above a book cafe (but not connected to it) is Kitazawa Bookstore. Opened in 1902, it specializes in carrying English second hand books, including a rare books section in the corner.

Not quite a bookstore, but bookstore adjacent. This is Bumpodo, a modern cute stationary store with a cafe on the third level.

Walking into some of these stores is like visiting a museum with some very rare written items on display. There are places specializing in vintage magazines, movie posters, tradtional bound books, and even scrolls.

The Jimbocho Main Street. A mix of modern and second-hand bookstores. Some go up eight floors or more. And there are side streets with even more stores to explore

One of the first bookstores we encountered was cat themed. I took a quick peek inside, hoping to possibly glimpse a resident cat, but unfortunately, there did not seem to be one.

Going up the elevator of Shosen Grande (opened in 1948, but contains modern books) to the 5th floor where then have one of my favorite floors. An entire floor dedicated to Tokyo’s train and metro system. There are key chains with the JR line stops on them, pillows shaped like metro station signs, Suica Penguin themed items, and even DVD’s that show official footage of riding different train lines.