Tokyo / Akihabara & Kanda / District

Jimbocho book town

神保町古書店街 じんぼうちょうこしょてんがい

A hundred and fifty second-hand bookshops on one street, the largest in the world — prints, maps, ukiyo-e, first editions, and curry.

EssentialShopping · History · Art · Rainy day · Local life · Food

The bookshops face north so the sun never fades the spines — that is how seriously Jimbocho takes books. Yasukuni-dori and the lanes off it hold shops specialising in ukiyo-e prints, antique maps, film scripts, art catalogues, Western first editions, Meiji-era photographs and single subjects like mountains or trains; most sell to foreigners happily and several have English-speaking owners. The district also has the densest run of old coffee houses and curry restaurants in the city, because that is what booksellers and students eat. Ohya Shobo for prints and maps and Isseido for rare books are the grand old names.

Don't miss

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A hand-drawn sketch for orientation — each place links to an exact map.
Tip
Ukiyo-e prints are the best souvenir in Tokyo for the money; ask for Meiji-era reprints if originals are beyond the budget.
Best time
Weekday afternoon; most shops close on Sundays.
Allow
120 min
Station
Jimbocho (Hanzomon / Mita / Shinjuku lines), exit A7
Official site — hours, prices, closures
jimbou.info · Map

Appears in

In this area: Akihabara & Kanda

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