Bookstores of Jimbo-cho

Bookstores of Jimbo-cho Review

The site of one of the largest concentrations of used bookstores in the world, the Jimbo-cho area is a bibliophile's dream. In the ½-km (¼-mi) strip along Yasukuni-dori and its side streets you can find centuries-old Japanese prints, vintage manga, and even complete sets of the Oxford English Dictionary. Most shops have predominately Japanese-language selections, but almost all stock some foreign titles, with a few devoting major floor space to English books. Kitazawa Shoten, recognizable by its stately entranceway, carries lots of humanities titles. Tokyo Random Walk is the retail outlet of Tuttle Publishing, which puts out books on Japanese language and culture. The large Japanese publisher Sanseido has its flagship store here; the fifth floor sells magazines and postcards in addition to books. The stores in the area are usually open 9 or 9:30 to 5:30 or 6, and many of the smaller shops close on Sunday or Monday.