Last Updated on September 11, 2025 by Laura
As much as I adore visiting the best cities’ landmarks, going shopping and discover new foods. There is a part of me which will always be dragged to academic-related activities. Indeed, even if I don’t often discuss it here on the blog, there is always a section of my trips where I just visit local bookstores, explore libraries and be a little more historian than traveller. When I planned my trip to Japan, I knew there was a place I really want to visit in Tokyo. One of the largest book-towns in the world: Jimbocho. This Jimbocho Book Town guide will take you around this beautiful district. A paradise for book lovers and a hidden gem for those in search of beautiful off-the-beaten-track locations.
Some background on Jimbocho. Tokyo’s beautiful book town
Despite being relatively “new” as a book town, the area of Jimbocho has actually a very long history. Indeed, the area got its name from Jinbo Nagaharu, a samurai from the Jimbo clan who was feudal lord of the area during the Sengoku period (15th-17th centuries). The proximity of the area next to the Imperial Palace. In fact, during the Edo period the surrounding area of the Edo Castle was lined with samurai residences.
During the following centuries, the area changed names several times and only during the modernisation of Japan in the 19th century started to assume the current layout. In 1913 a large fire destroyed part of the district. Soon after this moment one of the first Jimbocho second-hand bookshop opened. This turned to be a great success eventually becoming Iwanami Shoten, one of the most famous publishers in Japan.
Due to the success of Iwanami, educated people and university students began to visit Jimbocho, and new stores such as Isseido Antique Bookstore and Tokyodo were subsequently established, and many people also opened cafes to provide places to read.
Jimbocho Booktown guide: practical information
In this section you will find some useful information to plan your trip to Jimbocho. This district is quite central but many people don’t know its existence so they just bypass it!
Where is Jimbocho?
Jimbocho is located in the Kanda area of Chiyoda. For this reason is often called as “Kanda-Jimbocho”. Is quite close to the Imperial Palace and to Tokyo Station. This makes it a perfect fit for a visit when in the area.
How do I get to Jimbocho in Tokyo
The best way to get to Jimbocho book town is via Tokyo Metro. Indeed, there is a station called “Jimbocho” that is the main one for the area.
Jimbocho Station is served by the following lines:
All of them have a direct connection from Otemachi Station. Therefore, if you are travelling, for example, from Tokyo Station you can decide either to walk to Otemachi station (5 mins walk) or take the Maronuchi Line. Once in Jimbocho, you will see that the station is quite in a central area of the town, so you can explore on foot.
How long time do I need to visit Jimbocho?
That’s a tricky question because the time you need depends on the purpose of your visit. If you want just to check the area for tourism purpose, visit a few cafes, take some pictures etc. half-day/ a couple of hours are a good amount of time to have a sense of the area and visit the main sites. If you want to explore multiple bookshops, maybe searching for unique books or visiting for academic purposes, maybe 1 day to take everything without rush is the best amount of time.
Things to do in Jimbocho
Despite being a very quiet area compared to the lively Shinjuku or Shibuya, Jimbocho offers plenty of things to do for a full or half day visit. Below, you will find some suggestions to inspire your visit in this beautiful Tokyo neighbourhood.
Explore the bookshops
With about 180 bookshops populating the area, shopping for books in Jimbocho or simply explore these amazing shops, is almost a compulsory activity. Visit all 180 bookshops in one go can be quite challenging and even unnecessary as many bookstores features only Japanese books or have way too specific subjects. My recommendation is to make a list of the places you want to visit and check them once there. If you have half a day or just a couple of hours 3 to 6 bookshops are the good amount to keep in mind.
A few things to know for your Jimbocho bookshop visits:
- A good 90% of the shops sell second-hand books. There are bookstores that have new books but it’s a limited number compared to the majority.
- Many bookshops in Jimbocho are divided by specific subject. This means that a single shop can be focused in books related to Nineteenth-century Japanese literature or Edo architecture. Therefore, if you are on the hunt for a specific title is better to check to which category it belongs and if there is any specific area of Jimbocho having those type of shops.
- Jimbocho is a paradise for rare/ancient books. However, these are extremely expensive. If you want to buy, make sure you double check the price as this is reported in Japanese Yen.
- Many bookshops, especially the ones with rare/ancient books, don’t allow photos. Make sure to respect any restriction from the owners.
- A large majority of bookshops are understood for Japanese readers only. However, there are a few shops featuring English editions too.
Foreign-friendly bookshops in Jimbocho
Below, you will find a short list of 10 foreign-friendly bookshops in Jimbocho. With “foreign-friendly” I mean shops that might have titles in languages other than Japanese and are better catered for an international public who want to do some shopping in the area. You can still visit all the other bookshops, but most of the books will be written in Japanese. Therefore, unless speaking/reading the language there won’t be much for your book shopping.
English-friendly bookshops in Jimbocho
- Kitazawa Bookstore – Specialises in foreign books related to humanities. Particularly, English and American Literature and Art.
- Sanseido – Is a large well-known bookstore in Japan, the branch in Jimbocho is one of the main ones in Tokyo.
- Yumeno Shoten – A manga specialty store that mainly sells out-of-print manga and special collections.
- Book House Cafe – A store specialised in children books with a lovely cafe’
- Ogawa Tosho – Specialised in western literature, this shop has British and American titles and also magazines
- @wonder– Immediately recognisable because of the outdoor shelves, this shop has a large collection of foreign titles as well as many Marvel comics.
- Magnif -This bookstore has a large selection of vintage magazines, particularly those related to fashion. If you are searching for a special collection of Vogue or Bazaar, this is definitely the best place.
- Yaguchi Shoten – Founded in 1918, this bookstore has probably the largest selection of film and theatre titles. The shop has also other cultural titles and those close to the performative arts.
- Subunsou Shoten – Opened in 1841, this shop has Japan’s finest collection of old Western books focusing on literature and social science.
- Bohemian’s Guild – lovely bookshop with a great focus on visual arts but also a mix of other Western titles related to design, architecture and literature.
The map above, will help you localise where these bookstores are located. Most of them are quite close to each other, so you can visit one after the other. A few of them are a little hidden in the backstreets of Jimbocho.
If you need to search for a specific bookshop, I would recommend searching the Jimbou database of bookstores before your visit.
Cafe’ hopping
If you are the type of person who likes to read a book in a cosy cafe, Jimbocho is probably paradise on Earth. Indeed, not only there is a cute cafe’ at every corner, but there are also book-themed cafes (this can make my nerdy head explode!). To complement your bookstore wandering, what’s better than a cafe hopping?
Here below you can find 5 of my favourite cafes in Jimbocho that are worth a stop.
- Cafe’ Ataraxia – This is probably not only my favourite cafe’ in Jimbocho, but in the whole Japan! Quite hidden on a basement, so you’ll need a few trial to find it, this cafe’ is musical themed and serves not only excellent coffee but the one of the most delicious chocolate cakes I ever tried.
- Cafe Non Sampo – Nice cafe’ a little retro, good also for a quick lunch stop.
- Book House Cafe – Very cute children bookstore with a nice cafe’ inside. Children friendly, good food and very yummy curry bread!
- Ladrio – A little out from the main area, this cafe’ looks straight out of a book. Wooden interiors, soft light and excellent curry. Worth also for a lunch stop.
- Jazz Coffee Incus – Similar vibes to Ataraxia, this cafe’ has a strong focus on Jazz music, lovely interior and delicious coffee and cake.
Taste the traditional Kanda curry
Not many people know but the area of Kanda/Chiyoda is not famous only for books. Indeed, this is one of the best areas in the whole Tokyo where to have curry. There are over 50 curry restaurants spread all over Jimbocho where you can have a taste without regretting it! If you travel in the month of November, you can also witness a unique event, the Kanda Curry Grand Prix. This is a two-day festival where many curry vendors battle each other for the best curry in Tokyo. If you want to have a taste of the best curry in Tokyo, I warmly recommend Curry Bondy. This restaurant open since 1973 not only is one of the most popular but their curry is absolutely delicious.
Because it’s very popular there is always a long queue on the stairs. Don’t be discouraged as it’s worth the wait!
Shop or play boardgames
Being such a paradise for bookworms and manga lovers, seems quite natural that Jimbocho hosts also a space for boardgames. In fact, here you can find some unique treasures and even play if you have enough time!
Among the top places recommended for boardgames lovers:
- Board game shop Sugorokuya Jinbochoten – Probably one of the most unique thematic shops in Tokyo, I never seen so many board games all together! Worth a stop if you are searching some classics or even never-seen before games.
- Asobi Cafe – Kinda of a bonus stop on the above list of recommended cafes, this is a perfect stop for all those board game lovers who wanna entertain themselves alongside a good cup of coffee and some decent food.
- Warhammer Jimbocho – Not a novelty shop in the board games world, but for all my nerdy friends out there, I know you would probably love this stop and try to find something to bring home!
Days at the Morisaki bookshop Jimbocho’s inspired itinerary
Since a couple of years, I am appreciating more of Japanese and Korean literature. It’s very different from our western-style literature and has a way of speaking to my soul that kinda hits me deeply. I have now an entire shelf full of curious titles that for a reason to another made me cry like a baby during the reading. One of these books is Days at the Morisaki Bookshop (2 books). This novel it’s so beautifully written and so full of significance that it’s impossible not to loving it.
I don’t want to spoil any content (in case someone hasn’t read this yet), but the entire novel is based in Jimbocho. Of course places and characters are fictional but still one can recognise the look-alike places when walking in the neighbourhood.
For this reason, I created a little Days at the Morisaki bookshop-inspired itinerary that anyone who loved this book deeply can follow once in Tokyo.
As this is interesting only for the people who actually read the book, you can read it in a separate article here: Days at the Morisaki bookshop locations guide.
Jimbocho short video
Just to give you an idea of how Jimbocho looks in real life, I also published a short video on my social media. You can watch it here:
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