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Creasy Spines

“Every crease is a story.”

The Bookshop Atlas

Bookshops in Japan

2,388 independent bookshops in 650 towns, 230 of them selling secondhand.

Unfolding the map…

SecondhandAntiquarianNewCharity

Worth the pilgrimage

Featured in Japan

B&B

Independent bookshop in Tokyo, Japan

A Shimokitazawa bookshop that serves beer and hosts nightly events.

Infinity Books Japan

Secondhand in Tokyo, Japan

An Asakusa shop of secondhand and out-of-print English books.

Secondhand

Isseido Booksellers

Antiquarian in Tokyo, Japan · since 1903

An antiquarian bookseller in Jimbocho since 1903, having come through both the 1923 earthquake and the wartime air raids. Two floors hold academic books, rare Japanese literature and a notably good shelf of antiquarian Western titles.

Japanese literatureWestern booksRare books

Kitazawa Bookstore

Antiquarian in Tokyo, Japan · since 1902

A Jimbocho shop dating back to 1902 whose whole second floor is given over to used and rare English-language books, especially literature and the humanities, in long aisles of floor-to-ceiling shelves.

English-languageHumanities

Komiyama Shoten

Antiquarian in Tokyo, Japan

A multi-storey Jimbocho shop for photobooks, art and design, run across three generations. Fashion magazines fill the ground floor, photography and contemporary art the floors above, and the top levels hold the rare material collectors come for.

PhotobooksArt & designFashionRare books

Ohya Shobo

Antiquarian in Tokyo, Japan · since 1882

Trading in Jimbocho since 1882, Ohya Shobo is the place for Edo-period illustrated books, ukiyo-e woodblock prints and old Japanese maps. Drawers and folders reward a slow look, and the staff are used to guiding curious visitors.

Ukiyo-eAntique mapsEdo-period booksRare books

Yaguchi Shoten

Secondhand in Tokyo, Japan · since 1918

Founded in 1918, Yaguchi Shoten is Jimbocho's specialist in film and theatre: scripts, programmes, criticism and performing-arts history. Its open-air shelves running along the side of the building are one of the district's best-known sights.

FilmTheatreScreenplays

Towns and cities, A–Z

Page 2 of 4. Each has its own guide with a map and, where the shops are close enough, a walking route.

Towns and cities

Finding bookshops in Japan

How many bookshops are listed in Japan?

The Atlas currently lists 2,388 active bookshops across 650 towns and cities in Japan. This is the number in our directory, not a claim that every shop in the area has been recorded.

Can I find secondhand bookshops in Japan?

230 listed shops are categorised as selling secondhand books. Stock changes frequently; ask a shop directly if you need a particular book.

Are the opening hours and accessibility details checked?

The Atlas displays available source information. A listing without opening hours or access details is incomplete, not necessarily closed or inaccessible. Check each shop's website and confirm anything essential before travelling.

Can I add a shop or correct a listing?

Yes. Send the shop's name, location and a reliable website or other source. Suggestions and corrections are reviewed before changing the Atlas.

Suggest a shop

Shop data © OpenStreetMap contributors, available under the Open Database Licence, with descriptions of featured shops by Creasy Spines. Opening hours change — check before a long journey. Suggest an edit