Neighborhood spotlight: Jimbocho 

Waseda’s network of libraries and reading rooms has an extensive collection in Japanese, English, and other languages for all your academic needs. Many of these facilities are tailored to students within specific departments, including the Ting Hsin International Group Commemorative Library—my personal favorite as a researcher working across the humanities and an avid reader of East Asian literature. 

A typical street scene in Jimbocho (taken outside Takayama Honten bookstore).

For book browsing beyond the university, the first place that comes to mind for many Tokyoites is the compact area known as Jimbocho, in Chiyoda ward. Jimbocho’s eponymous subway station is served by the Hanzomon, Shinjuku, and Mita lines; the neighborhood is also a short walk from Kudanshita, which is three stops from Waseda on the Tozai line, a journey of six minutes. Within a radius of several blocks, you’ll find dozens of stores selling not just books, but magazines, manga, CDs, music and pop culture paraphernalia, and more. It’s the perfect place to fritter away an afternoon on the hunt for hidden treasures. 

A word of warning: if you’re looking for new releases in English-language publishing, you’re better off visiting Books Kinokuniya Shinjuku or Tsutaya in Ginza Six, both of which have substantial offerings in popular literature. What you’ll find in Jimbocho is a huge hodgepodge of Japanese books for the most part, along with a smaller (but still fascinating) variety of books in English and European languages. And you won’t even have to enter a store to begin browsing. 

The streets here are lined with used books by the cartful, most of which cost less than the average vending machine beverage. Passersby can thumb through these displays while meandering through the neighborhood. Kitazawa Bookstore has the largest English-language collection to sift through, with plenty of old tomes and collectible editions of American and British classics, as well as books on Asia, cultural writing, poetry, and more. The solemn and elegant atmosphere of the store befits the many antiques on display. 

Outside the Komiyama Book Store.

If art, photography, and fashion are more of your vibe, Komiyama Book Store is a one-stop shop with multiple floors where you can get your next beautiful coffee table book or gift for someone else. Here you’ll also find an extensive collection of queer cultural relics, side by side with photo books by artists from Japan and around the world. Just around the corner is a smaller store called Bohemian’s Guild that also features vintage books on art, design, and philosophy across multiple languages. 

Paraphernalia for every music-lover (inside the Bunken Rock Side bookstore).

As ever, Japan is a wonderful place for fandoms both niche and mainstream. Besides the manga or English comic books you might chance upon in Jimbocho, there are also quite a few stores that offer Japanese collectibles for music or cinema enthusiasts. You can track down esoteric magazines or other goods for your favorite metal band or pop star, or take a trip down memory lane by rifling through a stack of Japanese movie pamphlets: each publication is dedicated to a single movie, whether Hollywood or international, and includes commentary and paratexts written by Japanese critics. For the diehard cinephile, these are the perfect addition to your archive. 

Meanwhile, closer to home, don’t forget about the Waseda International House of Literature, also known as the Haruki Murakami Library, another way to get your literary fix. Reservations are required to visit this facility, newly opened as of fall 2021, but there you’ll be able to peruse special collections and galleries related to the career of Mr. Murakami, one of Waseda’s most illustrious alumni. 

Kitazawa Bookstore 
Kanda Jimbocho, 2 Chome-5 
Kitazawa Building, 2nd Floor 

Komiyama Tokyo  
Kanda Jimbocho, 1 Chome-7 

Bohemian’s Guild 
Kanda Jimbocho, 1 Chome-1 

Note: Permission has been obtained for the usage of all photos in this article. 

*This article was written and contributed by the following student.

Student Contributor
Mike Fu
Graduate School of International Culture and Communication Studies