When Jimbocho was named the “coolest neighborhood in the world” by Time Out magazine in 2025, a lot of locals were surprised. Located in central Tokyo, Jimbocho is primarily known for its abundance of 本屋 (honya, bookshops), also called 書店 (shoten, bookshops). Still, for those who cannot read Japanese, an experience there can feel limited. Is a bookshop destination truly “cool” if the books themselves are inaccessible?
Nevertheless, with interest in Japanese literature on the rise globally, and Jimbocho offering heaps of atmosphere with its smoky coffeehouses and piles of musty vintage books, the honor is understandable. Not to mention that Japan is simply a great place for 本屋. The country boasts over 10,000 bookshops — nearly five times as many per capita as the United States. Even if you’re not ready to read 日本文学 (Nihon bungaku, Japanese literature), you may be ready to explore and make the most of 日本の本屋 (Nihon no honya, Japan’s bookshops).
While this sheer number means you’ll find no shortage of places to explore, it also creates a surprising range of store types. The most common are 総合書店 (sōgō shoten, general bookshops) and 大型書店 (ōgata shoten, large-scale bookshops), with the latter including chains such as 蔦屋 (Tsutaya), ジュンク堂 (Junkudo) and 紀伊國屋 (Kinokuniya) that span multiple floors and cover numerous genres. They stock a wide variety of 新刊 (shinkan, new releases), 新版 (shinpan, republications) and notable 古典 (koten, classics), and are often located near major train stations. Another major category — especially in Jimbocho — is the 古本屋 (furuhonya, used/antiquarian book store).
AloJapan.com