In Japan, as elsewhere, bookstores in general are facing hard times [1, in Japanese], but the Kanda-Jimbochō area in central Tokyo has somehow managed to keep over a hundred shops in business. Most of the area was aggressively redeveloped when land prices shot up during the late 1980s and redevelopment has continued since, but the bookshops have held on. Some of the shops at street level are visible on Google Streetview [2]. More photos at [3].
I live in Yokohama and used to go to Kanda-Jimbochō regularly, but I haven’t been there since COVID. The photos make me nostalgic.
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In Japan, as elsewhere, bookstores in general are facing hard times [1, in Japanese], but the Kanda-Jimbochō area in central Tokyo has somehow managed to keep over a hundred shops in business. Most of the area was aggressively redeveloped when land prices shot up during the late 1980s and redevelopment has continued since, but the bookshops have held on. Some of the shops at street level are visible on Google Streetview [2]. More photos at [3].
I live in Yokohama and used to go to Kanda-Jimbochō regularly, but I haven’t been there since COVID. The photos make me nostalgic.
[1] https://www.nikkei.com/article/DGXZQOUF110700R11C22A0000000/
[2] https://bit.ly/3MuNoh2
[3] https://en.jimbou.info/