Isseido Booksellers
Jimbocho, Tokyo
Isseido Booksellers is Jimbocho's landmark antiquarian bookshop, trading since 1903 from a stone-faced building finished in 1931 that came through the war intact. The ground floor holds Japanese scholarship and rare books. Upstairs is one of the best stocks of antiquarian English-language books in Tokyo.
More photos of Isseido Booksellers
Insider tip
Head straight upstairs for old European and English books, including early travel writing on Japan. Closed Sundays and public holidays.
What's on near Isseido Booksellers
Upcoming events within a ten-minute walk of Isseido Booksellers, from the weekly Tokyo events calendar.
Kanda Used Book Festival
神田古本まつり
Time 10:00 to 18:00 Station Jimbocho (Toei Mita, Shinjuku, Hanzomon Lines), 1 min walk
The world's largest secondhand-book district puts hundreds of thousands of volumes out on the street each autumn, with stalls lining Yasukuni-dori beside the permanent bookshops. Old maps, ukiyo-e prints, and out-of-print photo books turn up alongside bargain carts.
Kanda Used Book Festival (66th Jimbocho Book Festival)
第66回 東京名物 神田古本まつり
Time 10:00 to 18:00 Station Jimbocho (Toei Mita/Shinjuku Lines, Tokyo Metro Hanzomon Line), 1 min walk
The 66th edition of the Kanda Used Book Festival takes place from October 23 to November 1, 2026, along the Jimbocho secondhand bookstore district. The organisers have set opening hours of 10:00 to 18:00 for the run of the festival. Hundreds of thousands of secondhand and antiquarian books are laid out on outdoor tables and stalls along Yasukuni-dori, making it one of the largest used-book events in the country.
Kanda Curry Grand Prix 2026
第14回 神田カレーグランプリ2026
Time Oct 31: 11:00, 19:00, Nov 1: 11:00, 17:00 Station Ogawamachi (Toei Shinjuku Line), 3 min walk
Twenty curry shops that survived a public fan-vote round compete for the title of grand champion in Tokyo's self-declared curry capital. Visitors buy a ticket per bowl and cast a vote for their favourite, with the winners announced at a closing ceremony on the final day.
Art Week Tokyo
Five days of coordinated shows at a record 56 contemporary art museums and galleries, from major institutions to small commercial spaces, linked by a free AWT Bus circuit. Run in partnership with Art Basel, it is the easiest week of the year to see Tokyo's gallery scene.
Art Week Tokyo
Five days of coordinated shows at dozens of contemporary art museums and galleries, from major institutions to small commercial spaces, linked by a free shuttle bus circuit. Run in partnership with Art Basel, it is the easiest week of the year to see Tokyo's gallery scene.
Nearby
Around Jimbocho
Tokyo's book town, fuelled by curry and old coffee houses
Jimbocho is the largest second-hand book district in the world, with around 130 bookshops on a few blocks, from rare woodblock prints to 100-yen paperback carts. Between the shelves you'll find some of Tokyo's oldest coffee houses and the densest cluster of curry restaurants in the city, and that's what the book trade has run on for a century.
Jimbocho has 7 places on the Roam Tokyo map: 3 cafes, 2 shops and 2 restaurants. Read the Jimbocho guide.
Good to know
- How do I get to Isseido Booksellers?
- The nearest station is Jimbocho (Hanzomon / Mita / Shinjuku Line). Isseido Booksellers is in Jimbocho, Tokyo.
- How much does Isseido Booksellers cost?
- Isseido Booksellers is mid-range, marked ¥¥ on the site's price scale.
- How long do you need at Isseido Booksellers?
- Plan for 45 min.
- When is the best time to visit Isseido Booksellers?
- Weekday afternoons.
Stay near Isseido Booksellers
Browse live availability and compare prices around Jimbocho.
Median US$197 a night across 41 listings within 1.2 km for a two-night stay a month out, sampled 29 September 2026. Cheapest quarter under US$143. See the weekly index for every neighbourhood.