Jinbōchō, Tokyo

Jinbōchō, November 2004

Jinbōchō (神保町, sometimes spelled Jimbocho) is a neighborhood of Chiyoda, Tokyo, Japan, known as Tokyo's center of used-book stores and publishing houses, and as a popular antique and curio shopping area.

The center of Jinbōchō is at the crossing of Yasukuni-dōri and Hakusan-dōri, above Jimbōchō Station on the Tokyo Metro Hanzōmon Line, Toei Mita Line and Toei Shinjuku Line. The prestigious Tokyo Book Binding Club and Literature Preservation Society are located in Jinbōchō, and the area is within walking distance of a number of major universities, including Nihon, Senshu, Meiji, Hosei and Juntendo.

Jinbōchō is formally known (in addresses, etc.) as Kanda-Jinbōchō (神田神保町), and is part of the former ward of Kanda.

History

Jinbōchō is named after a samurai, Nagaharu Jinbō, who lived in the area at the end of the 17th century.

In 1913, a large fire destroyed most of the area. In the wake of the fire, a university professor named Shigeo Iwanami opened a bookstore in Jinbōchō which eventually grew into today's Iwanami Shoten publishing house. Over time, the area became popular with university students and intellectuals, and many small bookstores and cafes opened there.

More recently, the Chiyoda municipal government sponsored a major redevelopment project in Jinbōchō which led to three new high-rise office buildings being completed in 2003, further boosting the local economy. The Jinbōchō Theater was completed in 2007.

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  Jinbōchō at Yasukunidori and Hakusan
• 
  Jinbōchō Fall Book Fair

Companies

Many companies are located within Jinbōchō, including the headquarters of Tōkyōdō Shoten, a retail book chain and manga company Shueisha, known for the anthology manga magazine, Shonen Jump.

External links

• Jimbou: Book Town (Japanese)
• Japan Trip 2009: Jinbocho—a pictorial tour of publishers and book stores in Jinbōchō

Coordinates: 35°41′43.77″N 139°45′29.23″E / 35.6954917°N 139.7581194°E