Description

A literary guide to Tokyo through its writers, bookshops, cafés and the places where Japan’s greatest stories were imagined.

Tokyo is a city of contrasts – where centuries-old haiku echo in temple gardens and manga billboards light up Shibuya Crossing. Through striking photography and practical guidebook entries, explore the places that have inspired, housed and shaped generations of Japanese readers and writers.

From historic neighbourhoods to the latest manga hotspots, discover:

• BOOK-LOVER’S PARADISE: Jimbocho’s maze of second-hand bookshops, packed with hidden treasures.
• WRITER’S HAUNTS: Museums dedicated to Japan’s greatest writers, from Matsuo Basho to Natsume Soseki.
• AFTER DARK: The cafés and bars where poets and writers once put pen to paper late into the night.
• BLOSSOMING: Tokyo’s brilliant contemporary bookshops keeping its reading culture alive.
• MANGA-OBSESSED: Legendary manga cafés and specialist spots where Japan’s reading culture takes on a life of its own.

Packed with striking photography and useful insights into the places where stories were written, read and imagined, this is an essential companion for book lovers exploring Tokyo – or dreaming of their next trip.