Jinbōchō, Tokyo

Kanda-Jinbōchō (神田神保町), commonly known as Jinbōchō or Jimbōchō, is a district 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.

Jinbōchō, November 2004

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 officially 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 (ja:神保長治) who is member of Jinbō clan (ja:神保氏), who lived in the area at the end of the 17th century.

During the late nineteenth century when Japan underwent modernization, many schools and bookstores opened in the area, and it became established as a book town. In 1913, a large fire destroyed much of the area. In the wake of the fire, a former teacher named Shigeo Iwanami opened a bookstore in Jinbōchō which eventually grew into today's Iwanami Shoten publishing house. Over time, the area became increasingly popular with university students and intellectuals, and many more 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.

  • 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.

See also

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