Updates on our info on the www.education-in-japan.info page — READING ROOM (which has the largest listing of bookstores in Japan on the Internet) is as follows:
BOOKOFF & CAFE
Secondhand bookstore and cafe and bakery offering children’s books, novels, reference, art and photography business supplementary readers, cooking interiors, women’s, also games, DVDs, CDs and Japanese books (If you have any books you’d like to sell, please bring them in)
4-3-19 Shirokanedai, Minato-ku, Tokyo. Ph: 03-547… (Book Off Kichijoji Minami-guchi (2-3-14 Kichijoji-Minamimachi; Between JR
tracks and Inokashira Line station. Faces Yuzawaya. Visible from east end of Chuo Line platforms. 76-7611) “Used books. Large
foreign section for a Book Off branch toward the back end of 1F. (Book Off branches reorganize often so this may change.)” Open
10-23.
Paperweight Kids Books has expanded to a cozy retail bookstore in Shibuya. Initially established as a mail-order book company, the bookstore specializes in foreign-language children’s books and frequently offer read-aloud children’s books’ workshops. In addition to a good selection of children’s books, educational material such as the School Zone series are also carried.
Paperweight Kids Books is located at 2-20-13 Higashi, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo. Phone: 3498-5260. Hours of operation are Tuesday-Saturday 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. and Sundays from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Infinity Books Japan Online is a used English Bookstore (books bought, sold and traded) Website: www.infinitybooksjapan.com Email them at info@infinitybooksjapan.com English books of all and every kind delivered to your door anywhere in Japan at unbelievable prices! (says its ad). (The bookstore used to be called Caravan Books.)
Fiona Bookstore (children’s books — over 40,000 books in stock)
5-41-5, Okusawa, Setagaya-ku, Tokyo 158-0083 Nearest stn: Jiyugaoka station Ph & Fax: 03-3721-8186 Open 11:00 am – 8 pm
Fiona, a shop with branches in Nihonbashi and Jiyugaoka, advertises itself as having the largest selection of children’s books in English in the city. Fiona also stocks video tapes, CD ROMs, games and educational material.
The Nihonbashi Fiona store is open from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily at the following address: Yaesu Kougyou Bldg., 2F, 2-1-20 Nihonbashi, Chuo-ku. Tel: 3271-5816. Fiona Jiyugaoka is open from 11 a.m.-8 p.m. at Solofiole, 1F, 5-41-5 Okusawa, Setagaya-ku (a new annex has recently been added on the 2nd floor). Tel: 3721-8186.
Good Day Books is the largest used English bookshop in Japan, with more than 40,000 different new, used, and rare English titles in stock. Conveniently located “inside the Yamanote Line,” a few minutes’ walk from Ebisu Station on either the Tokyo Metro Hibiya subway line or the JR Yamanote, Saikyo, and Shonan Shinjuku lines, Good Day Books sells, trades, and buys used English books and sells new English books. http://www.gooddaybooks.com/gooddaybooks/contents/home/?language=english
3F Asahi Building. 1-11-2 Ebisu, Shibuya-ku. Tokyo 150-0013
Tel: 03-542… Fax: 03-5421-0958 goodday@gol.com
Blue Parrot is a 2 min walk from Takadanobaba station in Tokyo. Website: www.blueparrottokyo.com
Nellie’s Discount Books. (Sunbridge Bldg. 1-26-6 Yanagibashi, Taito-ku 111_0052; Northeast of JR Asakusabashi. 0120-071329, 3865-6210, Fax 3865-6215. Call customer free dial service to place an order: 0120-071329. Phone: 0120-071329 (Free Dial) Fax: 0120-744890 (Free Dial) E-mail: orders@nellies.jp Website: http://www.nellies.jp/shop/index.php map at: http://www.nellies.jp/) “English-language
teaching material. Branches in Sagamihara, Minami Azabu (Temple Univ. Campus) and Osaka.” Open 10-12:30, 13:15-18. Closed Sat, Sun.
A new series of readers is now carried at Nellie’s.
Tower Records flagship store in Shibuya offers the ultimate browsing experience on a sweltering summer day. The store is an international plethora of books, magazines, CDs, videos, all at very reasonable prices. Up on the 7th floor you can spend the whole day in the cool oasis of the imported book and magazine section.
The main Tower Records store is located at 1-22-14 Jinnan, Shibuya-ku, and is open daily from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Tel: 3496-3661. In addition to Shibuya, Tower Records now has locations in Shinjuku, Ikebukuro, Hachioji, Yokohama, Kawasaki, Sagamiono, Chiba and Minami Koshigaya.
The FBC Bookstore (part of the Foreign Buyers Club family of wholesale foreign goods) continues to offer everything from bestsellers to Disney videos through their mail-order business. You can call or fax for a free catalog at Tel: (078) 857-7944 , fax: (078) 857-0559, or email at fbc@majic.co.jp
Crayon House Tokyo (3-8-15 Kita-Aoyama, Minato-ku 107_8630; From Subway Omote-Sando Junction Exit B1, head north (toward Harajuku and Meiji Jingu), turn left at corner of Mori-Hanae Bldg. About 3 minutes from station. 3406-6492, Fax 3407-9568) “Children’s picture books and literature from around the world. With 50,000 books, widely regarded as the best collection of its kind in Japan. About 10,000 imported books. Children are welcome to roam around and read. (Ms.Crayon House (3F Crayon House; 3406-6465, Fax as above) “Small collection of women’s books: childbearing, family life and women at work. Writings by leaders of the liberation movement and female psychologists. Very few foreign books.”)
Kids’ Books:
B–Rabbits (1-31-19 Inokashira, Mitaka-shi 181_0001; South side of Inokashira Line Mitakadai Station 181_0001; South side of Inokashira Line Mitakadai Station. Turn left at the station exit, and left again at the corner between Freshness Burger and marine
sports shop. About 5 minutes from station. Phone/Fax 76-2501) “Books for children. Used books. Small store, but rich collection.
Some imported books, including DR. SEUSS and GOLDEN BOOKS.” Closed Sun.
Wise Owl Books (Ikebukuro) (1-27-7 Minami-Ikebukuro; 4F of Shin’eido Bookstore. Across the square from East Exit, next to McDonald’s. Subway Exit 43. 5391-2960, Fax 3590-3366; wiseowl@t3.or.jp) “3F of Shin’eido bookstore. The location is great, but the foreign section is less visited compared to Libro and Junkudo. The store has not found a market position between the two. Many paperbacks and magazines but few academic titles except language texts.”
Main English-language (general) bookstores:
Kinokuniya Main Store (3-17-7 Shinjuku 163_8636; Metro Promenade Exit B7.
3354-0131, Fax 3354-0275; shinjuku@kinokuniya.co.jp, http://www.kinokuniya.co.jp/) “Head store of leading nationwide
chain, established here in 1927. They carry thick stocks of ‘hot’ publications: thus popular among students and busy professionals. Though smaller than the following Shinjuku South Store’s, the foreign section on 7F is now among the largest in
Tokyo. Academic selection goes beyond publications: also sold in this building are fossils, globes, theater tickets and eyeglasses.
Open 10-21. Closed about once a month, on Wed.
Kinokuniya Shinjuku South Store (Takashimaya Times Square, 5-24-2 Sendagaya, Shibuya-ku 151_0051; Walk through Takashimaya. JR Shinjuku Shin-Minami Exit or South Exit. About 10 minutes from main store.
5361-3301, Fax 5361-3300) “Foreign books on 5F. Large collection of imported art and hobby books (photography, cinema, cooking, etc.)
Strong in the humanities, literature and language study aids. But also good collection of science and computer books. Large number of
books about Japan. Significant French section. Also some German shelves, a shelf of Chinese, a half shelf each of Spanish, Portuguese, Italian and Russian.” Open 10-20, -20:30 Sat. Closed about once a month, on Wed.
Aoyama Book Center
Shibuya branch: (B2 Cosmos Aoyama Garden Floor 5-53-67 Jingu-mae, Shibuya-ku 150_0001; Enter pavement between United Nations University and car dealer showroom. 5485-5511 Expanded foreign section May ’05. Several shelves paperbacks, fiction and non-fiction. Many imported magazines. Unique collection of art, photography and design books. 20% discount for imported books and magazines if it’s raining (June ’05.) Open 10-22.B2 Cosmos Aoyama Garden Floor 5-53-67 Jingu-mae, Shibuya-ku 150-0001
Roppongi branch: The beautifully remodelled Roppongi-dōri branch of Aoyama Book Center is a prime spot for night owls, with a great international selection of reads and a carefully chosen collection of foreign art books. There’s another branch nearby in the Roppongi Hills West Walk.
Address 6-1-20 Roppongi, Minato-ku Phone 3479 0479 Transport underground rail: Hibiya & Toei Ōedo lines to Roppongi (exit 3)
Illustrations are first outlined in dark sumi ink to restrict the pigments to the desired areas and then the artist goes to town on the design itself. Kite scenes include scowling Kabuki actors, samurai warriors hacking each other to death against a busy backdrop of psychedelic swirls and cute fluffy ‘Hello Kitty’ type animals doing unnatural things.
Maruzen
Marunouchi branch: Address Oazo Bldg, 1F-4F, 1-6-4 Marunouchi, Chiyoda-ku Phone 5288 8881 Transport train: JR Yamanote line to Tokyo (Marunouchi north exit) Based in the sinuous Oazo Building just across from Tokyo Station’s Marunouchi exit. Train subway Otemachi B2c. Stay underground until you find B2c. Metro Tozai Line closest; other lines are quite far. With Metro Marunouchi Line, use Tokyo, not Otemachi. 5288-8881, Fax 5288-8892; http://www.maruzen.co.jp/, sd-marunouchi@maruzen.co.jp)
Maruzen Oazo Marunouchi is Tokyo’s largest bookstore has a complete 4th floor English section – with one of the best selections of English-language and foreign collections of books in Tokyo. Established in 1869, Maruzen is the oldest joint-stock company in the nation and Japan’s oldest Western bookshop (recently rebuilt) Japan’s second largest bookstore chain, after Kinokuniya (It used to be the first, but several major branches closed). Its founder is said to have invented Japanese curried rice – there’s a restaurant serving the dish here. 1.2 million books. High shelves and tight aisles for a Maruzen. Technical books, including math, physics, history, economics, law, linguistics, civil engineering finely classified. Each epoch gets a separate shelf in the art section. Some French and German books. Has small reference library.
Nihombashi branch: Address 2-3-10 Nihombashi, Chūō-ku Phone 6214 2001 Transport underground rail: Ginza Line to Nihombashi (B3 exit)
Junkudo Ikebukuro (2-15-5 Minami-Ikebukuro; South of East Exit. Along Meiji-dori, near entrance of Azuma Arcade. 5956-6111, Fax
5956-6100, HQ Kobe) “First Junkudo in Tokyo area. Expanded March ’01. Largest bookstore in Japan, and one of the largest worldwide.
1,500,000 volumes on 77,300 square feet. Like the Kyoto and Kobe stores, targets serious specialists. Foreign magazines, paperbacks, books on Japan on 9F. Excluding design, economics and business (9F), foreign specialties in respective Japanese sections: Bibles in 4F religion section, Greek & Latin classics, Japanese language texts in 8F language section. Picture books 8F. Math & physics 7F.
Large imported computer book section 6F. Number of foreign books in 4F philosophy section growing. French books: 4F (philosophy,
Sartre), 8F and 9F. German books: 8F. The foreign section is great but never crowded. All cash registers on 1F: one stop check-out
system.”
There’s also the Junkudo branch store in Shinjuku opposite Kinokuniya bookstore. Exit East exit of Shinjuku station.
KIDS’ BOOKS by Paperweight Books http://kidsbks.co.jp/ is a real/website bookstore for English Language children’s books. See their blog.
Specialty stores:
Intelligent Idiot (5-47-6 Jingu-mae; Faces restaurant Las Chicas. Quite close to Aoyama Book Center on the map, to the north, but Cosmos
Aoyama has no rear exit. 5467-5866, Fax 3400-5060; http://vision.co.jp/) “One small room which sells literature, art and design books.” Open 14-20, Noon-20 Sat, Sun. Closed Tue.
Shimada Yosho (A103 1F T-Place 5-5-25 Minami-Aoyama 107_0062; From Omote-Sando Exit A5 walk south and turn right at immediate corner with Inari (fox shrine). Furthest store in the two rows of red brick buildings. 3407-3863) “This store started as a specialist of
books about automobiles. Now there are much more books on life-style, art, interior design and handicrafts.” Open through year.
Cow Books Aoyama (3-13-14-2F Minami-Aoyama; From Omote-Sando Exit A4, take Aoyama-dori west about 50 meters. Turn right (south) at the corner with stationery store, and walk past a Japanese noodle shop. In a white building on the left side of street, above Cabane de Zucca. 3497-0807; http://www.cowbooks.jp/) “Tiny store. About 70% Japanese. Imported books on ‘freedom’ from the U.S. (See home-page for definition.) Out-of-print books from the 1960s and ’70s. Main store in Naka-Meguro. Active in promoting Book Crossing.” Closed around the New Year.
Lilliput (Soft Town Aoyama 3-1-24 Jingu-mae; West side of Gaien-nishi-dori (‘Killer Street’) north of Bell Commons, near pedestrian overpass. Tiny store with white door at end of maroon atrium. Phone/Fax 3470-2020; http://www.japonica.co.jp/lilliput/) “Miniature books. Over 4,000 titles from 20 countries. 1 millimeter square micro-book OLD KING COLE on display.” On Sundays (3-7-6 Jingu-mae; Basement of Watari Museum. Shortly north of Lilliput. 7 minutes from Gaien-mae Exit 1, 10 minutes from Omote-Sando. 15 minutes from JR Sendagaya (yellow trains).
3470-1424) “Art. Much imported. Large postcard collection 1F.” Closed Mon.
Shelf (3-7-4 Jingu-mae; Sign outside corner north of On Sundays. 3405-7889) “Photography. Most volumes imported.”
Libro Aoyama (2-12-16 Kita-Aoyama 107_0061; Corner of Gaien-mae Intersection. 3408-0701; HQ Ikebukuro) “Some foreign paperbacks. Many art books.”
Book Club Kai (2-7-30 Minami-Aoyama; Subway Aoyama-Itchome Station Exit A3. Turn west (right) into first street south of Honda HQ. Subway Gaien-mae Exit 4. About 15 minutes from Omote-Sando by foot. Basement of building with big red triangle in front. 3403-6177,
Fax 3403-9849) “Leading New Age bookshop. The specialist of books of the spiritual realm. Foreign section (3 shelves) covers subjects such as Native American lore, aromatherapy, Karl Jung theory and channelling.” Book 246 (1-2-6 Minami-Aoyama; Lattice Aoyama, south side of Subway Aoyama-Itchome, one block south of twin towers. 5771-6888, Fax 5771-6889; http://www.book246.com/) “Small, stylish store selling travel books.”
Ballet shop Fairy (5-50-10 Jingu-mae; Shortly north of first corner east of McDonald’s near Aoyama Book Center. 3499-5541, Fax 3499-5540) has a tiny music sheet/book collection.
Kunitachi Gakki (1-4-3 Kita 186_0001; JR Kunitachi North Exit. Turn first right north of Miura-ya Supermarket. 573-1111, 0120-090910)
“Basement of prestigious instrument store selling musical scores and books about music. Some imported magazines. Emphasis on classical
art. Much larger collection than Koga Shoten, Jimbocho.” Closed Tue.
In the Sagamihara and Machida area:
Hisamido Main Store (6-11-10 Hara-Machida, Machida-shi, Tokyo 194_0013; East side of Odakyu Machida Station. Near north end of platform and police box. 725-1330) “General bookstore. Regional chain. Established 1945. Remains popular despite the tense competition.
Some foreign books (about 2 shelves paperbacks each) here and in Odakyu Store.” (Not “Kumido”.) Open 10-20. Closed 2nd Wed monthly. [Hisamido Odakyu Store (6-12-20 Hara-Machida; 8F Odakyu Dept. Store above Odakyu Station. 727-1111) Open 10-20. Closed irr. Tue.]
Takahara Shoten Main Store (1-31-17 Morino, Machida-shi 194_0022; Take first street beyond northeast end of Odakyu platform northwest about 4 blocks, turn left beyond Machida City offices, a right at the end and a left at the first corner (yellow sign). 2 blocks west of
Sundai. 725-7554, Fax 721-2650; info@takahara.co.jp) “Large used bookstore. 4 floors. Great bargains but the discount policy is confusing. Relocated May ’01. Most foreign books in small room on 1F. Shinjuku branch (Kosho Center) now closed.” Closed 3rd Wed monthly.
Libro Machida (1-14-17 Morino; 7F Seiyu. North side of Odakyu Machida West Exit. 726-0570; HQ Ikebukuro) “General bookstore, strong in art and culture. Some foreign books: paperbacks and art volumes.” Open
10-22.
Sanseido Machida (6-3-17 Hara-Machida; 7F Tokyu Machida And You, southeast side of JR/Odakyu Junction. 727-5701, Fax 727-5739; HQ Jimbocho) Rich collection of Japanese books but very few foreign books.”
Yurindo Lumine Machida (6-1-11 Hara-Machida; 7F Lumine, east side of JR tracks, 723-3018, Fax 723-7046; HQ Yokohama) “Strong in technical, educational material. Some foreign magazines. Total 3
tall shelves foreign paperbacks, books on Japan, language texts.”
Kumazawa Shoten Sagamihara (3-8-1 Sagami-Ono, Sagamihara-shi, Kanagawa-ken 228_0803; 6F Mylord, above Odakyu platform. 767-1326) “General bookstore. 1 shelf foreign books.” Open 10-21.
Books Ami (3-9-1 Sagami-Ono; Northwest side of Sagami-Ono Junction. Enter from pedestrian deck. 743-0250) “General bookstore. Some foreign books 3F.” Open 10-23, -22 Sat, -21 Sun, Hol. Closed Jan 1st.
Kinokuniya Sagamihara Isetan (4-4-3 Sagami-Ono; 6F Isetan A-kan. 4 minutes from station. 745-2811, Fax 745-0611; HQ Shinjuku) “Rather small store for Kinokuniya. Small science section, more emphasis on hobby, culture and art. (They should know that the Kinokuniya book cover gives status to the Odakyu passenger.) About 1 shelf foreign books, not much more than the nearby rivals.” Open 10-19:30.
Nellie’s Sagamihara Bookstore (15-15-2F Matsugae-cho, Sagamihara-shi 228_0813; Take the exit on the east (right) side of
Odakyu-Sagamihara, enter gate, pass Ito-Yokado, proceed to big green sign. 5 minutes from station. 744-0031, Fax 744-8897;
HQ Asakusabashi) “Specialist of English-language textbooks, teaching aids. Owner and store name has changed: Mr. Harrington,
founder of ‘The English Resource’ has retired from the book trade and now authors books on rhetoric. ‘The English Resource’ still exists as a web site that provides classroom hints and hiring notices: http://englishresource.com/” Open 10-18. Closed Sat, Sun.
CLOSED! Grimm (children’s books; Odakyu Higashi-Rinkan) closed Oct. ’06. BUT they still sell books online (http://www.d6.dion.ne.jp/~grimm ).
BANKRUPTCY! Note: Yohan, major distributor of foreign books and magazines went bankrupt July 31st ’08. Many stores were totally dependent on Yohan for foreign publications. For books, alternate channels are becoming available, but magazines pose a big problem, for they require weekly or monthly shipments. It will take some time for other companies to get established.
Online bookstore:
EDUCATION IN JAPAN COMMUNITY Blog 
[…] Updates: More bookstores listed […]