A large bookshelf suddenly appears along Yasukuni-dori in Jimbocho. The bookshelves continue no matter how far you walk, making you feel as if you are walking through a corridor of books. Men and women of all ages walk slowly down Yasukuni-dori, facing the bookshelves intently. It's a sight that makes you feel that autumn has come to Tokyo.

This year, the Kanda Used Book Festival (hereafter referred to as the Used Book Festival) will be held from October 25th to November 4th, 2024. The annual Used Book Festival has become a seasonal autumn event, attracting many book lovers and people who love Jimbocho.

Jimbocho, one of the world's leading second-hand bookstore districts

Jimbocho is also known as the "town of books." As its name suggests, it is an area with a high concentration of second-hand bookstores, which is rare even on a global scale.

Its roots as a book town go back to the Meiji period. At the time, many educational institutions, including Meiji University, were built near Jimbocho, and the area transformed into a student town. Students began to seek out textbooks and other books, and bookstores began to line the streets of Jimbocho, which led to the area becoming a "book town."

Currently, there are said to be about 130 second-hand bookstores in Jimbocho. The genres they handle are diverse, ranging from bookstores that mainly sell novels and manga, to bookstores that specialize in law and philosophy, to bookstores that sell film reviews and plays.

Just by walking through the town and stepping into a small second-hand bookstore, you can come into contact with diverse cultures and become immersed in the charm of a new culture. Jimbocho is a town with a mysterious charm.

During the secondhand book festival, many stalls are set up in Jimbocho. The stalls are lined with books ranging from bestsellers to classics, and some stores even sell movie posters from half a century ago, scrolls and seals used during the Meiji period. There are often treasures hidden away only known to those in the know, so you can experience the feeling of searching for your own treasure.

11 days to experience not only books but also the culture of Jimbocho

The culture of Jimbocho can also be seen through its food. The Kanda area, including Jimbocho, is said to be one of the most competitive curry areas in Tokyo, with many restaurants, including the famous European Curry Bondi. Every year, during the second-hand book festival, the Kanda Curry Grand Prix is held to decide the best curry in the Kanda area, attracting many curry fans.

Another unique charm of Jimbocho is the connection between food and history. The famous tempura restaurant "Hachimaki" is known as a long-established restaurant frequented by many writers, including Edogawa Ranpo. At the old-fashioned beer hall "Lunchon," you can eat "Beef Pie," a menu item created at the request of literary scholar Yoshida Kenichi.

The affordable food and restaurant atmosphere give you a sense of the many cultural figures who left behind many works, which shows the depth of culture that Jimbocho has.

The culture that Jimbocho has nurtured remains quietly in various forms such as shops and buildings. As you walk through the corridor of books created for the secondhand book festival, you can trace the history and culture that Jimbocho has protected. The secondhand book festival is not just a place to encounter books, but also a festival where you can feel the culture of Jimbocho up close.

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第64回 東京名物 神田古本まつり 
住所：神田神保町古書店街(靖国通り沿い・神田神保町交差点他)
 
開催期間：2024年10月25日〜 11月4日 
HP：https://jimbou.info/news/20240920.html 
SNS：https://twitter.com/kanda_kosho 
※開催時間などの詳細は上記のリンク先にてご確認ください。