Jinbōchō, Tokyo
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jinbōchō (神保町?) 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-dori and Hakusan-dori, above Jinbōchō 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.
[edit] 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.
[edit] Popular culture
The anime series Read or Die and its sequel R.O.D the TV have parts of a storyline situated in Jinbōchō.
