Shinjuku's Kinokuniya Bookstore: Discover Your Next Destination in Japan!

This service includes sponsored advertisements.

Kinokuniya Bookstore in Shinjuku, one of the major bookstores in Tokyo, is an excellent place to find travel information, books on Japanese culture, as well as charming souvenirs. They offer an extensive range of books in various languages, including English. Do stop by when exploring Shinjuku!

Written by

Mayu

Previous experience as an editor at a women's media company in Japan. I lived in Australia for a while and joined MATCHA after returning to Japan. In charge of editing, promoting sponsored content, and creative direction. I love watching Western TV series.

Have Some Extra Sightseeing Time? Let's Head to the Bookstore!

Yearning to travel to Tokyo, you've made your travel plans down to the letter to do everything that you wanted, but now you find yourself with some extra time in your schedule. What is there to do?

Although we naturally recommend looking for information on our travel website, visiting a bookstore is another excellent option. At Tokyo's Kinokuniya Bookstore in Shinjuku, we will have a booth for tourists on the first floor's Books on Japan area for a limited time only - from March 13th to 31st, 2017. Here we will be introducing hidden attractions that can easily be reached on day trips from Shinjuku, and spots where you can enjoy the local atmosphere. By combining books and goods that enable you to experience this atmosphere on a deeper level, visitors to Japan will be better able to find more exciting places to visit during their stay.

Sumo, Art, Stylish Bars - Discover Little Known Spots in the City

This event is a collaboration between Kinokuniya, the Japan National Tourism Organization (JNTO), NAVITIME JAPAN, which develops applications for tourists visiting Japan, and MATCHA, our website for travelers. At this special booth, postcards showing various places in Tokyo will be distributed free of charge (please note, postcards can be obtained by answering questionnaires).

On postcards, attractive spots in Tokyo such as Ryogoku, Koenji, Ameyoko, Oku Shibuya and others will be available. By loading the QR code on the back of the postcard, you can find detailed information on each spot by jumping straight to MATCHA's relevant articles.

If you find a spot you are interested in thanks to this event, you will easily be able to visit it right after stopping by our booth.

There are 12 types of postcards available. Thanks to the input from the helpful staff at Kinokuniya, we have put together special guides to "local Japan", places that visitors might otherwise miss when traveling. For example, the following spots are just some of those found on these postcards.

Near the Home of Sumo, Ryogoku

Ryogoku in Sumida ward is the home of sumo. Ryogoku has Kokugikan Arena, the sumo wrestling arena, numerous sumo stables where the wrestlers reside, and throughout the streets you will encounter sumo strolling about in their distinctive yukata. There are also plenty of restaurants where you can enjoy hot pot dishes like chanko nabe, a popular food for sumo wrestlers.

From Shinjuku, take the JR Sobu line bound for Tsudanuma for about twenty minutes; it costs 220 yen.

Where Artists Congregate - Koenji

Koenji, a city in Suginami ward where musicians and artists gather. It is a lively spot where galleries, live houses, record shops, clothing shops line the streets. There are also many DJ bars and izakaya serving a wide variety of dishes and drinks. In Koenji, you can shop, drink, eat and have lots of fun at any time of day.

From Shinjuku, take the JR Chuo line rapid train for six minutes; it costs 160 yen.

Lots of Stylish Cafes and Bars, Oku Shibuya

Oku Shibuya is a quiet area located about ten minutes on foot from Shibuya Station. It is a hot spot in Tokyo, where trendy cafes and bars are scattered about.

Take the Yamanote line Uchimawari (inner track) and get off at Shibuya Station. It takes about seven minutes and costs 160 yen. From Shibuya Station, it is about a ten minute walk.

Traces of Edo Still Remain Here, Yanaka

Yanaka is located in downtown Taito ward, and is one area of Tokyo where the atmosphere of the Edo era still remains. One of the best things to enjoy here is the food; the Yanaka Ginza shopping street has a rich variety of food shops selling grilled squid and dumplings that visitors can enjoy as they shop.

From Shinjuku, take the Yamanote line Sotomawari (outer track) and get off at Nippori Station. It will take about 20 minutes and cost 200 yen. A five minute walk will bring you from the station to the Yanaka Ginza shopping street.

These places and more are all introduced with beautiful pictures on their postcards. Some, like Yanaka, are not even mentioned in guidebooks, making them truly distinct places to visit. By opening the QR code on these postcards, you just might find a surprising destination that you couldn't have known about otherwise.

These exclusive postcards will only be available from March 13th to 31st, so please don't miss out on this amazing opportunity.

Kinokuniya Bookstore Shinjuku Has Plenty of Sightseeing Information

Kinokuniya Shinjuku, the host of this event, is the largest bookstore in Japan, easily accessed even by first-time visitors to Japan, as it is a mere five minute walk from Shinjuku Station.

Kinokuniya, in addition to our limited-time booth, has an amazing permanent selection of books on Japan for travelers on the first floor. Not only that, but they have a wealth of guidebooks and maps on Japan and others on Japanese culture.

When you come to Japan and wonder where to go or want to get more information on places during your trip, by all means, please visit Kinokuniya's Shinjuku bookstore. You will surely find just what you're looking for.

Travels Starting from Bookstores: Gather Information on Japan Here

For most of your travels until now, you may have thought that the best means of learning about your destination were to exclusively read up on it before actually visiting the place itself.

However, learning about a place once you are there is just as good a way of planning your journey as well. Head to Kinokuniya in Shinjuku when you have some time left during your stay, or when you want to find out more about a particular place. If you come during this limited-time only event, you just might find some unexpected destinations that will make your travels all the more fantastic.

By seeing a place others might never have heard of before, you're sure to have an even more memorable trip to Japan.

Kinokuniya Bookstore Shinjuku Main Store

3-17-7 Shinjuku, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo 160-0022

Written by

Mayu

The information presented in this article is based on the time it was written. Note that there may be changes in the merchandise, services, and prices that have occurred after this article was published. Please contact the facility or facilities in this article directly before visiting. Some of our articles contain affiliate links. We kindly ask our readers to exercise careful judgement when making a purchase or booking a service online.