Tokyo Chiyoda Ward and Kanda-Jimbocho

Kanda-Jimbocho: But proprietor Kimio Koketsu of the 133-year-old business in the Kanda-Jimbocho neighborhood of Tokyo Chiyoda Ward, would rather have customers step into his overflowing store to savor the work, according to Asahi Shimbun. The iconic work is just one of thousands of prints, maps and books that the bookseller family has amassed over generations--a horde that dwarfs what the shop website might suggest. "It kind of a living museum, and one without an entrance fee," says Koketsu of his shop, which maintains an old, cluttered atmosphere and has spread into several nearby storerooms. "Tourists are constantly photographing the displays in the window and stepping in to have a look. It can be done with just a click of a mouse from the Ohya-Shobo bookstore website. But very few of them actually to buy--at least at first. Located along the main Yasukuni-dori boulevard, Ohya-Shobo is one of more than 150 establishments dealing in secondhand books that have earned the Kanda-Jimbocho district its reputation as "Book Town." The shops there draw visitors from around the world and offer everything from antiquarian works to baseball manga, porn and basement band flyers. But hopefully, they'll leave with an impression that will eventually translate into business one day," he says, either when they return or search over the Internet. (news.financializer.com). As reported in the news.