- Jinbōchō, Tokyo
nihongo|Jinbōchō|神保町| is a neighborhood of
Chiyoda, Tokyo ,Japan , known as Tokyo's center of used-book stores andpublishing houses, and as a popular antique and curio shopping area.The center of Jinbōchō is at the crossing of Yasukuni-dōri and Hakusan-dōri, above
Jimbōchō Station on theTokyo Metro Hanzōmon Line ,Toei Mita Line andToei 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 nihongo|Kanda-Jinbōchō|神田神保町|, and is part of the former ward of Kanda.
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'sIwanami 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.
Companies
Many companies are located within Jinbōchō, including the headquarters of
Tōkyōdō Shoten , a retail book chain.External links
*Ja [http://jimbou.info/ Jimbou: Book Town]
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