Jinbōchō

Many second-hand shops stand on the south side of Yasukuni-dōri facing north, a custom meant to keep sunlight off the books. The area became a book town in the late 19th century, when schools and universities opened nearby. After a large fire in 1913, a former teacher named Shigeo Iwanami opened a bookshop here that grew into the Iwanami Shoten publishing house. Beyond books, the district is known for its many curry restaurants, old-style coffee houses and long-established Chinese restaurants.