But I am kept so busy hunting for cameras that I rarely have time to hunt for books. Fortunately Andrea Taurisano has been kind enough to put together this brilliant guide to hunting For photo books in Tokyo. So you love Japanese photography books, or photo books in general, and wonder where you can find some really nice ones in Tokyo. Well, so did I and many other geeks before me.
While some are specialized on subjects like history, art, manga or even public transport, very few bookstores have any photography section worth mentioning.
All places mentioned below are pinpointed on this map. The staircase that leads to this tiny bookstore 2nd floor is between a massage centre and an adult magazine store. They have a few meters of shelves with photo books, about half of which by Japanese photographers and half by well-known international names. The first room you enter houses their vast photography section. This store has a fine art section on the 4th floor where they also sell silver gelatin prints by great artists.
For about Signed, of course. This bookstore has English-speaking attendants, classic music in the background and a relaxed atmosphere. A true gem. Among these, I spotted some titles that have become really difficult to find, for example some work by Robert Frank. Worth a visit, in other words. It lies on Yasukuni Dori, just next to Starbucks a few hundred meters east of the main book district. The staff speak a bit English too and will gladly help you find some hidden gems.
More hunting ground for photo book enthusiasts is at Ebisu, where three places are absolute musts. Tokyo Metropolitan Museum of Photography , at Ebisu Garden, is closed for renovation until autumn , but has always featured a stunning book store with cafeteria: Tons of books by both very acknowledged and less known Japanese photographers as well as international masters, lots of photography gadgets, pinhole cameras etc.
