The south side of Shinjuku Station is also a good spot to shop for English-language books. Immediately to the south of the main Takashimaya Times Square building you’ll find a large branch of the Kinokuniya bookstore chain.
The South Shinjuku branch of Kinokuniya stands in its own annex building connected by pedestrian walkways to Takashimaya Times Square. The store is about halfway between Shinjuku and Yoyogi stations.
The main draw at this Kinokuniya is its impressive selection of English books, which is even larger than the Kinokuniya flagship store. The flagship is located a few blocks northeast of Shinjuku Station and is generally more crowded. Apart from the foreign-language books, though, they feature much of the same material.
The sixth floor of the South Shinjuku branch has a range of English-language fiction, nonfiction including travel guides and books about Japan, as well as children’s books, magazines and comics including manga. You’ll find everything from Stephen King novels to kanji character study guides.
In addition to stocking the works of prominent Japanese authors such as Haruki Murakami and Yukio Mishima, Kinokuniya also holds author readings and book signings, with recent writers including Kazuo Ishiguro, Barry Lancet and Hanya Yanagihara.
Kinokuiniya also carries books in French, Italian, German and Spanish. There’s a Tully’s café on the third floor to enjoy your books with coffee.
Kinokuniya Shinjuku South Location Map
Address: Takashimaya Times Square Annex 6th floor, 5-24-2 Sendagaya, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo 151-0051
Phone: 03-5361-3316
Article by Tim Hornyak. All rights reserved.