Kyoto Shopping

Book shopping in Kyoto

  1. A

    Junkudō

    On the 5th to 8th floors of the BAL building, right downtown, this is one of Kyoto’s best bookshops. The 7th floor has a good selection of English books and a smaller selection of books in other European languages. It also stocks English-language manga, magazines, Lonely Planet travel guides, and Japanese-language textbooks and reference books.

    reviewed

  2. B

    Rakushi-kan

    Rakushi-kan offers paper-making workshops on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays, with sessions at 1pm, 2pm, 3pm and 4pm. The one-hour course costs from ¥1000 for making sheets of washi, business cards or postcards. Reservations in Japanese should be made a week in advance and courses are held for groups of five or more.

    reviewed

  3. C

    Kamiji Kakimoto

    A close second to Morita Washi as our favourite washi shop in Kyoto. It’s got such unusual items as washi computer printer paper and washi wallpaper. It’s very close to Ippo-dō tea shop, with which it makes a very good double bill.

    reviewed

  4. D

    Morita Washi

    A short walk from the Shijō-Karasuma crossing, this place sells a fabulous variety of handmade washi (Japanese paper) for reasonable prices. It’s one of our favourite shops in Kyoto for souvenirs.

    reviewed

  5. E

    Green E Books

    This small bookstore has a decent selection of used books. It also organises a variety of interesting events in town.

    reviewed

  6. F

    Random Walk

    In the Teramachi shopping arcade, this is the best English-language bookshop in town. There is a good selection of Lonely Planet guidebooks and maps, English manga, books on Japan, art books, novels etc.

    reviewed