Sabouru
Jimbocho, Tokyo
Sabouru is a decades-old coffee shop in the book district that looks like a mountain hut, vines outside and carved wood inside. Blue walls, red lamps and a menu that hasn't changed make it one of the most atmospheric old cafes in Tokyo.
Insider tip
It opens at 9:30am and closes on Sundays. Pair a coffee with a morning of book hunting in the Jimbocho shops across the street.
What the guides say about Sabouru
Jimbocho, 15 minutes east, is Tokyo's book town and its curry capital. Curry Bondy and Sumatra Curry Kyoeido are two of the classics, and Sabouru, a 1955 coffee shop of carved wood and red lamps, is where you go for an iced coffee. The Jimbocho neighbourhood guide has more.
What's on near Sabouru
Upcoming events within a ten-minute walk of Sabouru, from the weekly Tokyo events calendar.
Kanda Used Book Festival
神田古本まつり
Time 10:00 to 18:00 Station Jimbocho (Toei Mita, Shinjuku, Hanzomon Lines), 1 min walk
The world's largest secondhand-book district puts hundreds of thousands of volumes out on the street each autumn, with stalls lining Yasukuni-dori beside the permanent bookshops. Old maps, ukiyo-e prints, and out-of-print photo books turn up alongside bargain carts.
Kanda Used Book Festival (66th Jimbocho Book Festival)
第66回 東京名物 神田古本まつり
Time 10:00 to 18:00 Station Jimbocho (Toei Mita/Shinjuku Lines, Tokyo Metro Hanzomon Line), 1 min walk
The 66th edition of the Kanda Used Book Festival takes place from October 23 to November 1, 2026, along the Jimbocho secondhand bookstore district. The organisers have set opening hours of 10:00 to 18:00 for the run of the festival. Hundreds of thousands of secondhand and antiquarian books are laid out on outdoor tables and stalls along Yasukuni-dori, making it one of the largest used-book events in the country.
Jimbocho Theater: 80s Nostalgia III
神保町シアター「80年代ノスタルジアⅢ」
Time Showtimes about 11:00 to 19:15, vary by film Station Jimbocho (Toei Mita, Shinjuku lines), 3 min walk
Film programme of 1980s Japanese films, each screening for one week with seven showtimes.
Young Shigeru Mura (Mizuki Shigeru) and the War
秋の企画展「青年 武良 茂（水木しげる）と戦争」
Time 10:00 to 17:30 (last entry 17:00); closed Mondays (open 12 Oct and 23 Nov), 13 Oct and 24 Nov Station Kudanshita (Hanzomon, Tozai, Shinjuku lines), exit 6, 1 min walk
A free exhibition at the national museum of the war wounded on manga artist Shigeru Mizuki's army years and his wounds in Rabaul, told through his drawings, personal papers and film.
Meiji University and the Hill Top Hotel (Yamanoue Hotel) exhibition
企画展「明治大学と山の上ホテル」
Time Follows Meiji University Museum hours Station Ochanomizu (JR, Marunouchi Line) or Jimbocho, about 5 min walk
Special exhibition on the university's ties to the Hill Top Hotel in Surugadai, shown in the campus special exhibition room.
Smaller local events nearby
Jimbocho Book Festival Market
24 to 25 Oct · Kanda Suzuran-dori, Sakura-dori and the Jimbocho Mitsui Building plaza
Publishers set up book stalls along Suzuran-dori and Sakura-dori, with a children's book area and a food court that close at 17:00.
Free · 10:00 to 18:00 · Map · Source: Jimbocho Book Festival Executive Committee · 第34回 神保町ブックフェスティバル(実行委員会主催)
Yasukuni-dori and Hakusan-dori illuminations in Jimbocho Illumination
1 Dec to 11 Jan (dates to be confirmed) · Yasukuni-dori from Senshu-mae to Sudacho crossing, and Hakusan-dori from the Iwanami Building plaza at Jimbocho crossing
About 100,000 LEDs on the Yasukuni-dori sidewalk planting through the book town, plus street-tree lights and Christmas decorations at the Jimbocho crossing.
Free · Evenings · Map · Source: Koho Chiyoda No.1652, 20 Nov 2025; organiser 南神実業会 · Yasukuniイルミネーション（靖国通り・白山通り）
Nearby
Around Jimbocho
Tokyo's book town, fuelled by curry and old coffee houses
Jimbocho is the largest second-hand book district in the world, with around 130 bookshops on a few blocks, from rare woodblock prints to 100-yen paperback carts. Between the shelves you'll find some of Tokyo's oldest coffee houses and the densest cluster of curry restaurants in the city, and that's what the book trade has run on for a century.
Jimbocho has 7 places on the Roam Tokyo map: 3 cafes, 2 shops and 2 restaurants. Read the Jimbocho guide.
Good to know
- How do I get to Sabouru?
- The nearest station is Jimbocho (Metro). Sabouru is in Jimbocho, Tokyo.
- How much does Sabouru cost?
- Sabouru is cheap, marked ¥ on the site's price scale.
- How long do you need at Sabouru?
- Plan for 1 hour.
- When is the best time to visit Sabouru?
- Mornings.
Stay near Sabouru
Browse live availability and compare prices around Jimbocho.
Median US$236 a night across 78 listings within 1.8 km for a two-night stay a month out, sampled 20 October 2026. Cheapest quarter under US$177. See the weekly index for every neighbourhood.
See hotels near Sabouru on Booking.comPrices are for the night of Saturday 24 October. You can change the dates on Booking.com. If you book, Roam Tokyo earns a small commission from Stay22 at no extra cost to you.