Tokyo Book Cafe Transports Customers Back to Showa Era; Shop in Shimbashi District Offers 6,000 Books, Manga of Various Genres

By Masaki Shishido / Yomiuri Shimbun Staff Writer

16:18 JST, January 20, 2025

Tokyo’s Shimbashi district is sometimes referred to as “a holy site for company employees,” as there are many restaurants and shops where people can spend their time after work. One such shop is a unique cafe called Showa Book Cafe.

Located on the third floor of the New Shimbashi Building, the entrance of the shop displays the cafe’s name on a paper sign alongside photos of Japanese idols.

As I entered the cafe, I passed by stacks of used books, which customers can buy. Inside, there are bookshelves and large tables, similar to a manga cafe.

The selection of books — manga, sports and history books, as well as photo books featuring idols — focuses on the Showa era (1926-1989).

The cafe has about 6,000 books and manga of various genres. For me, as someone born in the Heisei era (1989-2019), I’ve heard of many of the books, but I’ve never actually held them.

Seiichi Suzuki, the owner of the cafe, said Tetsuya Chiba is one of his favorite manga artists.

“I initially started liking him because he drew female characters really well, but now, as I’m rereading his works, I like the characters who are about my age,” Suzuki said.

Among Chiba’s works, Suzuki recommended “Shiden-kai no Taka.” The series, published around the 1960s, depicts the life of a fighter pilot during World War II.

There are only six volumes, but it changes from a war chronicle to a story that shows the tragic nature of war, expressing the artist’s message.

Suzuki said he had dreamed of opening a cafe for years while he was working for a company in the Nishi-Shimbashi area of Tokyo.

He established a company called Shimbashi Daisuki, and in November 2020, about six months after quitting his previous job, Suzuki opened the cafe.

He uses the cafe as a way to introduce people to manga he loves, and on his business card, he describes himself as a “collector” of books and other goods.

About 10% of the books in the cafe are from his own collection from years ago, but to open the shop, Suzuki increased his collection by visiting used bookstores nationwide.

The cafe serves food and alcohol. It also has a large screen and a karaoke machine. Many customers come to the cafe for business meetings or to work outside the office.

Suzuki says he is proud of the cold beer he serves at the cafe.

“Beer tasted better in the Showa era,” he said. “I stick to the brands and methods of serving beer that made me want to order more in those days.”

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Showa Book Café

Address: 2-16-1 Shimbashi, Minato Ward, Tokyo

Access: A 1-minute walk from Shimbashi Station of JR, Ginza, Toei Asakusa and Yurikamome lines

Hours: Open from 9:30 a.m. to 11 p.m. on weekdays, noon to 7 p.m. on Saturdays and national holidays. Closed on Sundays.