More Days at the Morisaki Bookshop

Content Warning: This section of the guide includes discussion of illness and pregnancy loss and termination.

The Jimbocho neighborhood of Tokyo is the primary setting of More Days at the Morisaki Bookshop. The neighborhood is defined by its many bookstores and its welcoming atmosphere: “Dubbed the ‘City of Books,’ Jimbocho has long attracted students, locals, and tourists from all over the world. Less than a 20-minute walk from the Imperial Palace, Jimbocho is home to around 200 bookstores that neighbor one another on every street” (Ocneanu, Stephana. “Tokyo’s Jimbocho Book District Is ‘Heaven on Earth.’” Medill School of Journalism, 5 Nov. 2024). Jimbocho is home to hundreds of bookstores and restaurants, making it a welcoming neighborhood to book lovers. Its proximity to the Imperial Palace is explored in the novel, as Takako and Satoru stop there on a walk. This physical closeness to a seat of historical power subtly contrasts with the quiet, emotional power found within Jimbocho’s bookstores—especially the Morisaki Bookshop, where transformation occurs through story rather than authority.

The history of the Jimbocho neighborhood is steeped in scholarship due to its proximity to local universities: “During the Meiji period, many universities were built around the Jimbocho area, in Chiyoda City. To cater to the students, booksellers purchased used academic textbooks and resold them. As the shops multiplied, Jimbocho transformed into a used bookstore district” (Ocneanu). Over time, the stores evolved to serve a larger clientele, as can be seen in More Days at the Morisaki Bookshop. The customers that visit the Morisaki Bookshop make up a diverse community with their own personal interests in literature and book collecting. This reflects the novel’s recurring theme of The Personal Nature of Reading—each visitor searches for something different, whether a specific title or an emotional escape. The setting, then, becomes an extension of the characters’ inner lives.

Part of the beauty of Jimbocho is the unique identity of the shops, each specializing in specific books and genres: “Today, Jimbocho has organically evolved to cater to new visitors. Select stores specialize in book and magazine collections in different languages, such as German, Russian and Chinese” (Ocneanu). In Jimbocho, there is a bookshop for every reader and collector. The Morisaki Bookshop is a shop that specializes in modern Japanese literature but also carries many older, rare books. The shop’s eclectic catalog mirrors Takako’s emotional journey: rooted in tradition, shaped by personal pain, and always open to rediscovery.