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  4. Sakaiya Sports, Jimbocho: A Specialty Store for Mountaineering and Climbing Gear | Photographer ELLI’s Town Walks #16

Sakaiya Sports, Jimbocho: A Specialty Store for Mountaineering and Climbing Gear | Photographer ELLI’s Town Walks #16

Hon no Machi — Jimbocho Book Town Guide
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Three minutes’ walk from Jimbocho Station, Sakaiya Sports is a large specialty store for mountaineering and outdoor gear. It carries equipment not only for hiking and mountaineering but also for trail running and climbing, and this year it brought together under one roof, at the main store, the merchandise that had been split among its “Wear,” “Shoes” and “Climbing” buildings. Photographer ELLI spoke with sales chief Shinya Suga. (From the September 2026 issue of Hon no Machi, “Photographer ELLI’s Town Walks” installment 16)

Shinya Suga, sales chief at Sakaiya Sports
Sales chief Shinya Suga (photos by Eri Ito unless otherwise noted)

“The strength of a real store is that we can share knowledge from firsthand experience with our customers—things you can’t fully look up with AI.”

—Shinya Suga, sales chief

In this series, ELLI visits shops in Kanda and Jimbocho. Installment 16 features Sakaiya Sports, a huge specialty store for mountaineering and the outdoors.

A Trusty Ally for Climbing and Mountaineering

About the Shop: A Main Store Where You Can Find Everything in One Place

Exterior of Sakaiya Sports
A three-minute walk from Jimbocho Station

Starting this year, the store was revamped so that all the merchandise previously divided among its “Wear,” “Shoes” and “Climbing” buildings is now sold at the main store. Being able to get everything in one place is a big part of its appeal.

The climbing gear section
A wide selection of climbing gear
The mountaineering boots section
The range of footwear meets needs for every use and size
The mountaineering boots section
A variety of brands, too

Signature Items: From Bouldering to Beating the Heat

A bouldering wall
There is also a well-stocked sport climbing corner, including gear for bouldering, which is popular with children and adults alike

You can buy all kinds of outdoor goods that even non-hikers will want, such as parasols and other gear for beating the heat, bear deterrents, sports sunglasses and trail meals.

Gear for beating the heat
Gear for beating the heat
Bear and insect repellent goods
Bear and insect repellent goods
The backpack section
Plenty of backpacks, too
Ultralight down pants
Ultralight down pants, developed with NANGA, ideal for mountain walks in spring, summer and fall

Women, who used to make up about 20 percent of customers, now account for nearly half, and more and more visitors from overseas who are aiming to climb Mt. Fuji are coming in, too.

About the Shop: Sales Chief Shinya Suga

Suga himself has serious experience in mountaineering, trail running and climbing.

He described his ideal: “I want to be able to offer the same level of service to everyone, and I want this to be a store with staff that customers want to come and consult.”

Suga at the summit of Mt. Jiigatake
Suga at the summit of Mt. Jiigatake (photo courtesy of Suga)
Suga ice climbing
Ice climbing (photo courtesy of Suga)

Shop Information

Sakaiya Sports
A three-minute walk from Jimbocho Station
▶View on Google Maps
*Please check hours and other details with the shop before you visit.

Photographer ELLI’s Town Walks　All installments

#1　Luncheon
#2　The Adirondack Café
#3　Hasebe
#4　Toyodaen & Daisen
#5　@Wonder
#6　Book House Cafe
#7　Kissa Hotaka
#8　Mamekobo
#9　Banuken
#10　Asanoya
#11　Yamagataya Paper Shop
#12　Kissa Poupée
#13　Ochanomizu Hotel Shoryukan
#14　Kanda Awahei
#15　Daiki Shoe Store
#16　Sakaiya Sports (this article)
#17　Fuji Record Sha
▶See every installment and a map of the shops ELLI has visited on the series page

Eri Ito (ELLI)
Photographer. She writes the series “Photographer ELLI’s Town Walks” for Hon no Machi, visiting a different shop in Kanda, Ochanomizu and Jimbocho every month.

This article introduces installment 16 of “Photographer ELLI’s Town Walks” (photos and text by Eri Ito), published in the September 2026 issue of Hon no Machi, the community salon magazine of Kanda, Ochanomizu and Jimbocho.

Founded in 1980, Hon no Machi brings you the latest from Book Town every month, together with Jimbocho’s bookstores, publishers, cafés and galleries.

▶Back issues of our series are being published on our note page (in Japanese)

日本語で読む — Read this article in Japanese