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In a glass case on the staircase of Komiyama Shoten in Jimbocho lay a manuscript in the hand of a writer she had revered since girlhood. The price: about ¥270,000, or two-thirds of her summer bonus. Editor Tomoe Watanabe writes about her encounter with a Yukio Mishima manuscript and her long relationship with the neighborhood of Jimbocho. (Contribution to Hon no Machi, June 2026 issue)
Watanabe first set foot in Jimbocho as a junior high school student, brought there by her father, who worked for a newspaper. She began visiting the neighborhood in earnest in her thirties, after she married and moved to Kojimachi. She would take her children to the ward library, browse the used bookstores along the way and pick up a few paperbacks, then stop for a break at a fast-food restaurant. She says she treasured those outings.
Then came a moment she would never forget.
While I was working at the newspaper, I found, in the glass case on the staircase leading to the second floor of Komiyama Shoten, a manuscript in the hand of a writer I had revered since girlhood, captivated by his elegant, dazzling prose. I didn’t know then that Komiyama Shoten was famous for handling Mishima’s first editions, manuscripts and letters; I just remember vividly how overwhelmed I was. The price was about ¥270,000, roughly two-thirds of my summer bonus.
In the end, she did not buy the manuscript. She had only recently returned to work, knew all too well how hard money was to earn, and was not confident she could keep working for long. Her natural temperament, to “stop and think before doing anything,” won out over the desire to make it her own. Still, the upper floor was lined with first editions, and she recalls going back many times afterward simply to feast her eyes.
The second half of the essay explores the ties between Yukio Mishima and Jimbocho: his writing at the Hilltop Hotel (Yama no Ue Hotel), which closed in 2024; meetings with an editor, who recalled that Mishima wrote more than a hundred manuscript pages in a single day; and retro landmark cafés still in business today, such as Milonga Nuova and Ladrio. For the “Yukio Mishima Centennial” in 2024, the Museum of Modern Japanese Literature held the exhibition “Yukio Mishima: The Suwa Collection,” which drew many fans.
Sadly, there are few opportunities in Jimbocho to see Mishima’s precious items gathered in one place. I wish an event could be held that brings together his handwritten manuscripts, first editions and more, with the whole used-book district taking part. I think it would also be a perfect chance to show off the presence of the old-book district.
The full article is available in the June issue PDF.
Komiyama Shoten
Kanda-Jimbocho, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo *Please confirm the street number and hours before publication
A renowned shop dealing in Yukio Mishima’s first editions, handwritten manuscripts and letters. Handwritten materials are displayed in the glass case on the staircase leading to the second floor.
Tomoe Watanabe
Editor and writer. After many years as a reporter for a trade magazine specializing in online retail, she served as its editor-in-chief before going freelance. Her books include Tsuhan Gyokai no Doko to Karakuri ga Yoku Wakaru Hon (A Clear Guide to the Trends and Inner Workings of the Mail-Order Industry; Shuwa System, 2008).
This article introduces the contribution “My Encounter with a Yukio Mishima Handwritten Manuscript” by Tomoe Watanabe, published in the June 2026 issue (Vol. 14) of Hon no Machi, the community salon magazine of Kanda, Ochanomizu and Jimbocho.
▶Read the June 2026 issue of Hon no Machi (PDF, in Japanese)
Founded in 1980, Hon no Machi brings you the latest from Book Town every month, together with Jimbocho’s bookstores, publishers, cafés and galleries.
▶ For other series and contributions in Hon no Machi, see All installments
日本語で読む — Read this article in Japanese