Hon no Machi July 2026 Issue (Vol. 15) — Now Available Free at Member Shops from June 10

Thank you, as always, for reading Hon no Machi. The rainy season has arrived. Even on rainy days, Jimbocho is perfect for making the rounds of secondhand bookstores and kissaten, traditional Japanese coffee houses.

The July issue (Vol. 15) of the monthly Hon no Machi was published on June 10.

Highlights of This Issue

New Series: “Architectural Walks Around Kanda”

A new series by Jun Kanda, professor emeritus at the University of Tokyo. The first installment features Nikolai-do Cathedral, the church that watches over Tokyo.

Writers’ Antinuclear Statement and the Japan Education Center (Part 3)

The final part of Shigeru Owada’s three-part series follows the response to the 1982 statement and rally, and what came after.

ELLI’s Town Walks Visits Kanda Awahei

We visited this senbei (rice cracker) shop, founded in 1884, where the word “gekikara” (fiery hot) was born.

▶ Read “Photographer ELLI’s Town Walks” #14: Kanda Awahei on the web

Contents of This Issue

• Architectural Walks Around Kanda (1): Nikolai-do Cathedral / Jun Kanda
• My Apprenticeship in Old Books (11): The Qianlong Emperor on a Bicycle / Inuhiko Yomota
• Engraved Memories (3): The Road Through the Cemetery / Gen Yamanaka
• From the Study of an International History Detective (9): A Toyota Company Newsletter Censored by the Occupation Forces / Tetsuro Kato
• Jimbocho and Me (14): The Post Office Bombing / Ryosuke Sakota
• Chic in Discover (372) / Hiroyuki Suzuki
• Book Lovers of the Old-Book District (3): Toshiro Ueki / Ken Kayahara
• Postwar Scenes Around Jimbocho (8): Writers’ Antinuclear Statement and the Japan Education Center (Part 3) / Shigeru Owada
• A Mini Theater with a Café and Bookshelves (3) / Tadashi Koyama
• Curtain Calls in Full Bloom (6) / Hiroshi Takahagi
• Notebook of Sounds, File 10 / Marsha Lin
• Photographer ELLI’s Town Walks (14): Kanda Awahei / Eri Ito
• Raymonda: The Quintessence of the Art of Ballet / Kaori Kubo
• In Search of Yojiro Shimamura’s Paintings (10) / Naoko Shimamura
• New Whimsical Journal of Art (History) (15): Shunsuke Stands in Jimbocho!? (1) / Hiroaki Goto
• There’s No Hobby as Wonderful as Jazz! (79) / Kazuyuki Iida
• Photo Feature: Japanese Painters and Artists in 1920s Paris, Part 3 / Yoshihiro Mizutani
• Early Photographs of Edo Castle and Its Surroundings (82) / Atsushi Shimizu

Cover: Gen Yamanaka, “Toward Night”

Publication Details

• Issue: Monthly Hon no Machi, July 2026 issue (Vol. 15)
• Publication date: June 10, 2026
• Cover price: ¥150 (tax incl.) — distributed free at member shops
• Publisher: Hon no Machi Editorial Office
• Where to find it: Member shops and other locations in Kanda, Jimbocho and Ochanomizu (list of member shops and pickup points)

The PDF of this issue is available on note.

Earlier issues can be read on our Back Issues page. *Exhibitions, events, shop information, advertisements and other details are as of the original publication date.

日本語で読む — Read this article in Japanese