Hon no Machi September 2026 Issue (Vol. 17) — Now Available Free at Member Shops from August 10

Thank you, as always, for reading Hon no Machi. The lingering summer heat continues, but little by little the evening breeze carries a hint of autumn.

The September issue (Vol. 17) of the monthly Hon no Machi was published on August 10.

Highlights of This Issue

In Search of Yojiro Shimamura’s Paintings, Final Installment: The “Flophouse Series”

Naoko Shimamura’s series reaches its final installment, taking up the “Flophouse Series” of paintings of cheap lodging houses, including Woman Addicted to Philopon (a methamphetamine).

Keiko Kishi, Gagarin and the Rehabilitation of Sorge

Tetsuro Kato traces the behind-the-scenes story of 1964, the year the Soviet Union acknowledged the Sorge affair.

ELLI’s Town Walks Visits Sakaiya Sports

Jimbocho’s sporting goods store Sakaiya Sports, introduced in photos and text.

▶ Read “Photographer ELLI’s Town Walks” #16: Sakaiya Sports on the web

Contents of This Issue

• My Apprenticeship in Old Books (13): The Most Boring Year of My Life / Inuhiko Yomota
• Engraved Memories (5): The Town Called Ueno / Gen Yamanaka
• Architectural Walks Around Kanda (3): Century Tower / Jun Kanda
• From the Study of an International History Detective (11): Keiko Kishi, Gagarin and the Rehabilitation of Sorge / Tetsuro Kato
• Contribution / Junko Iedokoro
• Jimbocho and Me (16): Selling Beyond the Storefront / Ryosuke Sakota
• Book Lovers of the Old-Book District (5): Toshitaka Horikiri / Ken Kayahara
• A Mini Theater with a Café and Bookshelves (5): A British Film About a Scramble for Whisky / Tadashi Koyama
• Curtain Calls in Full Bloom (8): Enjoying Not Understanding / Hiroshi Takahagi
• Notebook of Sounds (12): Elektra, a Reminder of the Power of the Stage / Marsha Lin
• ELLI’s Town Walks (16): Sakaiya Sports / Eri Ito
• In Search of Yojiro Shimamura’s Paintings (12, final installment): The Flophouse Series / Naoko Shimamura
• New Whimsical Journal of Art (History) (17): Shunsuke Stands in Jimbocho!? (3) / Hiroaki Goto
• Postwar Scenes Around Jimbocho (9): Why Is Otahime Inari Shrine Called “Hitokuchi Inari”? / Shigeru Owada
• There’s No Hobby as Wonderful as Jazz! (81) / Kazuyuki Iida
• Early Photographs of Edo Castle and Its Surroundings (84) / Atsushi Shimizu

Cover: Gen Yamanaka, “One Form”
This issue also includes notices for the Shakespeare Gallery exhibition “Iwao Hagiya + Photographs of 1920s Paris” (August 20–September 18, 2026) and AMMON TOKYO’s “Akane Sumi Solo Exhibition” (September 4–26).

Publication Details

• Issue: Monthly Hon no Machi, September 2026 issue (Vol. 17)
• Publication date: August 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)

Printed copies are distributed at member shops. To find a pickup point near you, see our member shop list or area map.

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