Hara Shobo

Hara Shobo is an ukiyo-e lover's dream: they have what is arguably one of the city's best collections of woodblock prints from the Edo and Meiji eras, while also offering new prints. The company issues a catalogue, Edo Geijitsu (‘Edo Art’), at least twice (but often up to four times) a year, depending on how many prints they manage to amass. The staff speak good English, and with prices going from the extremely cheap (¥300 for a reprint) to the astronomical (¥2,000,000 and upwards), you'll be sure to find something to suit your taste and budget here. As one of the staff members put it, 'seeing ukiyo-e in this shop is probably more fun than in a museum, because here you actually get to touch them too.' Considering the very detailed explanations (how to spot a good print, the stories behind the prints and so on) they like to give prospective buyers and casual browsers alike, we'd agree. Note that the ground floor is reserved for a variety of non-woodblock related books; head straight to the second floor for the ukiyo-e goods.