A bookstore in Jimbocho neighborhood in Japan. Photo by Shutterstock/VTT Studio
Tokyo’s Jimbocho in Japan has been named the world’s coolest neighborhood by editors at British magazine Time Out, which described the district as a “bibliophile nirvana.”
Home to around 130 secondhand and rare bookstores, Jimbōchō draws book lovers to shops such as Isseido Booksellers and Kitazawa Bookstore, highlighted by Time Out as ideal starting points for a day of browsing.
The area is also known for its café culture and classic Japanese curry houses.
“The hangout of choice for generations of Tokyo intellectuals, Jimbocho is a historic university enclave and a bibliophile nirvana that enjoys a charmed existence just a quick stroll away from the city’s high-powered business districts,” the magazine wrote.
To compile the list, the magazine asked its network of writers and editors across a breadth of cities to nominate the “vibiest” district in their hometown right now. It then ranked each neighborhood against criteria including culture, community, liveability, nightlife, food and drink, and street life.
Japan was named the world’s most favorite travel destination by readers of Condé Nast Traveler in the 2024 edition of the magazine’s annual Readers’ Choice Awards. It logged more than 36.8 million tourist arrivals last year.
In the first eight months of the year, Japan’s visitor arrivals soared 18.2% from a year earlier to 28.4 million.
Time Out’s top 10 coolest neighborhoods for 2025:
1. Jimbōchō, Tokyo, Japan
2. Borgerhout, Antwerp, Belgium
3. Barra Funda, São Paulo, Brazil
4. Camberwell, London, United Kingdom
5. Avondale, Chicago, United States
6. Mullae-dong, Seoul, South Korea
7. Ménilmontant, Paris, France
8. Nakatsu, Osaka, Japan
9. Vallila, Helsinki, Finland
10. Labone, Accra, Ghana