We spent a very pleasant afternoon yesterday searching for bargains at the used book fair near Demachiyanagi. The books are largely Japanese of course, but there are some English books in there, plus many art books and Ukiyo-e prints etc. I actually found a huge treasure trove of English Literature all selling at very reasonable prices, and had to restrain myself from buying more books than I have space for (or time to read). In the end I settled for the two above plus a slim volume of Auden’s verse. Mewby picked up a couple of short story collections too. The book fair continues until, August 16th and is worth a visit even in this intense summer heat, as it is noticeably cooler under the trees of Tadasu no Mori where the fair is situated. If you can’t make it this time there will be another fair from October 31st – November 4th at the Chion Temple near Hyakumanben. Details below:
Summer Antiquarian Book Fair (August 11 – 16)
10:00 – 17:30 (until 16:00 on the last day)
Access: Kyoto City Bus #205, get off at Shimogamo-jinja-mae (map)
Tel: 075 231 2971
Link (Japanese)
Autumn Antiquarian Book Fair (October 31 – November 4)
Chion-ji Temple
10 am to 5 pm
Access: Ten minutes walk east of Keihan Demachiyanagi Station, or 3 minutes from the Hyakumanben bus stop. (map).