Sumida

We’ve done plenty of articles about places and festivals in and around the Asakusa district, usually reinforcing its position as the nexus of historical Tokyo, from the landmark shrine Sensō-Ji and its well-known lantern gate Kaminarimon, to the many winding shopping alleys that emanate like spider webs outward from the grounds, there’s no doubt Asakusa is a must-see for any Japanophile who wants to feel connected to the long exhaustive past life of Japan without leaving Kanto for someplace like Kyoto. But there exists a place within this place that seeks to provide an oasis for us “strangers in a strange land” that creates a very familiar aura of solace and warmth and invites one to slow down for a tick and breathe. Because at Infinity Books, you’ll feel like you’ll have all the time in the world to peruse their small yet expansive trove of secondhand books. Not just a place for books, though… Let’s get this one out the way first: Infinity Books isn’t just any old secondhand bookstore; it’s sometimes the only bookstore for some of us foreigners calling Tokyo home. There used to be many places in the city where one could count on finding an…