Daishodo is very much a family owned bookshop, and while it may not have the musty air of the Kobayashi’s suburban bookshop portrayed in Haruki Murakami’s novel Norwegian Wood, it retains the old world charm of 1920s Taisho Japan from when the bookstore was first opened. Its small footprint gives an intimacy that is intensified when you find that rare print that you were always searching for, but can’t scream out loud with joy for want of shaking the ghosts of these monumental masters.
The joy of this bookstore extends beyond books, and their collection of Karuta, (Japanese traditional card games), Ukiyo e (woodblock prints), Sōsaku-Hanga (creative prints), Shin Hanga (new prints), and old match labels are all there in brilliant condition for your enjoyment and edification.
