Monday 22nd Ono-san guides us through bookshops

After our morning walk, Cindy and Steven took pictures, we had breakfast and headed back to the ryokan where we met up with Ono Masahiro. Ono-san is the fellow who graciously helped me with the kanji and kana in The Anime Companion 2. We had been corresponding since 1998 and I finally met him in the flesh. After introductions we headed out with Ono-san as our guide. First he took us to a used bookshop in this very neighborhood, we would later return to make purchases. Then it was on to Jimbôchô. One neighborhood, 146 bookshops, who could resist. Our first priority was coffee, with directions from a local clerk we soon reached a Tully's, I usually avoid chains but a nonsmoking place was crucial, and at least it was not a Starbuck's. Under the able guidance of Ono-san we were able to locate several shops with interesting selections of books. I found a bilingual manga I did not know existed and Steven picked up a scarce book on famous shrines at a fraction of the price it would have cost in the US. Some of the shops were truly amazing, one entirely devoted to old prints and books with reproductions of woodblock prints made from woodblocks rather than modern methods.

After a late lunch we wandered for a little longer attempting to locate a book Recalling the Treasures of Japanese Cinema and Japanese Anime Classic Collection, a four DVD set of very early anime with no luck. Ono-san called the publisher and obtained directions to their office for me. We then headed to Akihabara as Ono-san wanted to show me some shops in that area that we missed on our earlier visit.