Shibuya · Harajuku · Yoyogi / PLACE
RHYTHM_AND_BOOKS
A Tomigaya used-bookshop where mushroom books sit near foreign picture books, old magazines and music.
Compared with SPBS’s contemporary publishing, the discovery lies in unexpected links among older material.
Visit fitFor comparing images, paper and construction by opening art and design books in person.
The conjunction of a narrow mushroom interest with books and music gives the selection its character.
Czech pop-up books use paper mechanisms; lifestyle magazines connect people with photographs of everyday objects. Arne provides a starting point for reading the lives around the things.
Image info
RHYTHM_AND_BOOKS · resized and croppedMushroom guides and East European picture books
RHYTHM_AND_BOOKS is a used bookshop on the first floor of Hoshi Building in Tomigaya. Its own booksellers' association profile emphasizes illustrated books, mushroom guides, East European picture books, music, film and subculture. Compared with SPBS's contemporary publishing, the interest is older paper, images and less commonly stocked subjects. Picture books and photography provide an accessible starting point when long Japanese texts are difficult.
WHERE · On foot from here
Which side of the station, and how far
South of Yoyogi-koen Station, about 140 m in a straight line from the station point. The position is the official address point and may differ from the entrance. The shaded areas are about 5 and 10 minutes on foot from here.
Walking bands are computed by FOW on the OpenStreetMap surface street network at 80 m/min and drawn as a smoothed approximate area around the streets reached. They ignore exit positions, station interiors, underground passages, signals, slopes and routes inside buildings — not directions; follow on-site signs.
Map data: © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL) · Walking bands: computed by FOW · Station and gate notes: official guidance (2026-10-16)
Arne: a life recorded through objects and people
In his own 2015 Tokyo flea-market introduction, owner Kenji Suzuki selected Czech pop-up books, Showa-era women’s and children’s magazines, Arne, ku:nel and textile material from the 1960s–80s. It places illustrated books beside records of everyday life, beyond the mushroom speciality.
Ayumi Ohashi’s Arne ran from 2002 to its thirtieth issue in 2009. One identifiable example, issue 29 of September 2009, visited Kyoto’s Hyakumanben craft market and Martina Umemura’s home, covering Opal yarn and her Afghanistan support work. It offers people and the uses of objects alongside pictures—a different reading choice from a purely visual art book.
Pictures, language and a book to carry
Open several pages of a picture book or photobook before choosing by its cover. Image size, print condition and the language of the commentary change how you will use it. For visual reference, compare the size of the reproductions; for the lives around objects, look at what a magazine such as Arne adds in the text beside its photographs.
Inspect missing or torn pages and folded pop-up mechanisms in a used copy. A large art book can be rewarding to open but heavy to carry through a trip. Turning the pages lets you judge whether the images and construction remain interesting even in a language you do not read.
From the station to the bookshop
The shop is on the first floor of Hoshi Building at 1-9-15 Tomigaya, two minutes from Yoyogi-koen or three from Yoyogi-hachiman on its own directions. Allow roughly thirty to forty-five minutes to browse.
Before you go
- Hours and fees
- Hoshi Building 1F, 1-9-15 Tomigaya. The shop gives a two-minute walk from Yoyogi-koen and three minutes from Yoyogi-hachiman.
- Good to know
- Check the shop’s opening days and hours before visiting. Enquire with the shop if you are looking for a particular used book.
Sources · image info
- https://harumari.tokyo/spot/4411/harumari.tokyo · as of 2026-10-06
- RHYTHM_AND_BOOKS · shop information · as of 2026-10-19
- https://rhythm-books.com/access/rhythm-books.com · as of 2026-10-06
- https://www.google.com/maps/search/?api=1&query=RHYTHM_AND_BOOKS%201-9-15%20Tomigaya%2C%20Hoshi%20Building1Fwww.google.com · as of 2026-10-06
- RHYTHM_AND_BOOKS bookseller profile · as of 2026-10-19
- Metropolis: Rhythm & Books firsthand account · as of 2026-10-19
- RHYTHM_AND_BOOKS: the owner’s selection · as of 2026-10-19
- Ayumi Ohashi on Arne · as of 2026-10-19
- Arne 29: craft, yarn and Martina Umemura · as of 2026-10-19
- RHYTHM_AND_BOOKS — RHYTHM_AND_BOOKS · resized and cropped