Shōwa Guide Tokyo is a tour through Japan’s mid-century restaurants, kissaten, bars, and hotels that managed to survive earthquakes, firebombs, and urban redevelopment (along with a few that didn’t).

The best and worst thing about Tokyo is that it’s always expanding and changing. There is never a dull day exploring the city — but at the same time, your favorite places can disappear without warning.

Shōwa Guide Tokyo is the culmination of a years-long attempt to catalog the city’s establishments dating from Shōwa Period (1926-1989) — a formative period when Japan absorbed Western influences but hadn’t quite mastered the details.

This hybridization resulted in what is now an extremely unique Japanese culture of yōshoku diners, woody kissaten cafes, nostalgic cake shops, and red brick cocktail bars. The book covers hundreds of Shōwa Period spots in Tokyo, as well as some of the best across the country from warm Kyushu to freezing Hokkaido.

Shōwa spots are critically endangered! In truth at least a dozen of the best disappeared in the process of writing this book. Shōwa Guide Tokyo thus serves as both a practical guide to finding the best places to relive Shōwa Japan but also as a record to preserve their eternal memory.

Ian Lynam Design art directed the book, setting typographic standards and customizable templates for the production designer.

We also designed the cover, which was embossed with hot gold foil. Pick up your copy here: https://www.tableofcontents.jp/products/showa-guide-tokyo