The good news in planning an upcoming trip to Tokyo was that I managed to snag a cushy hotel in Shinjuku for five nights entirely free with reward points. However, the bad news is that I won’t be staying at the amazing Book Hotel in Jimbocho. Located in the heart of Tokyo’s book store district, that has more than 200 bookshops, and just a minute from the Jimbocho metro station, this 32 room gem is a bibliophile’s dream.

When you enter the hotel, you’ll immediately see books lined up in the lobby. Each shelf is organized with its own different theme, with a wide variety of books gathered. There, you will find not only novels, essays, and other books, but also a manga section.

Books are arranged on each floor according to a concept, such as “Rush back to that time of youth,” “Think, think, think,” “Business books galore,” etc. The lineup carefully selected by the staff of Book Hotel Jimbocho range from that high profile new works to classics.

The hotel regularly holds events in collaboration with anime and manga, displaying reproductions of original artwork in guest rooms and providing related books, allowing guests to immerse themselves in the works.

Guests will want to try the Book Matching Service. Answer an online survey by 10 p.m. two days before your stay, and hotel staff will prepare books just for you based on your answers. There is also a Book Pairing service, where with a 500 yen additional fee on top of the cost of accommodation, they provide you with the book, a drink and snack that pair with the book. You may take this book home with you.