COW BOOKS 中目黒

Fascinating collection of rare and vintage books. Good if you’re interested in art, film or design. They don’t take NFC tap so make sure you pay with a physical card or cash.

I always love going here. I have personally never bought a book but every time I’m with friends they always end up buying something. For me personally it’s more about inspiring me during the day and just browsing through the books really makes me relax and forget a bit about the busy world. The owner gives off a calm aura as well, just love the whole vibe :)

The store is iconic, well-known in Naka-meguro, and if you are an English-speaker and interested in photographers, illustrators, art curators, fashion designers and books on very niche subjects and specific skills, this is well-worth a visit. If you are not interested in such things, however, you may not find books you might be interested to buy, with the bulk of the store being in japanese books, which look very cool, but not of much use to an english speaker.

Fantastic selection of books ranging in topic and genre, coming from New York its also extremely affordable to find quality selections!

Cool little book store with a good selection of older and used books. Prices vary a lot and are generally listed on the first page of the book.

I went into the shop today (Friday) near closing and the staff was very rude to me, did not even say hello when I came in, which is unusual for me in Japan. The lady was extremely unpleasant, surly and made us feel unwelcome. The bookstore itself is very cool. I am not sure if the owners of the store are aware that their staff is behaving in this manner, but I hope this review makes it clear to them. You can do better, and should treat customers at your store with respect. This treatment is not okay.

Nice small place to read art books. They also had English Charlie Brown books and children's books. We went in autumn and the doors were kept open so it was airy and well ventilated inside. Staff wore masks and alcohol spray available.

No talking! No photos! They are extremely strict on these two rules. A cute bookstore/cafe, There is one big table in the center, coffee menu available (I have yet to try), and the walls are covered in books. Mostly vintage and art books all in Japanese and very expensive. If you order a coffee, you are free to read the books inside the store. It could be a nicer place, but unfortunately it's not welcoming and staff is a little scary. The no talking rule is also disheartening, it's like tip-toeing around a grumpy old man who points a gun at you if you cough. Unfortunate for there is such a nice selection of books.

This is an excellent book store along the lovely Meguro River between Nakameguro and Ikejiri Ohashi. Created by the writor/translator/editor/photographer Yataro Matsuura, this is a bookstore with freedoms as the theme. You'll find an eclectic selection of limited editions, art books, foreign books, first prints, etc. Their buyers are at the shop on Wednesday so if you want your selection looked, they'll be able to give an offer on the same day. The people at Cow Books also offer book selection services if you have a wall at your shop, hotel or even an extra room to display. I especially love their travelling book van that sometimes appear in Futagotamagawa. Check out their opening times on their website!