The worlds coolest neighborhood for 2025 is in Japan and boasts more than 100 bookstores.
The worlds coolest neighborhoods for 2025 were published again this year in the established Time Out list, curated for eight years now by the guides editors from around the world. Key criteria for their selection include nightlife, art, culture, and affordable food and drink. For 2025, the worlds coolest neighborhood is in Japan and it is Jimbōchō in Tokyo.
The neighborhoods selected by the guides editors seem to attract residents and visitors to live, work, and have fun there. In this years list of 39 picks, youll find everything from places that feel like small villages within the city to old industrial neighborhoods reshaped in creative ways.
Jimbōchō: The booklovers neighborhood in Tokyo
Jimbōchō is a neighborhood with history, a haunt favored by different generations of Tokyo intellectuals. It is within walking distance of the citys powerhouse business districts and a storied stop for bibliophiles. In Jimbōchō youll find more than 130 bookstores housed in old buildings with extensive collections of secondhand books. The scene is rounded out by old-school cafés and ethnic restaurants.
If this neighborhood rings a bell, you’ve probably read one of this summers bestsellers, «Days at the Morisaki Bookshop». The story unfolds in the picturesque booklovers neighborhood, with the heroine working at her uncles bookstore. In Jimbōchō, past and present coexist, as its alleys fill with new music hangouts, authentic Indian restaurants, and contemporary cafés.
Every autumn, at the end of October, the streets come even more alive thanks to the annual secondhand book festival. If you plan to visit the bookstores, its best to go in the morning, as they close early and remain closed on Sundays.
How to spend a day in Jimbōchō
According to Time Out, the perfect day in Jimbōchō starts by browsing some rare vintage volumes at Isseido Booksellers and Kitazawa Bookstore, or at Stacks Bookstore with its art book collection. Follow in the locals footsteps and sip coffee at Sabor, a 70-year-old café famed for its toast and retro charm. If you want something more contemporary, head to nearby Walkabout Coffee for a cup of Magic, a Melbourne-style blend with a double ristretto and steamed milk.
In the evening, the streets lead to Curry Bondy for plates of curry or to Sangatsu no Mizu, winner of the local curry competition in 2024. Round off the night with cocktails at Cocktail Works Jinbocho or a drink at Yon, an art gallery that also operates as a bar.
The list of the 39 coolest neighborhoods for 2025
- Jimbōchō, Tokyo, Japan
- Borgerhout, Antwerp, Belgium
- Barra Funda, São Paulo, Brazil
- Camberwell, London, United Kingdom
- Avondale, Chicago, USA
- Mullae-dong, Seoul, South Korea
- Ménilmontant, Paris, France
- Nakatsu, Osaka, Japan
- Vallila, Helsinki, Finland
- Labone, Accra, Ghana
- Nguyen Thai Binh, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
- Anjos, Lisbon, Portugal
- Digbeth, Birmingham, United Kingdom
- Red Hook, New York, USA
- Perpetuo Socorro, Medellín, Colombia
- Burwood, Sydney, Australia
- Linden, Johannesburg, South Africa
- Former French Concession, Shanghai, China
- Quartieri Spagnoli, Naples, Italy
- Bencoolen, Singapore
- Endoume, Marseille, France
- Plateau-Mont-Royal, Montreal, Canada
- The Liberties, Dublin, Ireland
- North Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia
- Portales, Mexico City, Mexico
- Davenport, Toronto, Canada
- Little River, Miami, USA
- Kemang, Jakarta, Indonesia
- Botafogo, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
- Sheung Wan, Hong Kong, China
- Barranco, Lima, Peru
- Mont Kiara, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
- Clarksville, Austin, USA
- Margit-negyed, Budapest, Hungary
- Glen Park, San Francisco, USA
- MiZa, Abu Dhabi, UAE
- Villa Devoto, Buenos Aires, Argentina
- Mehrauli, New Delhi, India
- Poblacion, Manila, Philippines
