Ichigaya Letterpress Factory (市谷の杜 本と活字館)

DNP's headquarters and Ichigaya Letterpress Factory

Ichigaya Letterpress Factory

Next to the headquarters of Dai Nippon Printing Co., Ltd. (DNP), in the Ichigaya area of Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo, stands the Ichigaya Letterpress Factory (市谷の杜 本と活字館), a museum dedicated to letterpress printing, typography, and bookmaking that opened in November 2020. The building was originally constructed in 1926 as the sales office of the Ichigaya Plant of Suieisha, one of DNP's predecessor companies. It became known by the nickname Tokei-dai ("Clock Tower") among employees and local residents because of its distinctive tower clock.

The first floor recreates a printing factory and displays various tools used in the printing process.

The second floor houses a workshop, a gift shop, and an exhibition space.

The museum is currently hosting the "Mincho-tai" Exhibition (「明朝体」展), held through May 31, 2026.

Mincho (明朝体) is one of the most familiar Japanese typeface styles. It is widely associated with books, newspapers, magazines, and other forms of printed Japanese text. Differences in stroke thickness and characteristic finishing strokes give Mincho typefaces their distinctive appearance and make them particularly suitable for long passages of printed text.

An exhibition devoted to Mincho type therefore provides an opportunity to consider not only the technology of printing but also the visual design of the characters appearing on the printed page.

Admission: Free

Normal operating hours:
10:00 AM – 6:00 PM
Closed on Mondays and Tuesdays (open if holidays)