Forest Books, Japantown
6 people recommend, 1 warns against itvia r/AskSF, r/sanfrancisco8 comments cited below
What people say, in short
Most visitors recommend Forest Books in Japantown, and a couple call it wonderful or amazing. Two visitors like its used books sorted by country, one calls it their favorite used shop for its careful curation, and one says it offers better odds of finding rare titles than Kinokuniya. Caveats: one visitor spent only a few minutes inside because of a strong incense smell, and another feels its rare-book cases hold mostly ordinary used stock priced higher than it merits.
Address
Forest Books, 1748 Buchanan St, San Francisco, CA 94115
At a glance
- Best for
- Second hand
- Known for
- Sections sorted by country
Nearby on this map
Other places on this map closest to Forest Books, Japantown, as the crow flies.
The evidence
Every point below is paraphrased from a real public comment, ordered by how much the community engaged with it. Caveats and negatives are kept in — follow any link to read the original for yourself.
- Recommendsu/__mgb in r/AskSF · Aug 2025variety
Calls it worth a visit if nearby; has found older Japanese-language translated books and a used section sorted by country.
- Recommendsu/pocketfullofrocks in r/sanfrancisco · Oct 2026
Praises Forest Books as a wonderful bookshop in Japantown, opposite the Japanese mall.
- Recommendsu/Travelkiko in r/AskSF · Nov 2026
Calls the Forest shop in the Japantown pedestrian mall amazing.
- Recommendsu/lolwutpear in r/AskSF · Nov 2026variety
Says this smaller Japantown shop offers better odds of finding rare titles than Kinokuniya.
- Caveatu/sugarwax1 in r/sanfrancisco · May 2025value
Says its cases marketed as rare books hold mostly used stock being sold at higher prices than it merits.
- Recommendsu/giogadi in r/AskSF · Jan 2025variety
Calls it their favorite used shop, praising its careful curation and fully used stock.
- Mixedu/meowmeowpoop in r/AskSF · Aug 2025ambience
Loved the by-country sections but the strong incense smell meant only a few minutes inside.
- Recommendsu/KleeBook in r/sanfrancisco · May 2024
Lists it among their go-to bookshops for used and out-of-print books.
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Freshness
Details last checked 13 Nov 2026. Recommendations reflect what people said at the time; confirm current details before you go.