Japan (Lonely Planet, 11th Edition) - Chris Rowthorn [125]
Hakuhinkan Toy Park (Map; 3571-8008; www.hakuhinkan.co.jp; 8-8-11 Ginza, Chūō-ku; 11am-8pm; JR Yamanote line to Shimbashi, Ginza exit) This multilevel toy shop along Chūō-dōri in Ginza is another great one, full of distractions and objects of desire, with an 8th-floor theatre and two floors of child-friendly restaurants.
Manga & Anime
Along with electronics, Akihabara overflows with shops selling manga and anime. Be sure to wander the shops along Otome Rd in Ikebukuro, the most visible of which are the many branches of K-Books (www.k-books.co.jp, in Japanese), each of which specialise in anime, specific genres and multimedia.
Animate (Map; 3988-1351; www.animate.co.jp; 3-2-1 Higashi-Ikebukuro, Toshima-ku; 10am-8.30pm Mon-Sat, 10am-8pm Sun; JR Yamanote line to Ikebukuro, east exit) Across from the western street-level entrance of Sunshine City, Animate marks the first stop girl geeks and manga freaks will want to make.
Mandarake Shibuya (Map; 3477-0777; www.mandarake.co.jp; B2 fl, Shibuya Beam Bldg, 31-2 Udagawachō, Shibuya-ku; noon-8pm; JR Yamanote line to Shibuya, Hachikō exit); Nakano (; off Map; 3228-0007; 2nd-4th fl, Nakano Broadway Bldg, 5-52-15 Nakano, Nakano-ku; noon-8pm; JR Chūō line to Nakano, north exit) Mandarake’s Shibuya Beam branch carries a range of new manga and also hosts performances by real, live cosplay kids in full-on anime character drag. The huge flagship store in Nakano has three floors packed with new and used manga, anime, games and character figures.
Tora-no-Ana (Map; 5294-0123; www.toranoana.co.jp, in Japanese; 4-3-1 Soto-Kanda, Chiyoda-ku; 10am-10pm; JR Sōbu, Yamanote lines to Akihabara, Electric Town exit) Keep your eyes peeled for the cute illustrated tiger-girl on the top of this building, which has seven floors of manga and anime. Tora-no-Ana has other branches in Shinjuku and Ikebukuro.
Music
Shibuya, that nexus of Tokyo’s pop culture, is a logical place to hunt for music. Udagawachō (Map; take the JR Yamanote line to Shibuya, Hachikō exit), the area northwest of Shibuya station, has a clutch of music stores all in one compact area. Most of these shops specialise in certain genres and stock rare and used CDs and vinyl.
Here’s a selection of music outlets:
Disk Union Shibuya (Map; 3476-2627; http://diskunion.net, in Japanese; Antenna 21 Bldg, 30-7 Udagawachō, Shibuya-ku; 11.30am-9pm); Shinjuku (Map;3352-2691; http://diskunion.net, in Japanese; 3-31-4 Shinjuku, Shinjuku-ku; 11am-9pm Mon-Sat, 11am-8pm Sun; JR Yamanote line, east exit) Used and new records, each floor specialising in a different genre.
Guinness Records (Map; 3464-7752; www.guinness-records.com, in Japanese; 4th fl, 10-2 Udagawachō, Shibuya-ku; 1-8.30pm) Guinness specialises in hip-hop, soul, R&B and jazz.
Manhattan Records (Map; 3477-7737; 1st fl, 10-1 Udagawachō, Shibuya-ku; noon-9pm) Bounce into Manhattan for hip-hop.
Recofan (Map; 5454-0161; www.recofan.co.jp; 4th fl, Beam Bldg, 31-2 Udagawachō, Shibuya-ku; 11.30am-9pm) Of several branches around town, this place stocks a wide variety of music, including folk, soul, J-pop and reggae.
Tower Records (Map; 3496-3661; 1-22-14 Jinnan, Shibuya-ku; 10am-11pm; JR Yamanote line to Shibuya, Hachikō exit) has a massive branch in Shibuya, with the most extensive range in Tokyo and lots of listening stations. Tower and HMV have several branches in Tokyo.
Photographic Equipment
Photographers, take note: the area behind the Keiō department store on the west side of Shinjuku station is home to Tokyo’s largest camera stores, Yodobashi (right) and Sakuraya (right). They carry practically everything photography-related that you could possibly want, including MP3 players, computers and electronics of all kinds, all at quite reasonable prices. Be sure to shop around for the best deals.
Some options:
Bic Camera Shinjuku (Map; 5326-1111; 1-5-1 Nishi-Shinjuku, Shinjuku-ku; 10am-8.30pm; JR Yamanote line to Shinjuku, west exit); Ikebukuro