When it comes to Anime & Figure shops in Tokyo – Akihabara, Ikebukuro, and Nakano are the 3 major places to check out.
With the Akihabara area being your go-to for just about everything, and Ikebukuro’s Sunshine City for your official store needs, Nakano Broadway separates itself from the group by focusing on the rare & retro side of collecting. From shops specializing in rare figures, vinyl toys, and retro manga, Nakano Broadway seems like a really good place to head to if you need to track some rare items down.
But what does this place really have to offer? Do they just sell old collectibles? And most importantly, is this place worth the visit? Let’s get to it. How Good is Nakano Broadway Actually?
–1st Floor–
–Mandarake Gate–
–Adores & Namco Arcade–
–2nd Floor–
–Several Mandarake Stores–
–Other Shops–
–3rd Floor–
–More Mandarake Stores–
–Other Shops–
–4th Floor–
–Even More Mandarake Stores–
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1st Floor
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Mandarake Gate
Right as you enter the building, you’ll be greeted with the first of Mandarake’s many stores here – Mandarake Gate. While not as item-rich as the other stores upstairs, this Mandarake acts more like a showcase area, featuring a gallery and special displays, as well as items currently up for auction.
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Arcades – Adores & Namco
You can buy plushies and prize figures at the stores upstairs, of course. But if you wanna earn them yourself, make sure to stop by Adores and Namco arcade. Have a look around to see the figures on offer, and with a little bit of skill, you might be able to grab them for cheaper than the prices upstairs!
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2nd Floor
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Several Mandarake Stores (2F)
The 2nd Floor of Nakano Broadway is where the true shopping experience begins. You’ll notice pretty quick that there is a bunch of different Mandarake stores scattered throughout the building, with each one specializing in a different type of product. Here’s a rundown of the 16 Mandarake shops you can find on this floor.
Special 1 (Ultraman, Transformers, New soft vinyl & Monster/Robot toys)
New Special (Ultraman, Transformers, New soft vinyl & Monster/Robot toys)
Special 4 (Anime Figures, Prize figures, Scale Figures & Gashapon)
LIVE-Kan (Female doujinshi & related goods)
Daisharin (Model cars & plastic models)
Card-Kan (Cards, Trading Cards, & Stickers)
Micro-Kan (Retro miniature figures, Wrestling masks & Ghibli goods)
Galaxy (Games, Consoles, & Special Editions)
Special 7 (Soft vinyl figures)
Cosplay-Kan (Cosplay)
UFO (DVDs, Movies, & Special Editions)
Special 4.1 (Adult Figures)
Special 5 (American & Import toys)
Special 7 (Soft vinyl figures)
Shosharin (Railway models, parts, & model kits)
Katsudo Shashin-Kan (Movie posters & scripts)
DEEP-Kan (Male doujinshi & related goods)
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Other Shops (2F)
It’s not just all Mandarake stores here, of course, as you find all sorts of stores within Nakano. Some of my favorites on the 2nd floor are Lashinbang’s 3 stores, Cubestyle, and Torekacom.
Lashinbang Figure & Hobby (Figures, Nendoroid parts, can badges, etc.)
Lashinbang AudioVisual (Games, CDs, DVDs, consoles)
Lashinbang Outlet (Smaller merch & collectibles, discount items)
CubeStyle (2nd hand figures & collectibles)
Torekacom (2nd hand figures & prize figures)
RobotRobot (Small merch & collectibles)
MGRCTS MerryGoRound (Figures & Prize Figures)
VentVert (2nd hand figures & plushies)
& more
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3rd Floor
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More Mandarake Stores (3F)
Heading up to the 3rd floor, you’ll continue to find no shortage of Mandarake shops here. With 9 stores this time, here’s what to expect on this floor.
Special 3 (Super Sentai, Game figures & goods)
Buy Back Stand
Special 8 (Shonen, Disney, Game figures & goods)
Wink (Female Idols, Voice Actress & celebrity goods)
Honten 1 (Books, Manga, Comics)
Honten 2 (Books, Light Novels, Comics)
La No Ichizoku (Shoujo, BL Comics, Male Idols & celebrity goods)
Special 2 (Gundam)
Special 9 (Kamen Rider)
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Other Shops (3F)
You can also find a pretty decent amount of non-Mandarake shops around the 3rd floor. It’s not as figure-heavy as the 2nd floor, from what I’ve seen, so if you wanna focus on grabbing some smaller merch, this is probably the best floor to start with.
RobotRobot2 AmeToy store (US import toy & figure store)
Gallery of Hakaba (Japanese SFX, Animation, comics, and movies)
One-Up (Figures & small collectibles)
Havikoro Toys (Rubber charms, badges, acrylic stands, & other collectibles)
& more
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4th Floor
Nakano Broadway does have a 4th floor to visit, but unfortunately, I learned of its existence once I headed back to my hotel to do some further research. It’s a real shame, too, ‘cause that’s where all of Mandarake’s most photogenic stores are located. (If you do visit Nakano, don’t forget to check out what the 4th floor has to offer!)
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Even More Mandarake Stores (3F)
There’s more than just Mandarake stores here, but going off their website, here are the stores you’ll find up here (9 stores.)
Henya (Antique & Soft Vinyl Toys)
Plastic (Vintage Dolls & Costumes)
Anime-Kan (Anime concept art, illustrations, scripts)
Kaiba (Adult books & photo books)
Konpeito (Retro bonus goodies & merch.)
Mania-Kan (Retro manga books & magazines)
Special 6 (Non-Gundam plastic models)
Ryusenkei Jiken (Model Trains)
Kojosen (Board Games & Miniatures)
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VERDICT
So how good is Nakano Broadway actually? Unlike Akihabara and especially Ikebukuro, Nakano Broadway leans heavily towards the older, retro, and vintage side of the anime/figure collecting world. And while you can definitely find some modern figures, merch, and other collectibles here, I wouldn’t necessarily recommend a visit if that’s your only goal (as Akihabara is strictly better in that category.)
But if you’re into the retro side of things and need to track down some rare stuff, Nakano is definitely one of the best places to do so. Between the general stores, specialty stores, and all the different Mandarake stores, there’s a pretty good chance that at least one of these shops will have what you’re looking for.
It’s a little on the niche side when it comes to figure collecting, but if that’s what you’re after, Nakano does it really well. So if you’re in Tokyo and need to track down some retro/rare figures and other collectibles, head on over to Nakano Broadway!
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Side Note: If you’re planning on a day to visit Nakano Broadway, I highly recommend you head there on a weekend. The shops at Nakano aren’t as big as the ones at Akihabara, so there’s a good chance some of them only open on weekends + late weekdays. My visit was on a Wednesday afternoon, and while there were more than enough stores to visit, some shops did appear to be closed or just opened when I was about to leave.
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GETTING THERE
Nakano Broadway is located not too far off from Nakano Station (JR, Tozai Lines.)
Once you arrive at the station, exit via the North exit and straight towards Nakano Sun Mall shopping street – and after a 5 minute walk, you’ll arrive right at the front entrance of Nakano Broadway.
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Things to do around Nakano Broadway
Full Review: Niigata Tarekatsu (Shibuya Store)
If you’re done shopping at Nakano Broadway and need a good place to eat, I highly recommend you check out Niigata Tarekatsu for some great Tarekatsu pork cutlets. The shop is located quite literally next to Nakano Broadway (the building directly to the right of Nakano’s front doors.)
Their Tarekatsu has quickly grown to become one of my favorite comfort foods in Japan, and was on my Top 5 favorite restaurants I visited this year.
Nakano Broadway
Location
5 Chome-52-15 Nakano, Nakano City, Tokyo 164-0001, Japan
Map
https://maps.app.goo.gl/dMtFHXKfsjurecio8
Opening Hours
Varies by store
Website
https://nakano-broadway.com/
One comment in this post
Surprisingly enough, this was actually my first time visiting Nakano Broadway. (The lack of any 4F photos probably gave it away as well…) I knew coming in that Mandarake would make up almost half of the stores here, but even I wasn’t prepared for just how insane that number really was! Make sure to give this place a visit if you’re a collector of retro/rare items. I, for one, will definitely check this place out again the next time in Tokyo – after checking out their items on Mandarake’s website first.