Brianna Fox-Priest
October 25, 2023 If you only have Akihabara on your anime shopping bucket list, you’re missing out on the many shopping areas that are filled to the brim with every type of anime merchandise you can imagine. Gachapon? Check. Hello Kitty collab toys? Check. Themed makeup products? You betcha!
If you’re looking for an all-stop shop for anime merchandise, maid cafes, game centers, and second-hand stores; Akihabara works for one day, but you would be remiss to skip the following neighborhoods as a part of your anime shopping outings.
Ikebukuro
First off, let’s start with Ikebukuro station. The station has some hidden gems when it comes to gachapon (watch out as the machines are usually locked up around 9pm) and Pokémon card machines close to the West side of the station running parallel to the Fukutoshin subway line.
Inside the station look for exit 34A for Sunshine City. Sunshine City is popular with both locals and tourists in the know. From anime pop-up shops for Sanrio, Crayon Shin-chan, One Piece, the Pokémon center and cafe, and the Bandai Namco shop and pop-up space, you’re guaranteed to find gifts for yourself and all your otaku friends.
After leaving Sunshine City, on your way back to the station, make a stop at Animate. This branch is the largest Animate in Japan and boasts 10 floors of retail, event space for signing sessions, and Gratte cafe on the ground floor. Is it possible to get exhausted from shopping for your favorite anime merchandise? Yes, and Animate proves that.
Harajuku and Shibuya
Takeshita Street is the world infamous shopping alley in Harajuku. You can find inexpensive souvenirs for the family and anime goods and clothes here. Just be prepared to be crowded on the street with other tourists. After an afternoon of shopping, stop by Reissue cafe for a drink topped with their specialty: 3D anime character latte art.
Don’t forget to check out Cat Street for vintage and boutique shops, including the B-Side Label flagship store for the best laptop stickers.
Shibuya has Shibuya Crossing, Tower Records, Miyashita Park, and the 109 building (which also has great anime pop-up shops) with a Book Off on the third floor. Book Off is the largest second-hand seller of manga, CDs, DVDs, games, cards, books, electronics and more. If you’re in the market for anime and game merchandise on a budget, I highly recommend taking a stroll through one (or two!) of the dozens of Book Off locations in Tokyo.
Odaiba
If you have time in your busy Tokyo schedule and already have the famous Tsukiji Fish Market on your agenda, take a quick subway ride to Diver City in Odaiba. You can eat, shop at the Sanrio, Doraemon shop, and watch the life-size Unicorn Gundam light show outside the mall every 15 minutes until 10pm.
Bonus Otaku tip: Even if your time is limited, you will find anime goodies just about everywhere you look. On a quick conbini (Japanese convenience store) run or inside a Matsumoto Kiyoshi (a drugstore)? We guarantee you’ll find anime collab products like Pokémon face wash or Kirby sweets.
Photo by Brianna Fox-Priest
