Tokyo Qool - Nakano Broadway

Nakano Broadway: Nakano

The ground floor of Nakano Broadway looks just like a typical neighborhood shopping arcade - handbags, sneakers, pet supplies and so on. But just up the escalator is a warren of tiny, hyper-specialized shops that's more reminiscent of deep shopping expeditions in Hong Kong and Bangkok. Broadway is the complete opposite of those slick new Tokyo malls filled with cookie-cutter global-brand-name stores, and it's a lot more fun to shop in.

Mandarake, the world's largest comic-book store, has its headquarters here. They currently run 16 different specialty shops on three floors, catering to manga subgenres and related interests like trading cards, anime videos and soundtracks. Their toy collectibles shop is one of their most popular, and it's spawned a host of competitors. We noticed that each of the many shops in this field seems to have carved out its own niche, whether it's Gundam action figures or Beatrix Potter miniatures.

Also spinning off from the world of manga and anime are shops selling art books, animation cels and movie posters. And if you like to dress up as your favorite comic-book character but you aren't handy with a sewing machine, the "cosplay" ("costume play") shops can sell you a complete outfit or two.

Not everything here is related to comics - we passed by half a dozen watch shops, each presumably devoted to its own market segment. Fujiya, a local Nakano audio-visual shop has one store specializing in video needs - cameras, boom mikes, editing decks - and another with musician's equipment - professional mixing boards, synthesizer components and DJ mixers. Fujiya also runs several branches of Recomints, their tasty-sounding chain of used CD shops.

Hundreds of other small shops are spread over five floors, selling everything from fabrics (Toa, B1F) to Taiwanese and Hong Kong DVDs (Jasmine Tea, 3F). Ginga Bussan (3F) carries African masks and other exotic decorations and furnishings. If you get hungry you can try the unusual Chinese vegetarian fare at Kohrinbo (2F), or venture into one of the many other restaurants and coffee shops scattered randomly among the stores.


meesa, want to go...

Al final del articulo vienen paginas dedicadas a cada una de las tiendas mas importantes...

worth checking out.


Tokyo Qool - Nakano Broadway