Have you ever wondered where or how to buy mangas and anime products in Japan? Many believe that when traveling to Japan, they will be able to buy various otaku products at a much cheaper price, but is that really the case?
Those who travel to Japan are shocked by the prices of Action Figures, mangas, and other anime products. Still, don’t lose hope; in this article, we will explain the best way to buy such items.
If you are not planning a trip to Japan anytime soon but still wish to import some products, we recommend reading our article about Play-Asia and Amazon.
Buying mangas at Used Bookstores
Used bookstores in Japan are wonderful. While in a certain place you pay an absurd 600 yen for a brand new manga or light novel, in a used bookstore you pay less than 100 yen.
The Japanese are very careful with their books; some only read and sell them to used bookstores, with all the items and papers found inside the volume. The mangas in used bookstores are visibly new.
Always look for stores like BookOff, but there are others that are extremely cheaper. I can’t remember the name, but there was one store that sold 3 volumes for 100 yen. I felt like filling a suitcase with books and mangas.
Another famous franchise that sells mangas and other second-hand products is called mandarake. In addition to mangas, in this store you can find video games, action figures, toys, DVDs, CDs, card games, and even cosplay items.
I will leave a video below that talks a little about what I wrote in the article and shows some mangas that I bought when I went to Japan:
Buying action figures and anime products
Something more expensive than mangas is action figures. In Akihabara stores, prices were sky-high; small quality action figures could cost more than 3,000 yen, nearing 150 reais.
Again, I turned to used stores. One used store I liked is located in Namba, Osaka. In admski, I found packages full of anime products and small figures for only 300 yen.
In Tokyo, you can find several used stores in Nakano Broadway. Although Akihabara has used stores, unfortunately, prices can still be steep for tourists, requiring some digging.
Besides Book Off, there are Mode-Off, Off-House, Hobby-Off, and Garage-Off. Each one specializes in a certain thing. It is one of the most popular used franchises in Japan, but it is not the cheapest.
In any case, I can’t list all the used stores in Japan. Many are homegrown stores without any franchise; there are already large stores and famous franchises that also sell used products.
Well, I wrote this brief article just to leave these tips. Remember, stay away from new product stores because the prices are very steep. Always research and dig around before making decisions and regretting.
Even in large and new stores, there can be a striking price difference. From one store to another, I saved 5,000 yen when buying a new Apple product. If you liked the tip, share and leave your comments.
Leave a Reply