AnimeMangaGuild: Part two of Popular Anime Tourist Spot in Japan!

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This is the part two of Popular Anime Tourist Spot in Japan!

Tokyo, and in particular Akihabara, has a plethora of museums, shops, cafes, and other sites targeted towards anime and manga lovers. As such, Tokyo has become a popular tourist destination known worldwide.

Pokemon Center Tokyo

Photo from Tokyoing.net

Pokemon's official shop, where you can buy original Pokemon merchandise, video games, card games, and other Pokemon-related goodies. The store also has a Pokemon card game teaching room, and holds regular events.

A paradise for Pokemon fans

The original game software was sold in 1996, and since then Pocket Monsters has become a huge sensation around the world with its anime and card games. Pokemon can be found in a spectacular shop in Ikebukuro that feels as if it has jumped out of the anime world and into the real one. Pokemon Center Mega Tokyo is located in the Sunshine City shopping complex that is right in the heart of Ikebukuro with excellent access. Even from a distance, the shop stands out for its near-future appearance, and there is a large glowing monster ball at the entrance. And with statues of the popular first generation of Pokemon such as Pikachu and Lizardon also present, the interior of the shop will delight even adult-age Pokemon fans. Along with limited-time goods that can only be bought at Pokemon Center Mega Tokyo, there are numerous stuffed dolls and other special products available. And what is also recommended is the Japan-only souvenirs such as the chopsticks, lunch boxes and towels. This is the irresistible paradise for Pokemon fans where they can purchase products only available here.

Address: 1-2-3 Kaigan, Minato-ku, Tokyo
Nearby Station: Hamamatsucho Station, Daimon Station, Takeshiba Station
Hours: Mon-Fri 11:00am-8:00pm, Sat, Sun and Holidays 10:00am-7:00pm
Admission: Free
Other Locations: Sapporo, Tohoku (Sendai), Tokyo Bay (Chiba), Yokohama, Nagoya, Osaka, Fukuoka
HP: http://www.pokemon.co.jp/gp/pokecen/tokyo/ (Japanese)

Nakano Broadway (Nakano Tokyo)

A shopping complex catering to Japaniacs and Otaku, offering an overwhelming number of subculture merchandise, including manga, anime, figures, and much more. This spot is also particularly popular with travellers from overseas.

The area boasts a deep array of products including manga, anime figures, and rare toys that will satisfy collectors. Nakano Broadway is the new base for Japanese sub-culture.

Nakano Broadway, the mecca for sub-culture after Akihabara

After passing through Sun Mall Shopping Arcade accessible from the north exit of Nakano Station, Nakano Broadway is immediately ahead. Formerly, there were apartments on the upper floors and it was once a large shopping center but with the launch of Mandarake, a famous manga shop which has everything from specially-priced items to expensive rarities, other related stores gradually came in which sparked a change in the center.

Accompanying the success of Mandarake, aside from the manga shops, establishments which first flourished in Akihabara such as those related to anime, Japanese idols, military goods and maid cafes that represented Japanese sub-culture started appearing in Broadway one after another in great numbers. As a result, the place came to be known as a sub-culture mecca following Akihabara, and now, it has become a famous area for not only domestic visitors but also overseas tourists. The whole of Akiba has been called a sub-culture mecca but for Nakano Broadway, the fact that everything has been squeezed together into one shopping center is a part of its charm. In Broadway, the attraction is its maze-like arrangement in which a deep world is revealed within a tight space. The wide array of products has the reputation of answering the needs of any passionate collector.

Enjoy a walk inside the shops of Broadway

The actual Nakano Broadway is not completely buried in shops of Japanese sub-culture. In addition, the first four floors are of tricky construction with the escalator from the 1st floor heading to the 3rd floor. The 2nd floor can only be reached by stairway, and for a lot of first-time visitors, it is a bit daunting to get around. If there is something that you really want, you have to really research the shop in advance otherwise it’ll be difficult to track down, truly like a labyrinth. In the basement, there is another store that has been the topic of conversation. It’s known as Daily Chiko and it’s a hit for its huge soft-serve ice cream. Its colorful ice cream cone with as many as 8 flavors piled one on top of the other costs a cheap 350 yen. There are also distinctly Japanese flavors such as sesame seed and matcha. How about taking a break from the maze of Nakano Broadway by trying out a gigantic 8-layer soft-serve ice cream cone?

Pamphlets for Nakano Broadway are available in different languages (Japanese, English, Chinese and Korean)