My Yaoi Girl's Guide to Tokyo
I go to Japan every year or two, mostly to buy manga, doujinshi, and goods. I thought I'd share the places I go to to get my fix. I am currently very manga and doujinshi-oriented and this guide reflects that. Please contact me if you have any suggestions! I'm always looking for more sources. ^_^
First, some guides that amused me or had some good information. Most of them were written a while back, so the information may not be up to date.
The next two are oriented more for guys, but still informative and Cheap Bastard is very amusing. ^_^
There are four places I definitely go to when in Tokyo: Ikebukuro, Shibuya, Nakano, and Akihabara.
Ikebukuro needs no introduction to any self-respecting fangirl. There are a number of shops of interest clustered near Sunshine City.
The Animate Main Branch, a multi-story store that houses goods, manga, doujinshi, and media...all at retail price. :P I try to pick up the newest stuff here, since they have a pretty good reward program where you get 1,000 yen for every xx yen spent (I don't remember the amount). I always end up filling those cards up pretty quickly. Also, they sometimes have bonus gifts when you buy certain things. Last time, I got some FMA cards when I bought the soundtrack and a mini DN Angel mousepad (totally useless but cute) when I picked up some DN Angel CD for a friend.
K-Books has two stores in Ikebukuro, one with goods and media, and another with manga, books, and doujinshi, all of it used. The goods and media store, while small, has a nice selection and pretty good prices. I spend hours in the manga, books, and doujinshi store. This is where I got the first 15 Mirage of Blaze books as a set for 1,900 yen. Even factoring in shipping, that is cheap. They also have a reward program where you can redeem points for goods (They have original goods with by various artists. I usually hold onto my points and wait for goods with artists I like to be offered before I redeem.)
Between Animate and K-Books are two or three small stores. Books Lashinbang is a small used manga, doujinshi, goods and media store. Nice place to browse to pick up missing volumes of series. Character Queen is a shop dedicated to BL. I don't really remember it as I didn't buy anything there and it is very small, but it's another place to check out.
Beyond K-Books (keep walking on that road and then turn left at the next major intersection. It's on an upper floor and the entrance is on the side of the building) is the Ikebukuro branch of the doujinshi store Kac Shop. They have new and used doujinshi, and if my memory serves me right they also carry things like pens for people who make doujinshi. They are, admittedly, more expensive than K-Books and Mandarake for used doujinshi, but it's another place to look.
Closer to Ikebukuro station is Tora no Ana. They carry a lot of manga and doujinshi, all at retail price. I usually go there to pick up certain new yaoi titles that are sold out at Animate. Nearby is a Manga no Mori, which I usually check out but rarely buy from. I have never been to the Ikebukuro Mandarake, but this store is supposed to specialize in BL, so I will definitely check it out next time.
There is, on the other side of Ikebukuro station, a small branch of Liberty, a chain that sells used audio-visual media. Most of the branches are in Akihabara.
Shibuya is known for being trendy and full of the fashionable, but it has several shops of interest for the fangirl.
The big attraction is, of course, the Mandarake (Japanese map here). It is large and diverse, a fangirl's paradise. ^_^
I also like to check out the Animate here because it often has things that the Ikebukuro branch doesn't have.
I have never been to the Shibuya K-Books, but they have a floor for female-oriented doujinshi, so it is a place I'll need to stop by.
There is also a female-oriented doujinshi store called Meikido on the other side of the station from Mandarake and Animate (the website doesn't seem to have a map). It's not that big, but it is packed with doujinshi and doujin goods. I had a heck of a time finding it, but I think I was partly disoriented by the masses of people going home from work and the rain and the descending darkness...
I make it a point to go to Nakano for the Mandarake (Japanese map here). That complex of shops has a lot of used doujinshi, manga, media, and goods (some pretty weird stuff), though I don't think it's as good as the Shibuya branch.
A lot of the manga and anime specialty shops in Akihabara are male-oriented (i.e. lots of big boobs). Even the K-Books here is male-oriented. But I come here to drool at the gadgets and to check out the many branches of Liberty. They carry a lot of used CDs, DVDs, and games. Between the various shops they have a lot of anime stuff.
I also like to check out the Animate here. It has goods that the other two stores I regularly check out don't have.
One store that's worth mentioning is Books Ein, a female-oriented doujinshi store in Shinjuku. It is a small place packed with new doujinshi from a wide variety of fandoms and circles. I did find one of my favorite Hikago doujinshi here, making it worth getting lost for. I hate Shinjuku. Do not take the wrong exit, you will regret it (this is true for any major station, but very much so for Shinjuku). They also have tons of pamphlets for the various doujinshi events which are fun to look at.
Another chain that I haven't really explored is Book Off. Apparently their manga selection is fairly large (and hopefully wide ranging), but it seems like all their stores are a bit out of the way (not accessible from a major train station). I will make an effort to check at least one store out next time I go, though.
Posted January 19, 2005.
BACK
|