Mandarake stores in Japan are otaku heaven – from second hand games to retro toys, Mandarake is one of Japan’s most famous second hand and used good shops.
Mandarake (まんだらけ) has second hand stores in all the big Japanese cities including Kyoto, Sapporo, Osaka, Fukuoka plus flagship Mandarake stores in Shibuya and Akihabara.
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From vintage manga toys to retro vinyl LPs or second-hand dolls, Mandarake has you covered for all kinds of cute and kitsch kawaii, from Ghibli to Gundam.
We’ve visited many of the Japanese Mandarake stores (including the original Nakano Broadway Mandarake branch) and loved exploring their storeys of second-hand goods and basement bargain sections.
From Mandarake locations to what you can buy, here is our guide to visiting Mandarake Stores in Japan:
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What is Mandarake?
Mandarake stores in Japan are second-hand used goods stores that specialise in collectibles and comic book characters.
Mandarake was established in 1980 in Tokyo’s Nakano Broadway as a used-bookstore / manga store and is the brainchild of Masuzo Furukawa, a Manga artist.
Furukawa’s TV appearances in the 1980s appraising anime and Manga vintage items helped raise the profile of the shop and the second store opened in Shibuya in 1994 before rapid expansion occurred.
Mandarake is one of the biggest second hand store chains in Japan – in March 2024, it was announced Mandarake’s turnover for the previous year was 12.84 billion Yen, of which over half (7.19 billion Yen) was spent on collectibles.
Mandarake Japan locations
As of 2024, there are 15 Mandarake stores operating in Japan (although Nanya Mandarake appears to be temporarily closed).
They often have several stores in each of the bigger cities including six Mandarake shops in Tokyo and some in Kyoto and Osaka.
The biggest Mandarake stores in Japan are the 8 storey Akihabara Mandarake, plus Nakano Broadway in Tokyo has multiple smaller Mandarake pop-up shops making it the biggest combined collection of second hand toys and collectibles.
Mandarake’s newest store in Japan opened in Kyoto Takashimaya S.C. in October 2023.
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What does Mandarake Japan sell?
Mandarake Japan stores are best known for selling second hand collectibles and toys across several storeys (including its famous Mandarake basement store in Shibuya). It is almost like a thrift store for toys and super cool anime and manga goods.
We’ve also spotted and bought amazing vintage movie merchandise from Mandarake including original 1980s ET jewellery, plus vintage toy vehicles from James Bond movies like ‘Octopussy’ and ‘For Your Your Eyes Only’.
It is a collectors dream so bring a big wallet and empty bags if you love collecting in Japan.
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The main products that Mandarake in Japan sells includes:
Toys and Collectibles
The biggest seller by far in Mandarake is collectible toys and figures, which accounts for half of its trade.
As well as anime and manga goods, you’ll often see kawaii and super cute characters like Hello Kitty bullet trains or Sanrio character cars.
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Comic Books
Second books and manga novels are one of the most sought after items and it has been said that Mandarake is the largest seller of second-hand Japanese comics in the world.
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Doujinshi
Given the founder Masuzo Furukawa is a Manga artist, it is no surprise the third biggest seller at Mandarake is Doujinshi, a self-published (often niche) mag or comic that is produced to cater to certain subcultures.
DVDs
You can buy lots of used, second-hand DVDs at Mandarake (mainly anime and Manga). Prices are pretty cheap too!
Costumes & Cosplay
Some stores (including the original Nakano Broadway Mandarake) have dedicated costume and cosplay sections where you can buy otaku outfits inspired by your favourite characters.
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Vintage video games and retro consoles
In some stores (including Akihabara Mandarake), you will find shelves of second hand games cartridges, games controllers and video game accessories – think MegaDrive, NES and Japan’s famous Famicom console.
Anime Dolls
Whilst you’ll see lots of anime and manga dolls on the shelves on Mandarake, if you are a first time visitor to Japan, you might be surprised by the number of voluptuous manga models.
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The best Mandarake stores in Japan.
Some of the best and biggest Mandarake stores in Japan include:
Nakano Broadway
The original Mandarake store that opened as a used bookshop in 1980 before rebranding as Mandarake in 1987, the original 7 meter square store has now expanded to become over 25 different Mandarake stalls and pop-ups all located within the super cool Nakano Broadway shopping district.
Nakano Broadway is one of the biggest Mandarake stores in Japan and even has a costume and cosplay department.
Shibuya Mandarake Tokyo
The Mandarake shop that started our second-hand store obsession in Japan, Shibuya Tokyo Mandarake is like no other.
You walk down several sets of dark stairs before arriving in what can only be described as an atmospheric basement of bargains – aisle upon aisle of awesome anime goods and amazing manga dolls and comic books.
The collection of vintage toy cars and character goods like Doraemon and trading cards is bar none!
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Akihabara Mandarake
No trip to Tokyo is complete without a trip to Akihabara, the famed electronics and comic book epicenter of Japan.
This Mandarake Tokyo store has eight storeys of epic gifts and goods to browse, from Spiderman to Sailor Moon.
As such, the Akihabara Mandarake branch is a treasure trove of top thrift and very good vintage gifts – every time we go, we could spend a fortune here but have to resist.
Given the location, we’d also suggest shopping around Akihabara’s other second-hand stores and visiting other shops like Book Off and K Books to compare prices.
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Mandarake Prices
The costs of second-hand goods in Mandarake varies greatly – some items start for less than 100 Yen (usually loose items like odd gachapon toys with no boxes) through to incredible vintage comics that go for over 250,000 Yen.
For instance, we really like browsing the bargain bins outside the main Mandarake shop by the Nakano Broadway entrance, a treasure trove of items for 100 Yen or else.
And don’t even think about shoplifting at Mandarake – in 2014, there was a big scandal when a rare vintage robot toy valued at over 270,000 Yen was stolen.
Mandarake released the perpetrator’s pixelated face to the media and said they’d show their full face the following week unless the Tetsujin-28-Go Robot was returned. The cunning criminal wasn’t so clever though as we caught a few days later trying to sell the stolen comic to another store!
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Mandarake Japan shipping and overseas orders
If you aren’t visiting Japan any time soon, you can in fact browse many of Mandarake’s catalogue of second goods online and have the goods delivered overseas.
To order online with Mandarake and get goods shipped from Japan to overseas, check out the official Mandarake overseas ordering website here >
The Mandarake website has sections you can browse including specific product categories like Ultraman, Studio Ghibli, Gundam, Dragon Ball, Marvel and more.
Mandarake English website and social channels
Hopefully we’ve inspired you to check our Mandarake stores in Japan on your next / current visit (particularly if you are going to Akihabara – gaming and otaku heaven).
Mandarake has several pages in English on their official Japanese Mandarake site, plus you can keep up-to-date with all the latest Mandarake new store openings and product updates via the Mandarake English Instagram channel here >
Mandarake Japan opening hours
The store opening hours for Mandarake stores in Japan are typically 12pm to 8pm, open 7 days a week – this includes Mandarake Shibuya, Mandarake Akihabara plus the newest Mandarake Kyoto store.
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Other similar stores to Mandarake in Japan
If you are in a Japanese city that doesn’t have a Mandarake store, similar shops include Animate, Book Off and K-Books.
For vintage gaming and retro consoles, be sure to visit one of the 6 Super Potato gaming stores in Tokyo, Osaka and Nagoya.
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