Nakano, just northwest of Shinjuku, is a convenient commuter town for Tokyo’s office workers and salarymen, but it is also a haven for Japanese otaku subculture.

Countless shops here offer a variety of vintage and new manga, anime, figurines, goods, games, cosplay gear and electronics.

Though Akihabara in east Tokyo is a well-known hot spot for everything otaku, Nakano is a lesser-crowded otaku hub with a retro, Showa-era feel.

From JR Nakano Station, a five-minute walk through the Nakano Sun Mall shotengai (shopping arcade) stretches toward Nakano Broadway, the manga mecca filled with small shops for one-stop shopping. The shotengai and its surrounding alleyways are ripe with izakayas, cafes and eateries catering to the post-work salaryman rush, serving up Japanese dishes and cold drinks in an old-school setting.

The nostalgia continues inside Nakano Broadway, visitors can shop four floors of merchants selling new and used manga, J-Pop and Hollywood merchandise. The 60-year-old building is considered a symbol of Japan’s otaku subculture and many of the shops inside are small businesses that have been there for decades. Every floor has something to discover, whether you’re looking for some independent Japanese manga comics, “Terminator” figurines, cosplay costume items, interesting art prints, a vintage watch or interesting clothing items.

In the basement floor, you’ll even find a small grocery store and other food shops selling street food and other snacks like a 9-layer giant ice cream cone. There is definitely something for everyone inside Nakano Broadway.

If you are a shutterbug, make sure to stop at Fujiya Camera nearby where you’ll find a huge selection of cameras and accessories, from vintage to the latest models.

Nakano is a good place if you’re looking for some unique items to add to your collection and a fun place to hang out. Nakano may not be as busy as Akihabara, but it is worth a visit!

Nakano Broadway

https://nakano-broadway.com/

Did You Know?: Otaku/otaku culture

Today, the terms “otaku (おたく)” or “otaku culture” describe fans of manga, anime or other subcultures in Japan. Back in the day, however, it was an old way to refer to “you.” According to Metropolis Japan, the term was popularized to mean something different in the 1980s after essayist Nakamori Akio used the term to disparage manga and anime fans. Though the term is sometimes now used in an offensive way, abroad, many self-identify as being otaku to describe their love or obsession with manga, anime and/or Japanese culture as well.

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