Tokyo Toy Stores - spreadsheet, map, and tips

Discussion in 'Japan Toys' started by Mad Martian, Jul 10, 2017.

  1. ---NT---

    ---NT--- Prototype

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    Tokyo Toy Stores - spreadsheet, map, and tips
    Oh, yes! I was.
    But, I guess the same applies to the wards - I liked Nakano/Koenji much more than Shibuya.
     
  2. Roger

    Roger Vintage

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    Got it. I've visited a friend in Nakano and a friend in Shibuya, and between both of their neighborhoods I'd choose Shibuya every time. I can imagine Shibuya is ridiculously expensive as a place to live compared to Nakano, though.
     
  3. mondocoyote

    mondocoyote Comment King

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    Nakano's Modayu Qte - モジャQ-te(のらもじ)is no longer open as the owner sadly passed away. A real shame.
     
  4. SpectralNight

    SpectralNight Toy Prince

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    Tokyo Toy Stores - spreadsheet, map, and tips
    Wow! Sofubi hunting in Tokyo ain’t easy!

    I’ve been to so many stores in Akihabara, Shinjuku, and Nakano. So far Mandarakes are really the only places where I’ve been able to find the pure pure sofubi I’m looking for.

    I’ve gone to several shops on Toy Lunatic’s spreadsheet (big thanks to him and all other contibuters), but they all seem to be either closed, or selling other types of collectibles. Does anyone know if there any other good shops for the type of vinyls I’m hunting (my want lists are attached below).

    Apologies for the last minute quiz! Only a few days left in Tokyo, and I just recently gained previlages to post, or I would have asked SkullBrain for info waaay before my trip.

    Thanks for any help you all can offer!
     

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  5. chimply.kaiju

    chimply.kaiju Side Dealer

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    Have you tried Monsters Labo? I notice on the spreadsheet he didn't provide a web link or their address.

    http://monsters-labo.com/

    店舗名 MONSTER'S LABO / 怪獣研究所
    所在地 〒101-0021
    東京都千代田区外神田3-10-5 T&K AKIBA BLDG B1
    TEL 03-5209-2850
    FAX 03-5209-2851
     
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  6. SpectralNight

    SpectralNight Toy Prince

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    I did! Thank you for that info though.
    Made sure to find it even w/o the details since I was in the area.
    Great selection or Godzilla stuff mostly, and more! Sadly, the closest thing I could find to any of my needs was a clunky little Marmit Matango. Can’t accept any substitute for that ToyGraph sculpt!

    I think I’ll go back there though. I want to make sure there wasn’t a Medicom Baby-form Shin Goj hidden in there. Probably was my best chance for a Biollante, but that rose form is way too rare.

    I knew my list was a long shot, since they are ALL pretty rare figures. Was expecting to be forced into skipping them because they would cost a fortune even if I did see one.
    But I am a little surprised there isn’t more sofubi stores in this massive mega city.
     
  7. chimply.kaiju

    chimply.kaiju Side Dealer

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    Monster Labo sells internationally online. So if don't get a chance to go back before your trip is over you can always shoot the owner a message to buy and ship overseas.

    I notice Jungle was not on the list. Might want to try it if you haven't already. I don't think their Tokyo store would carry much of what you are looking for. Their main store Osaka might carry more sofubi like Marmit, Marusan, and other stuff. Jungle carries various anime toys. So might not be much luck finding what you want there.

    JUNGLE Tokyo Akihabara
    Address:
    Suehiro Bldg. 1F, 3-9-2 Sotokanda, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo
    101-0021
     
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  8. Anti Social Andy

    Anti Social Andy Die-Cast

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    Tokyo Toy Stores - spreadsheet, map, and tips
    Unless you're hitting a superfestival/wonderfestival or similar, finding the stuff you dig is all about luck and timing in Tokyo. That said, the Chinese had only just gotten interested last time I went hunting so they could've already ripped through there like a plague of locusts and bought up all the good shit regardless!

    Taking a shopping list was real optimistic! :lol:

    Osaka was way more fruitful!
     
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  9. SpectralNight

    SpectralNight Toy Prince

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    LOL! Yeah, partly intentional to protect myself from my own insatiable toy lust. I got no business dropping large sums of money at random. So, I wanted to limit myself somehow. If I can’t get what I need, I don’t get nothing!

    Though, I did find this crazy cool Big Moon Dragon-X figure that I never would have even known about. It’s testing my resolve.
     

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  10. Anti Social Andy

    Anti Social Andy Die-Cast

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    Buy it or you'll forever kick yourself when you get home . . . I speak from experience!

    You can always earn a $$$ but might never have the same opportunity.
     
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  11. SpectralNight

    SpectralNight Toy Prince

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    Now that I have returned, wanted to jump on here and thank everyone who helped me out while I was on my vinyl safari!
    Hopefully I didn't derail the topic of the thread too much with my inquiries, and thought I should at least contribute a little current useful information from my recent experience.

    Apologies if it is vague or already common knowledge:

    For the most part, Nakano Broadway was the best area for a wide variety of soft vinyl.
    The Nakano Mandarake (scattered through the shopping center in separate small shops)
    had a great selection of artist vinyls in "Special 7" and some more Kaiju vinyls in "Special 1".
    I'd also say these shops had the most organized inventory in tidy display cases compared to the Shibuya & Akihabara Mandarake.
    There were a few other shops to check out at Nakano too like Robot Robot, One-Up, and another tiny spot on the 3rd floor that I can't remember the name of (sorry).

    The Shibuya Mandarake had a ton of vinyl, but they were all kind of crammed in cases all over and was pretty hard to find anything w/o help.

    Obviously, Akihabara was the go-to place for collectables, but I personally found the selection more limited for sofubi.
    This may be because lots of collectors target that area and thus create more turn-around in inventory.
    The main places I noticed for vinyls was at Monsterz (almost exclusively Godzilla stuff), One-Up, and Jungle.
    But, it was actually the Akihabara Mandarake that delivered for me, despite having fewer vinyls than Shibuya or Nakano.
    Mainly, it was because they had this Medicom Ymir for about ¥8000 less than it was at Shibuya (who knows why).
    It seemed dicey, but I was glad I shopped around a bit before actually buying anything.
    This thing has been at the top of my list for years, so thank god Medicom recently did a reissue:
    [​IMG][​IMG]
    And as a surprise bonus, I came across this really stunning color-way of Dream Rocket × One-Up Omega!
    He seemed like a bargain for ¥3500, though I did notice a little paint damage on him when I was taking these photos (left brow, and claws).
    Looks like my B Monster sofubi collection is expanding into a little bit of North American Cryptids (I got a Mothman from Dream Rocket too).
    [​IMG] [​IMG]
    Lastly, my girlfriend used her magic to snag me this green Pico from the VAG series in a random Gachapon machine.
    Fits in great with my other full-size amber PicoPico:
    [​IMG]

    These photos I took of my plunder probably should have gone in some thread topic like "show off what you got".
    But, it seemed more fun to add them here since their acquisition was actually largely a result of this thread.
     
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  12. gusstoys

    gusstoys Fresh Meat

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  13. jetJagger

    jetJagger Toy Prince

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    Anyone know if Ichiban Boshi has regular shop hours?

    The web store is updated regularly and shows the shop hours, but it was mentioned in the spreadsheet in this thread that they're by appointment only now. And curiously Google maps street view no longer shows their sign on the building entrance...although it might just be crazy faded...
     
  14. Roger

    Roger Vintage

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  15. gatchabert

    gatchabert Prototype

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    @Roger can you pin your map to the top of the Japan Toys section? I totally forgot about it on my recent trip.

    Mandarake is terrible for any non-vintage sofubi. The prices are way high. Vintage, on the other hand, seems steady (if not leveled for a lot of vintage). Although I did see a Blobpus I painted years ago, and gave as a gift, sitting in Mandarake Shibuya for 4000yen. It is in pretty bad shape though (as far as the paint goes).
     
    Last edited: Oct 29, 2023
  16. Roger

    Roger Vintage

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    I don't have the ability to pin posts, sorry.
     

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