Vintage toy shopping in Japan
Online, you hunt with filters. In Japan, you hunt with your hands: a ¥300 "junk" bin, a glass case in Nakano Broadway, a shelf of Game & Watch in Akihabara. Here are the addresses to know, city by city, and everything you need to bring your finds home.
Where to go
77 checked addresses across 6 destinations. Pick yours:
Tokyo and around
40 addresses
Nakano Broadway for girls' toys and Sanrio, Akihabara for video games and Game & Watch, and a few big second-hand stores in the suburbs for bargains. If you only have one day, start with Nakano.
Osaka, Kyoto and Kobe
24 addresses
In Osaka, Den Den Town packs Mandarake, Surugaya and Super Potato into a few streets, often slightly cheaper than Tokyo. Kyoto and Kobe make easy side trips, less than an hour away by train.
Nagoya
5 addresses
Everything happens in Osu: covered arcades around the temple, with Mandarake, Super Potato and Surugaya a few steps apart. Half a day is enough, perfect between Tokyo and Osaka.
Hiroshima
1 address
No Mandarake here, but a retro video game shop known across western Japan, easy to combine with a trip to Miyajima.
Fukuoka and Kitakyushu
5 addresses
Two Mandarake and two Surugaya shops in northern Kyushu, 15 minutes apart by Shinkansen. Handy if you fly in or out of Fukuoka.
Sapporo
2 addresses
Mandarake and Surugaya share the same building right in the centre: an easy stop during a trip to Hokkaido.
Addresses and opening hours checked on 1 October 2026 on the shops' own websites. In Japan, shops move often: check the official website the day before you go.
Flea markets
There are two kinds of market: huge car boot sales run by private sellers, where you dig for low prices, and antique markets at temples and shrines, where dealers bring Showa-era objects, old toys and tableware. Many are cancelled if it rains: always check the day before.
The next 4 weeks
Every market, with how often it runs, is listed on each destination page.
My market tips
- Come early. The best pieces go before 10 am, and many stalls pack up in the early afternoon.
- Bring cash, in ¥1,000 notes and ¥100 coins: few stalls take cards.
- Check the day before. Most outdoor markets are cancelled if it rains. For the Oi Racecourse market, the decision is posted on trx.jp by 7.30 am.
- Buy in bundles. Buying several items from the same stall is the best way to get a small discount.
The chains to know
There are two kinds of shops: collectors' specialists, pricier but well sorted, and general second-hand chains, where you dig more but where the bargains turn up.
| Chain | What you will find | Good to know |
|---|---|---|
| Mandarake Specialist | Toys, dolls, figures, video games, merchandise. The original shop is in Nakano Broadway (Tokyo), with branches in Akihabara, Shibuya, Osaka, Kyoto, Nagoya, Fukuoka, Kokura, Sapporo and Utsunomiya. | The place to find things fast, at collector prices: ideal for learning what things are worth. Opens at noon. |
| Surugaya Specialist | Video games, consoles, anime goods, boxed rarities. In every big city. | Often slightly cheaper than Mandarake for games and consoles. |
| Super Potato Retro gaming specialist | 1980s and 1990s consoles, cartridges and handheld electronic games. Akihabara, Ikebukuro, Osaka and Nagoya. | Worth it for the atmosphere and the Game & Watch in the display cases, rarely for the prices. |
| Hard-Off and Hobby-Off Second-hand | Electronics, consoles and, at Hobby-Off, toys and figures. The "ジャンク" (junk) corner sells untested, as-is items. | Game & Watch heaven, loose or in need of repair. Often next to an Off House (tableware, knick-knacks). |
| Book-Off Second-hand | Books, games, CDs and, in the large stores, a toy section. | The big suburban "Super Bazaar" stores are the most interesting. |
| Treasure Factory and 2nd Street Second-hand | Clothes, tableware, home goods, bric-a-brac. | For 1980s Sanrio tableware and stationery, browse the homeware aisles. |
Top tip: suburban stores, 30 to 60 minutes from the tourist districts, face less competition and have better prices. A train ride to a big out-of-town Book-Off or Hard-Off often beats an afternoon in Akihabara.
Good to know: chain store prices are fixed. No haggling, but look out for bargain bins (¥100, ¥300…) and markdown stickers.
Where to look, toy by toy
| Collecting area | Where to look first | Word to show | Trap to avoid |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sanrio | Mandarake Plastic in Nakano, the tableware and stationery aisles of Off House and Treasure Factory | ファンシー雑貨 昭和 (fancy zakka Shōwa) | Kiddy Land and Sanrio shops sell brand-new "retro" reissues: check the copyright date. |
| Sylvanian Families | Mandarake Plastic in Nakano, the toy sections of Book-Off Super Bazaar and Hobby-Off | シルバニア 初期 (shoki, "early series") | Bagged lots often mix old and recent pieces. |
| My Little Pony | KNot a TOY in Koenji, the doll sections of Mandarake | マイリトルポニー 当時物 (tōjimono, "of the period") | Rarer in Japan than in the United States: do not count on the bargain bins. |
| Polly Pocket | Mandarake Plastic in Nakano, the toy sections of second-hand chains | ポーリーポケット | Recent capsule keyrings imitate the original compacts. |
| Game & Watch | Hard-Off junk corners, Hard Off TOKYO Lab in Kichijoji, Super Potato, Surugaya | ゲームウォッチ 任天堂 | Open the battery compartment: corrosion eats the contacts. And beware of the 2020 and 2021 reissues in blister packs. |
| Pocket Monsters | Surugaya, Mandarake, Book-Off, bins of loose figures | ポケモン 初期 グッズ (guzzu, "goods") | Pokémon sections are dominated by cards: ask for the goods. |
| Pocket games | Old toy sections at Mandarake and Hobby-Off, flea markets | カセットゲーム タカラ | In Japan, "カセット" also means video game cartridges: add ボードゲーム (board game) to be understood. |
A trick that works: keep these Japanese words as a screenshot on your phone. Shown to a shop assistant, they beat a long explanation.
In the shops: paying, tax-free and etiquette
Paying. Chains and Mandarake take cards. Flea markets, small shops and capsule machines want cash: withdraw yen from 7-Eleven convenience store ATMs or Japanese post offices.
Tax-free shopping changes on 1 November 2026. Prices in Japan include a 10% tax, which visitors can get back in approved shops.
- Until 31 October 2026: the tax is taken off at the till when you show your passport.
- From 1 November 2026: you pay the full price in the shop, then claim the refund when you leave Japan, at the airport, before checking in your luggage.
- Conditions: at least ¥5,000 before tax spent in the same shop on the same day, and the goods with you at the check.
- In practice: group your purchases by shop and by day, and keep every receipt.
Haggling. Never in shops. At flea markets, you can politely ask for a small discount: 安くなりますか？ (yasuku narimasu ka, "could you do a better price?"). Buying several items from the same stall helps a lot.
Etiquette that opens doors: ask before photographing a display case or a stall, do not handle blister-packed items without permission, and put your money in the little tray at the till rather than in the cashier's hand.
Reading the price tags
| Word | Reading | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| ジャンク | janku | Sold as-is, untested, sometimes incomplete or broken |
| 動作確認済み | dōsa kakunin zumi | Tested, works |
| 箱付き / 箱なし | hako tsuki / hako nashi | With box / without box |
| 未開封 | mikaifū | Never opened |
| 当時物 | tōjimono | Of the period, not a reissue |
| 復刻 | fukkoku | Reissue: avoid it if you want the original |
| 税込 / 税抜 | zeikomi / zeinuki | Price including / excluding tax |
Bringing your finds home
Customs allowances. Allowances depend on where you live. Arriving in France by air, each traveller aged 15 or over can bring back up to €430 of goods without declaring them (€150 for under-15s). It is a total for everything you bought, not an amount per item. Above that, declare your goods at customs and pay VAT and any duties. Keep your receipts to prove the prices.
In your suitcase:
- Fragile pieces (original boxes, tableware, Game & Watch) travel better in your hand luggage. Wrap each box in bubble wrap or clothes.
- Take the batteries out of electronic games before you leave: they leak over time.
- Pack a foldable bag from the start: trips to Hard-Off fill it quickly.
Too many finds? You can post a parcel to yourself from a Japanese post office. Import VAT will then be due on arrival. My guide Buying from Japan explains these costs.
Take the addresses with you
Download every address in the guide and import it into Google My Maps or Organic Maps. Organic Maps works offline, which is handy in Japan.
Download the addresses (KML file, works with Google My Maps and Organic Maps)
Coordinates: © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL). Outline of Japan: Natural Earth.