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| Above, the Nakano Broadway entrance from JR Nakano Station. Photo by Armand Vaquer. |
When foreign tourists can finally travel to Japan unhindered and without overbearing rules as was the case before the pandemic, one must-see location in Tokyo to visit is Nakano Broadway.
Nakano Broadway is considered a "mecca" for otaku shoppers while in Tokyo. I made it a point to stop in whenever I am in Japan. I've purchased a number of items there including Godzilla figures and, if you can believe it, "Nipper", the RCA Victor dog.
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| Above, RCA Victor's "Nipper" I purchased at Nakano Broadway. Photo by Armand Vaquer. |
Nippon.com posted an article on Nakano Broadway that is well worth a thorough read.
They start it off with:
At the end of the Nakano Sun Mall shopping arcade outside of JR Nakano Station can be found a holy ground for otaku: Nakano Broadway. Packed with stores selling anime figurines and other ephemera, it even attracts fans who make pilgrimages from abroad. An exploration of the past, present, and future of this iconic Tokyo shopping space.
From Success to Shutters
The year 2022 marked the fifty-sixth anniversary of the opening of Nakano Broadway. A long shopping promenade called Sun Mall extends from the north exit of JR Nakano Station; Nakano Broadway, a 10-story building with three basement levels, sits near the north end of this arcade. The fifth through tenth floors are residential, and residents have access to a rooftop pool, a playground, and a garden plot.
The bottommost two floors are mechanical facilities, but the first basement floor through the fourth floor are jam-packed with a huge variety of shops—as many as 350 tiny outlets. The number isn’t precisely known, for the turnover of shops is constant.
To read more and see some tantalizing photos, go here.
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