22 places with a verified description
In Mitaka, about thirty minutes from Shinjuku. Original sketches, a Catbus playroom and the giant robot on the roof. Entry is only by advance booking for an exact date and time, and there is no ticket office on site.
Photo: Fotointheworld / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 4.0)
An open-air park in Koganei with historic buildings that were moved here, among them a bathhouse and a row of shops that many guides link to Spirited Away, without official confirmation. Miyazaki designed the museum's mascot. Less crowded than the Ghibli Museum, and advance booking is not required.
Photo: lumoplank / Wikimedia Commons (CC0)
A permanent Pokémon park inside Yomiuriland in Inagi, with Pokémon Forest and Sedge Town. It opened in 2026 and requires booking a ticket in advance. Since 1 November 2026 every visitor must show an original photo ID at the entrance, matched against the details registered at purchase, and a mismatch can mean no entry. For tourists that means the passport.
Photo: ぶい133 / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 4.0)
The hotel with the life-size Godzilla head peeking from the terrace on the eighth floor. There are Godzilla-themed rooms, and you can see the head from the street without staying there.
Photo: Another Believer / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)
A simple, central hotel in the heart of Akihabara, with no themed design. The practical choice for those who want to sleep within walking distance of the shops.
Photo: Nelson Pérez / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0)
Two branches: in Nihonbashi in Tokyo, which reopened on 17 June 2026 after a renovation, with a new Pikachu show, and in Shinsaibashi in Osaka, on floor 9 of Daimaru. At both, entry is by online reservation only. A whole month opens at once at 18:00 Japan time, and the dates are published on the official site. The seats are gone within minutes.
Photo: Millethills / Wikimedia Commons (CC0)
Three permanent branches: at Solamachi in Tokyo Skytree on floor 4, at Daimaru Shinsaibashi in Osaka, and at Canal City Hakata in Fukuoka. A pink Kirby burger, a Maxim Tomato pizza and souvenir plates, and each branch has its own dishes. Without a reservation you get in only if a table is free.
Photo: lazy fri13th / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 2.0)
A whole district of multi-story shops: Radio Kaikan for figures, Lashinbang and Mandarake for secondhand, and Super Potato for retro games. A full day, and best on a Sunday when the main street is closed to traffic.
Photo: AXP Photography / Pexels
About 200 m of manga and anime shops aimed at women, west of the Sunshine 60 tower, mostly doujinshi and used merchandise, including K-BOOKS and Mandarake. The Swallowtail butler cafe is here too, by advance booking. The Animate flagship store is about 4 minutes' walk away.
Photo: Dick Thomas Johnson / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 2.0)
A multi-story shopping center from the seventies that became a maze of collectors' shops: vintage toys, original cels from animated films, rare manga and watches. Five minutes by train from Shinjuku.
Photo: Flickr user: Danny Choo Tokyo, Japan https://www.flickr.com/people/dannychoo/ / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 2.0)
Bandai's official Gunpla store in Odaiba, on the seventh floor of DiverCity. Kits from every generation, kits sold only here, and tables for building on site. Entry is free. The Unicorn statue that stood in the plaza below was on display until 31 August 2026, and the store continues to operate.
Photo: Syced / Wikimedia Commons (CC0)
The stairs with the red railing from the final scene of 'Kimi no Na wa'. In the Yotsuya neighborhood, free, and it takes five minutes. Remember that this is a residential neighborhood.
Photo: Higa4 / Wikimedia Commons (CC0)
Shibuya · One Piece
The official One Piece store: clothes, toys, accessories and costumes. The main branch is in MAGNET by SHIBUYA109 on floor 6, 10:00 to 21:00, and not in Parco as some guides write. There are also branches on Character Street in Tokyo Station, in Harakado in Harajuku, in DiverCity in Odaiba and in Sunshine City in Ikebukuro, and two in Osaka.
Tokyo Station · Shonen Jump
The official store of Weekly Shonen Jump: One Piece, My Hero Academia, Dragon Ball and the rest of the Jump series. On Tokyo Character Street, on the basement floor of Tokyo Station on the Yaesu side, 10:00 to 20:30. The same street has dozens more official character shops, among them the One Piece store. On release days entry is by advance lottery.
Harajuku · Sailor Moon
The permanent official Sailor Moon store, in Laforet Harajuku on floor B0.5. Clothes, bags, makeup and items that come out here before anywhere else. It was redesigned in April 2024. 11:00 to 20:00, following Laforet's hours.
Akihabara · Anime clothing
The official store of Cospa, a long-standing maker of official anime clothing: T-shirts, hoodies and bags from hundreds of series, from subtle designs you can wear every day to full prints. About 2,500 new items a year. On floor 3 of Atre Akihabara 1, right next to JR Akihabara Station, 10:00 to 21:00. Cosplay costumes are sold at the company's second shop, G-Store Akiba.
Two branches: in Ikebukuro in Tokyo and in Umeda in Osaka. The branch in Saitama closed in January 2023. The menu changes with the collaboration of the moment, for example the 20th anniversary of Okami from June 2026.
Opened on 12 June 2026 in the Paselabo Tower in Shinjuku, next to Shinjuku Station: a shop on the ground floor and a cafe on floors 2 and 3, with a menu of Final Fantasy, Dragon Quest and NieR. Open 11:00 to 22:00. The old branch in Akihabara closed in March 2025.
The best-known maid cafe chain, with songs, spells and games. There is an hourly entry fee on top of the price of your order, and photographing the waitresses is not allowed unless you pay.
Opened in 2001, and presents itself as the first cafe of its kind in Japan. On floor 4 of the Onoden Building, with classic uniforms and a calm atmosphere. Suits those who want to see the phenomenon without much of a show.
In Ikebukuro, it collaborates with a different series each period. Themed drinks and character coasters that you get with your order. The series changes every few weeks.
The flagship store in Ikebukuro, inside the Sunshine City mall. Life-size Pokémon statues and exclusive merchandise. There are more branches in Tokyo, but this is the big one.
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