Where to Buy Manga and Figures in Japan: BOOKOFF, Animate, Mandarake, and More

During your trip to Japan, you may be thinking,

“I want to buy some Japanese-language manga to take home.”

“I want to look for figures from my favorite anime.”

“I’d love to see what kinds of secondhand goods I can only find in Japan.”

Of course, if you simply want to buy one new manga volume, a regular bookstore is perfectly fine.

But Japan has many different places where you can shop for manga and figures.

BOOKOFF（ブックオフ）, animate（アニメイト）, Mandarake（まんだらけ）, Surugaya（駿河屋）, Manga Souko（マンガ倉庫）, AmiAmi（あみあみ）, and more.

They may seem similar at first, but each store has its own strengths.

For example,

That’s the basic idea.

In this article, I’ll introduce the main types of stores for travelers who want to buy manga and figures in Japan, along with what each one is best for.

First, Choose a Store Based on What You Want to Find

“What’s the best store?”

There isn’t really one answer, because it depends on what you want.

Someone looking for the latest manga volume and someone searching for a figure released ten years ago will probably want to visit very different stores.

So first, think about:

Once you know that, choosing a store becomes much easier.

On the other hand,

if you simply want to enjoy visiting manga and figure shops in Japan,

there is no need to limit yourself to a single store.

The selection can be very different from one shop to another, so visiting several can be part of the fun of traveling in Japan.

Main Places to Buy Manga and Figures in Japan

Japan has many stores that sell manga and figures.

Some focus mainly on new products, while others are stronger in secondhand or rare items.

If you are making the trip, you might as well choose a store that matches what you are actually looking for.

Here are some of the main stores that are relatively easy for travelers to visit, organized by their strengths.

BOOKOFF（ブックオフ） | A Good First Stop for Cheap Secondhand Manga

BOOKOFF is one of the most familiar secondhand retail chains in Japan.

Although the name includes “BOOK,” it does not only sell books.

Depending on the location, you may also find:

It is particularly useful if you want to find secondhand manga at lower prices.

A series that would cost quite a lot to buy completely new may sometimes be much cheaper secondhand.

However, the size and selection of BOOKOFF stores vary considerably.

A smaller branch may mainly carry books.

Larger locations such as BOOKOFF SUPER BAZAAR may have large sections for figures, anime merchandise, toys, and more.

Some branches also sell new books, new games, and new trading cards.

So,

don’t assume that “everything at BOOKOFF is secondhand.”

Before visiting a BOOKOFF, it is a good idea to check the official store page to see whether that location carries categories such as books, hobby goods, figures, and anime merchandise.

Otherwise, you may arrive and find that the store barely carries the type of item you wanted.

Some locations also offer tax-free shopping for international visitors.

animate（アニメイト） | Convenient for New Manga and Anime Merchandise

If you have heard of anime stores in Japan, animate may already be familiar to you.

animate carries items such as:

Unlike BOOKOFF or Mandarake, it is a store where currently available new products are relatively easy to find.

“I recently watched an anime and now I want to buy the manga.”

“I want to see acrylic stands and keychains from the same series too.”

If that sounds like you, animate can be a lot of fun.

There are stores throughout Japan, including the flagship store in Ikebukuro as well as locations in Akihabara, Shinjuku, Shibuya, Osaka Nipponbashi, Kyoto, Nagoya, and Fukuoka.

Some locations also offer tax-free shopping.

Mandarake（まんだらけ） | Interesting for Older Titles, Rare Items, and Secondhand Figures

Mandarake has a slightly different atmosphere from BOOKOFF.

In addition to manga, it carries a wide range of specialized items such as:

“I want to find an older item that normal stores no longer carry.”

“I don’t mind buying secondhand if I can find old merchandise from a series I like.”

If that sounds like you, Mandarake can be a very interesting place to visit.

Mandarake Complex in Akihabara has separate floors for manga, doujinshi, toys, figures, and other categories.

At Mandarake in Nakano Broadway, there are more than 30 different sales areas divided by product category.

The first time you visit, you may wonder,

“Where am I supposed to look?”

If you already know what you want, showing a product image on your smartphone can make it much easier for the staff to help you find it.

Mandarake Nakano also states on its official website that staff are available to help customers look for items in English.

Tax-free shopping is also available at all Mandarake stores.

Mandarake is not necessarily the kind of place where you go thinking,

“I absolutely have to buy this exact item.” It can also be a place where you wander around thinking, “I wonder what interesting things I’ll find.”

That style of shopping suits Mandarake very well.

Surugaya（駿河屋） | A Wide Range of New and Secondhand Figures and Anime Goods

Surugaya is another store worth knowing if you like manga, anime, or games.

It sells both new and secondhand products, and depending on the location, you may find:

As of September 7, 2026, the Surugaya Group has 160 stores across Japan.

One thing to remember, however, is that

the types of products carried can vary considerably from one location to another.

For example, even within Akihabara, there are stores such as:

So rather than thinking,

“Surugaya has everything,”

it is better to think,

“I should go to the Surugaya location that carries the category I’m looking for.”

You can check what each location carries on the official website, so it is worth looking before you go.

AmiAmi（あみあみ） | Worth Checking If Figures Are Your Main Priority

If you are less interested in manga and more interested in

“I just want to see lots of figures,”

AmiAmi is another place to consider.

Its physical stores are located in areas such as Akihabara and Ikebukuro in Tokyo.

In Akihabara, there are the AmiAmi Akihabara Radio Kaikan Store and the AmiAmi Akihabara Figure Tower Store.

Even the names sound tempting if you are a figure fan.

There is one important point to remember.

AmiAmi’s online shop and physical stores handle inventory and orders separately.

The official website also states that items ordered through the online shop cannot be picked up at a physical store.

So,

“I found the item online, so the physical store probably has it too,”

is not a safe assumption.

Manga Souko（マンガ倉庫） | Fun to Browse If You Find One During Your Trip

Manga Souko.

From the name, you might imagine a store specializing only in manga.

In reality, it is a large secondhand shop that carries a very wide range of products.

Depending on the location, you may find:

You do not need to change your entire travel route just to visit a Manga Souko.

But if you happen to find one near where you are traveling, it can be fun to stop in.

That is probably the best way to use it.

It feels a little different from both BOOKOFF and Mandarake.

It is more like “a huge secondhand store where you never know what you might find.”

It is better suited to travelers who have time to browse than to people who want to find one specific item as quickly as possible.

If You Only Want New Manga, a Regular Large Bookstore Is Fine

So far, I have introduced several specialty stores.

But if all you want is

“a new Japanese edition of a manga,”

you do not need to go out of your way to find an anime shop.

Large bookstores such as Kinokuniya（紀伊國屋書店）, Maruzen（丸善）, and Junkudo（ジュンク堂） also have manga sections.

If you find a large bookstore near where you are traveling, that may be all you need.

On the other hand, if you want to:

then stores such as BOOKOFF, animate, Mandarake, or Surugaya are worth checking.

Do You Need to Go to Akihabara?

When people think of manga, anime, games, and figures in Japan, they may wonder,

“Should I go to Akihabara?”

Akihabara is still one of Japan’s best-known areas for these kinds of stores.

Many shops are also located close together, which makes it convenient if you want to visit several in a short amount of time.

However,

going to Akihabara does not guarantee that you will find the lowest price.

Secondhand prices and inventory in particular vary from store to store.

At the same time, your time in Japan is limited.

If you find the item you wanted and you are comfortable with the price, buying it there may be the most practical choice.

Especially with secondhand or discontinued products, there is no guarantee that the next shop will have the same item.

Of course,

if part of the fun for you is “comparing several stores,”

then an area like Akihabara, where many shops are concentrated together, is a good place to do that.

In Tokyo, you can also look for manga, anime goods, and figures in places such as:

In Osaka, Nipponbashi（日本橋） and the Ota Road（オタロード） area are also options.

BOOKOFF, animate, Surugaya, and other chains also have stores outside Tokyo and Osaka.

So,

you do not need to change your travel route just to visit Akihabara for manga or figures.

Start by checking what stores are available in the cities you are already planning to visit.

If You Know What You Want, Save a Picture on Your Phone

This is especially useful for international travelers.

If you already know what you are looking for, save information such as:

on your smartphone.

Even if you cannot read the Japanese product name,

showing the staff a picture and saying, “I’m looking for this,”

can make communication much easier.

This is particularly useful for figures because the same character may have many different versions.

If you only give the character name, the staff may still need to ask,

“Which figure?”

Saving a photo of the box or the exact product can make things much easier.

Check the Condition Before Buying a Secondhand Figure

Looking for secondhand figures can be one of the fun parts of shopping in Japan.

You may unexpectedly find something that is no longer being produced.

But because it is secondhand, the condition varies from one item to another.

Before buying, check:

If you plan to take the figure out of the box and display it, some damage to the outer box may not matter much to you.

But if you want to

“keep the box in good condition”

or

“preserve it as part of your collection,”

then the presence and condition of the box are worth checking too.

Japanese secondhand stores may have condition notes written in Japanese.

Some common terms are:

新品 ＝ New

中古 ＝ Used / Pre-owned

未開封 ＝ Unopened

開封済み ＝ Opened

箱なし ＝ No box

Even learning these five terms can make secondhand shopping much easier.

Check the Region Code Before Buying DVDs or Blu-rays

Along with manga and figures, you may also be thinking,

“I want to buy an anime DVD or Blu-ray that is only sold in Japan.”

But there is something important to check first.

A DVD or Blu-ray purchased in Japan may not necessarily play on your equipment at home.

Some DVDs and Blu-rays use regional playback restrictions known as region codes.

DVDs commonly sold in Japan are generally Region 2.

For example, DVD players intended for the United States and Canada are generally Region 1, so a Japanese Region 2 DVD may not play on them.

For Blu-ray, Japan is in Region A.

The United States and Canada are also Region A, so discs with matching region restrictions may play there.

Many European countries and Australia, on the other hand, generally use Region B for Blu-ray.

Some products are region-free, so before buying, check:

In Japan, “I Changed My Mind” Usually Isn’t Enough for a Return

There is one more thing worth knowing when buying manga, figures, and other goods in Japan.

At physical stores in Japan,

“I bought it, but I changed my mind”

is generally not enough reason to receive a return or refund.

Defective products are a different matter.

But reasons such as:

“I found it cheaper at another store.”

“I got back to my hotel and decided I didn’t want it anymore.”

“The box was too big to fit in my suitcase.”

should not be assumed to qualify for a return.

You should not expect to be able to return the item for those reasons.

If you need to ask a store about a return or exchange, you will generally be asked to show your purchase receipt.

Even while traveling, it is safer to keep your receipts for a while instead of throwing them away immediately.

For expensive figures or rare items in particular, check the condition, price, and size carefully before buying.

If You Only Want to Read Manga, You Can Also Rent It at TSUTAYA

If you are thinking,

“I’d like to read some manga, but I don’t really need to buy it and carry it home,”

comic rental is another option.

Some TSUTAYA stores still offer manga rental services.

However, international travelers should be aware of a few things.

To rent items in-store at TSUTAYA, you need to register for rental use and provide identification.

According to the official guidance, accepted identification must show:

For passports, TSUTAYA also states that only passports with an address entered in the address section are accepted.

So,

“Any international traveler can simply show a passport and rent manga,”

is not a safe assumption.

If you want to try comic rental, it is best to confirm the requirements with the specific store in advance.

So, Which Store Should You Visit?

After all of that, if you are still wondering,

“So where should I actually go?”

use this as a quick guide:

If you are searching for a specific item, check the store location and product categories on the official website before you go.

That is usually the most efficient approach.

Checklist Before Buying Manga or Figures in Japan

Before you buy, especially while traveling, check the following:

Manga can become surprisingly heavy once you buy several volumes.

Figures themselves may be light, but the boxes can be much larger than expected.

If you plan to shop a lot early in your trip, it is worth thinking about how much luggage space you will need for the rest of your journey.

But,

“I found a manga in Japan that I couldn’t find anywhere else.”

“I finally found the figure I had been searching for.”

Those experiences can become part of the memories of your trip to Japan too.

If you have a series you love, take some time to look around a few Japanese shops.