Nakano Broadway
中野ブロードウェイ · Nakano Broadway
- Ward
- Nakano
- Price
- Free (shopping ¥500~)
- Hours
- Varies by shop, roughly 12:00–
- Closed
- Varies by shop
- Getting there
- 5 min from Nakano Stn north exit (JR and Tozai Line), at the end of Sun Mall
- Founded
- 1966
- Built in 1966 as a mixed commercial and residential block
- In 1980 a second-hand manga shop opened in a space of about two tsubo
- On the fourth floor especially
We do not republish copyrighted photographs. Use the links below to see the actual venue.
Obvious to locals, invisible to visitors
There is a simple reason guidebooks leave this out: to the people who live here it is too obvious to be worth explaining.
Built in 1966 as a mixed commercial and residential block: shops occupy the basement to the fourth floor, and above them people actually live. It was sold as luxury housing at the time, with a rooftop garden and even a putting green. Being a subculture mecca was never the building's purpose.
In 1980 a second-hand manga shop opened in a space of about two tsubo, carved out of an already subdivided unit on the second floor. It grew by widening its range to animation cels, old enamel signs and dolls, and when the 1990s recession emptied units, specialist shops moved in to catch its customers. That is why over thirty branches of the same chain are now scattered through the building.
On the fourth floor especially, most shops open between eleven and noon, so going up in the morning you find a street of closed shutters. The rumours that the fourth floor is eerie owe a lot to that hour. By afternoon it fills up — though if the empty atmosphere is what you want, go before opening.
Branches under the same name are spread across the floors, but each specialises differently — one in figures, one in dolls, one dealing only in old corporate giveaways and tin toys. Seeing one and assuming you have seen them all is a wasted trip. If you are after something specific, find out which floor and which branch before you go.
What it is
Nakano is a ward of Nakano Broadway and subculture. The owner knows where every item sits. They are the best search engine for things the internet cannot index. Stock turns over weekly. One visit is not enough to judge the place. Around two in the afternoon, once the lunch peak has passed, is the quietest window. Map apps drift in the narrow lanes; for the last hundred metres, look for the sign instead. Rather than anchoring your itinerary, it slots naturally into the gaps between other stops.
What to order
Why locals keep coming
The owner's knowledge functions as the catalogue; ask and you get information beyond the stock itself. The price range is wide — a few hundred yen and tens of thousands sit on the same shelf.