Nakano Broadway is Tokyo’s battered, oddball department store. A subcultural haven, the complex is an institution for the underrated area of Nakano, reachable from one side by strolling up the rather grandly named Sun Mall. It can be quite daunting if you don’t know where to start.
Nakano Broadway is known for its collection of anime and manga stores, but it is made up of a hotchpotch of everything else: antiques, bookshops, bric-a-brac, record shops, kimono, famous ice cream and even a key cutter.
This guide will give you a brief rundown of the past and present. Namely, what Nakano Broadway was and now is, plus what you can find there.
History of Nakano Broadway
Founded in 1966, Nakano Broadway was designed to be a fancy department store with luxury fashion pieces for social climbers. A 10-story complex, its lower five levels were open to the public, and its upper floors were costly apartments overlooking the grand Nakano development. Indeed, even today, the upper echelons are residential only, and the secret garden on the roof remains exclusive. It has a pool, delicately manicured walkways and pristine flowerbeds.
By 1980, in addition to the luxury and high-end fashion stores, the second-hand manga shop Mandarake opened on the third floor. The brand flourished. In the 1990s, as the Japanese economic bubble burst and surrounding luxury shops fell like flies, Mandarake expanded.
Soon, many of the luxury brands had disappeared from Nakano Broadway. In their place were shops that had sprung up to complement Mandarake.
Nowadays, the long history of Nakano Broadway is told through its eclectic mix of shops and restaurants.
Photo by Kim Kahan
A Rough Floor Guide
It’s hard to pinpoint an exact theme for each floor. Simply put, there isn’t one. In the basement, though, you’ll find more of the corporate brands and many restaurants and food places.
On the second floor, you’ll find a lot of collectibles, including antiques, cards and otaku gear.
From there on up, it’s pretty much a free for all.
Access
Beware: the escalator on the first floor leads straight up to the third floor, skipping the second. If you want to shop on the second floor, you need to take the stairs.
Anime and Manga Shops
There is a Mandarake shop on nearly every floor in Nakano Broadway. From the manga book store to the figurine shop with the giant alien outside, Mandarake is hard to miss.
There are also many private collectors and enthusiasts who have their own shops, too.
Photo by Kim Kahan
Subculture Collectables and Antiques
In the complex, you’ll be able to find every kind of collectible subculture you can think of. From an antique doll shop, where eyes follow you around the room, to various Kewpies — a Kewpie egg baby, anyone?
Of course, thanks in part to the many Mandarake shops, there’s also every type of figurine and collectible toy you can think of.
Photo by Kim Kahan
Fashion
Nakano Broadway has its roots in fashion, so it’s unsurprising that there are many shops stocking the latest clothes, as well as some older ones. You’ll find market-style clothes on the first floor, ramen socks on the fourth, a second-hand kimono shop in the basement and another place dealing exclusively in sukajan jackets on one of the upper levels.
Luxury Watches
Nakano Broadway is also the rather unexpected center of Tokyo’s second-hand watch culture. Expensive vintage watches costing millions of yen can also be found there.
There are even shops selling antique dolls
Sex Shops
Sex sells, literally. In Nakano Broadway there are at least two shops selling sex toys. And anything else to do with sex that you can probably think of, apart from the act itself.
Restaurants and Cafes
Venture deep into the building to discover a few high quality food options. There’s hand-rolled udon and the famous eight-color ice cream in the basement. On the second floor, you’ll find Kohrinbo, a 40-year-old Taiwanese restaurant. And two floors up, there’s the artist Takashi Murakami’s Instagram-ready café.
