Shopping in Tokyo

Of course you shop. Here as a public service are directions to the main used dj stores in Tokyo. Note that all of them open from 12 to 8 IIRC. Here is a map of tokyo subway for your reference.

Shibuya Mandarake

Yamanote line to Shibuya, Hachiko exit at the north end of the platform. Follow the crowds across the square to the intersection of what seems like five big streets. Cross over to Seibu department store. Walk along the street where Seibu is with Seibu on your left till you come to the first corner and turn left on that, walking up a low hill. The road forks at a building that has 'kyuu' (quick, urgent) in its name somewhere. Take the lefthand fork heading up to Tokyuu Hands. (If you think you're getting lost, ask someone where Tokyuu Hands is.) Tokyuu Hands is on the right side of the street. Mandarake is a little before it on the lefthand side, in the basement.

There are lockers where you leave your bags. The 100 yen coin is returned when you leave. This is the most accessible and navigable of the stores, with everything in one space on one floor. And the djs are better separated by author and circle than anywhere else.

Nakano Mandarake

One stop west of Shinjuku on the Chuuo line (orange trains), three stops on the Soubu line (yellow trains.) Take the north exit, turn right and you find yourself facing a traffic circle where cars are trying to pass in front of the station in the face of a steady mob of people crossing the circle to Sun Plaza, a shopping arcade. Cross past the guys handing out kleenex and the guys trying to get blood donors and enter the mall. It's one long covered passageway, so just keep walking. Keep walking. Keep walking. You're going to go about three city blocks so keep walking. Eventually you enter a building, but the only indication of this is an escalator up ahead on the right. Take the escalator which goes direct to the third floor. Ahead of you is the used manga and books store, with bookshelves outside of it. A few stores back of that, behind you as you come off the escalator, is the used dj place.

You check your bags at the door. The dj store is more crowded than the Shibuya one, and the selection is about the same. The book and manga store has everything you could possibly want, much better than Shibuya. There are at least three other Mandarakes in the mall, selling guys' stuff or videos and goods or models. They're either up on the fourth or down on the second, both reachable by the stairs. And there are several other cell or anime places as well. A happy hunting ground if it wasn't such a pain to get around. Note that the june goods are in the third floor book store, not the second floor goods store.

Ikebukuro KBooks

Yamanote or whatever to Ikebukuro Station. Out the east exit as soon as possible. Ideally you'll be standing with the bulk of Seibu department store behind you, looking across a wide intersection at another wide street lined with trees. Cross intersection, follow the crowds past the blaring speakers of Bik Camera. (If you happen to have come up on the side of the street across from Seibu, Wave etc, and you can because there are a million exits up from Ikebukuro Stn, follow the raucous sound till you locate Bik Camera.) Walk on 30 feet or so until you come to a second street. Cross with the crowds at the light and follow them along the street that angles slightly left from the lights. (You may not even notice there's another street on the right you could follow.) You'll be in a pedestrian walkway where a few cars occasionally try to pass, going past restaurants and movie theatres and heading, once again, to Tokyuu Hands whose tall building is up ahead on the right. Reaching Tokyuu Hands you find yourself facing another broad street darkened by the elevated expressway running overhead. Across the street is a round blue building which will turn out to have cars in it. This is the Amlux building. Cross to the Amlux building and walk around its righthand side, cutting through the bicycle parking lot if you like- then keep on walking left (you can't walk right without crossing back under the expressway) on the same side of the street. Across the street is the 60 floors of Sunshine city, which is the side of the street you don't want to be on. You cross one small side street, I believe, and ahead is KBooks occupying three floors of its building. Manga and art books are on the ground floor, guys' stuff on the second, girls' on the third.

KBooks used to be a teasure trove, but success has spoiled it in my opinion. It's just as crowded as before with less attempt made to separate circles out from the general fandom. You simply have to paw your way through shelves and shelves of tightly packed djs while snippy salesgirls tell you not to rest your dj piles on the empty shelves and to use a basket which clutters up the narrow aisles even more. Worth one visit, but no more than that. Not a pleasant experience. However you can combine your trip here with one to Animate, just a little farther along the street, with goods on the first floor, videos and lds on the second, and manga on the third. Also, on your way back, as you stand on the corner under the expressway, you'll see a large yellow sign across the way directing you to the street where Manga no Mori is. (it's a block away from Tokyuu Hands, basically) This is one of the larger branches of the chain, and none of its books are in plastic so it's a good place to browse for things that may turn up for cheaper in Mandarake.