Tokyo 2019 - Day 1, Nakano

Hello everyone and welcome back to Tiro Finale for the Day 1 coverage of my recent trip to Tokyo. How much can you get done in Tokyo in just five short days with one entire day dedicated to Wonder Festival? As it turns out, quite a lot especially if you plan your schedule carefully ahead of time. And that is exactly what I did in the past month. 

Touching down in Narita International Airport at 8 in the morning and my time in Japan had already begun counting down. Wasting as little time as possible, I got onto the next train straight into city before dropping off my bags and heading to the first destination of this trip. As the title says it all, the first location was non-other than Nakano Broadway Mall. Arriving with some time to spare, I made my way to the local Mr Donut to get some tasty donuts before Mandarake opened at noon. Quick tip, the Mr Donut in Nakano is one of the few outlets which offer the Donut Buffet option!

At this point, I had already lost count on the number of times that I had visited Nakano Broadway Mall. Not just for Mandarake but, for the various other hobby and novelty stores within the mall. And no matter how many times I come, it never ceases to entertain. My last visit to Nakano was more than a year back in March of 2018 so, it certainly felt good to be back once more. 

While things remain largely the same, there are always minor improvements made each time I visit. Series and character organization, for example, has seen a big step up in quality and this certainly makes it a lot easier for patrons to shop for their favorite goods. Previously organization according to series would be a common sight and now, things are more reminiscent of how things are in Akiba with the goods carefully organized according to characters.

Even Mandarake who was always known to be notoriously scattered had improved their organization of goods by leaps and bounds. Larger items such as books and figures never had an issue with organization but, it is the smaller trinkets like straps and badges which often get lost at the bottom of the pile. As such, proper character organization makes a world of difference. Especially for first time visitors!

Case in point, it did not take me long to spot and pick out these Dia rubber straps. Each one of them, fairly recent release with great prices too. These straps are eventually destined to enter Takuya's collection of growing Dia collectibles. And this just goes to how much easier it is to shop in Nakano now as compared to before. Perhaps some would argue that this would lead to Nakano losing its old-world charm as the lure of commercialization takes over. But I would argue that this is a change that is ultimately for the better. 

Rather than just reiterating my trip to Nakano like every other time where I would, arrive at noon, scout the shops, purchase the items I wanted once I had scouted every store and then take the train back before rush hour. I decided to switch things up a little bit, namely by slowing the pace down and taking a short break. After all, I had just done an all night shift before taking a long 10 hour flight down to Tokyo.

The trip had just begun and with the biggest physical hurdle of them all, Wonder Festival, coming on the next day, I had no intention of prematurely wearing out my body. This is where I stumbled upon the lovely coffee/tea shop, Kurenai Tea Room, which served as the perfect place to take a short break before heading back into Broadway for more shopping. 

This quaint little tea shop seemed to be almost as old as the Nakano arcade itself and was a big hit with the locals. Upon trying the coffee and sandwiches there, it was no surprise why the place seemed to be so highly rated among locals. After a long day of walking and squeezing through the tight store passageways of Broadway Mall's hobby stores, this was just the perfect spot for a quick break. So the next time you are visiting Nakano, make sure you pay Kurenai Tea Room a visit!

Tea break over, it was time to visit the remainder of the hobby stores in Broadway Mall. Most first time visitors may only come for Mandarake and subsequently notice the adjacent hobby stores on the second and third floor. But do not every forget about the first floor which is home to three other hobby stores and an arcade! These small shops service mostly collectible trinkets with many rarer variants on sale albeit at a bit of a premium. While, the arcade is one of the few arcades in Tokyo which have a discount arcade. The perfect place to play crane games without draining your entire trip budget. 

Most shops close in Nakano by 7/8 PM and we made sure to make our leave before that. A short trip back into the city for dinner before making it back to our hotels in the midst of the warm summer night. There was no point staying up late either as we needed to get all the rest we could for the big day ahead which was Wonder Festival. More of that in the Day 2 coverage of our Tokyo 2019 trip. Until then, thank you so much for reading and have yourself a wonderful day ahead!