Go to shopping: Mandrake

If your want is manga, anime related toys and any other kind of specialist otaku goods, Mandrake, pronounced as so many of Her Majesty’s loan words in katakana, as “mahn-drah-keh”, is probably a good place to have a gander. They have shelves of any kind of manga you could possibly imagine, yes, including the naughty stuff, more plastic toys than a man can eat and even anime cells.

They have quite a few shops, but I’ve only ever ventured into the Shibuya one, which is down three or four flights of stairs leading to a subterranean dungeon of geekdom. You have to deposit your bags in a locker (100Yen coin needed, refunded when you leave) before you’re allowed to browse the maze of shelves and glass cases containing toys both old and new. Or you could simply have a quiet giggle at the poor staff who often have to dress up in cosplay, or if they’re terribly unlucky, stand on the tiny stage amongst the larger robot toys and butcher karaoke songs. Judging by the “kill me now” look of one cosplay girl I witnessed as she was Shatnering "Fly me to the moon" I am guessing it’s a contractual obligation for all staff, the poor thing.

Akihabara has many shops for such sad hobbies, but the Shibuya branch of Mandrake is fairly well located so that even the uninterested with a slight curiosity can pop in and have a quick look. Some Japanese ability or a lack of self-consciousness is helpful if you want to avoid the embarrassment of accidentally browsing the “male homosexual love story manga aimed at girls” section (eh?), for example. If you can’t flip through the comics because they’re packed in cellophane with a photocopied sheet covering the title page you have probably wandered into the hardcore porn manga section.

Location: Akihabara is on the local Chuo line or the central Yamanote line; Shibuya is on the central Yamanote line as well as many others.
Website: http://www.mandarake.co.jp/
Map: Shibuya branch or Akihabara branch.