NAKANO BROADWAY AND NAKANO TOKYO

THE SHORT ANSWER

Nakano Broadway is a shopping-and-apartment building that opened in 1966 next to Nakano Station, with shops on five floors (basement to 4F) selling manga, anime figures, retro games, vintage watches and everyday stuff side by side. It's a 5-minute walk from the station's north exit, about 4 minutes from Shinjuku on the JR Chuo Line Rapid (¥199 with an IC card), and the building runs roughly 10:00 to 20:00. Nakano, the neighborhood around it, is my favorite area in Tokyo, for bar hopping through tiny backstreets as much as for Broadway.

THE BUILDING

What is Nakano Broadway?

Nakano Broadway opened in 1966, at the height of Japan's postwar boom, as one of the first buildings to mix shops downstairs with apartments upstairs. Its reputation as a "holy land of subculture" came after the bubble economy burst in 1991, and one shop gets the credit: Mandarake, a secondhand manga store that started in 1980 in a space of just two tsubo (about 6.6 square meters). Collectors and specialist dealers followed it in.

The part I like most is that it never fully turned into an otaku mall. The local, everyday shops from opening day still live next to the collector shops, and that mix is the whole point of my reel: grandmas buying fish one shop over from rare figures.

There are 207 shops across the basement, the ground floor, floors 2 to 4, and a small section called Petit Paris, and 84 of them are subculture shops.

INSIDE BROADWAY

What to do in Nakano Broadway

Cheap manga sets. One thing about Japan is that people take care of their stuff, so used manga turns up in great condition for a fraction of the cover price, and full series sell cheap.

Vintage watches, cameras and the rest. There's a cluster of luxury and vintage watch shops in the building. My reel adds Louis Vuitton bags, Rolexes, Persian rugs, model trains, historic coins and American military gear to the list.

VS AKIHABARA

Is Nakano Broadway better than Akihabara?

Yes, I think so. In my guide I wrote that it's "way better than Akihabara and way less crowded": five floors of manga, vintage toys, rare records and retro games, without the crush.

TIMING

How long to spend, and when to go

The building's day runs roughly 10:00 to 20:00, but Mandarake doesn't open until 12:00, so if Mandarake is why you're going, arrive after noon.

Spend a couple of hours. If you're a real crazy nerd, you might spend all day there.

THE NEIGHBORHOOD

Nakano beyond Broadway

This is the GOAT neighborhood. I've said it a thousand times: Nakano is the best area in Tokyo. You can bar hop through tiny backstreets, dig through five floors of vintage manga and toys, eat soft serve with eight flavors in one cone, and be the only tourist doing any of it. When people ask me for the best neighborhood in Tokyo, I say Nakano, especially if you want a real izakaya night or to meet some weird people.

The bar streets by the station. The tiny bar streets near the station are where the magic happens. Point at what looks good and say onegaishimasu ("please"). You'll figure it out.

STAYING HERE

Staying in Nakano

Stay steps from Broadway and you're 4 minutes from Shinjuku on the Chuo Line Rapid.

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GETTING THERE

How to get to Nakano Broadway

• Station: Nakano Station, on the JR Chuo Line, the JR Chuo-Sobu Line and the Tokyo Metro Tozai Line.
• Exit: North exit. Walk north through the Sun Mall arcade; Broadway is about 5 minutes on foot.
• From Shinjuku: 4 minutes on the JR Chuo Line Rapid, 7 on the Sobu Line local, ¥199 with an IC card.
• Address: 5-52-15 Nakano, Nakano City, Tokyo 164-0001.
• Parking: none. The building asks visitors to come by public transport.

Nakano Broadway on Google Maps ↗

QUESTIONS PEOPLE ASK