AFA isn’t the only thing great about a trip to Singapore in November. There are other neighborhoods where you can explore, eat, and shop your brains out. Here are just six of our favorites, which covers everything from Japanese toys to souvenirs to designer perfumes. Go shop crazy!

Marina Bay

If you’re out late at Suntec to catch the I Love Anisong concerts, you’ll discover that a huge majority of the area’s cafes, restos, and food courts are closed by 21:00 PM. But fret not! Make your way to Esplanade Mall just across Marina Square and grab a late-night nosh at Makansutra Glutton’s Bay. They have a nice selection of street hawker-style food and drinks, close late, and have a taxi stand nearby — perfect for midnight snackers!

Orchard Road

Head for Ngee An City – Takashimaya for one of the largest Kinokuniya branches outside of Japan. Get lost in the store shelves stacked high with manga, Japanese fashion magazines, art books, Western comics and graphic novels, and paperback fiction. Don’t forget to bring your credit cards.

Chinatown

China Square Central east of the station is a mall lined with toy stores and consignment shops for every imaginable toy line you can think of. If you’re still not satisfied with the selections at the AFA dealer’s hall, CSC is a great place to score bargains — for example, we found a Black Rock Shooter Nendriod for SGD 10 less than prices at AFA, plus a rare Junjou Romantica Puchi Nendroid set for about SGD 60. Pretty neat!

Clark Quay

If Kinokuniya at Orchard manages the impossible and does not stock the titles you are looking for, Kinokuniya at Liang Court would be the answer to your problems. The store is smaller than its Takashimaya conterpart, but as a regular haunt for Japanese expats the store stocks an inordinately large inventory of Japanese manga, e-mooks, and magazines. Be on the lookout for the BL shelf — it’s right there out in the open if you know where to look.

Bugis

If your friends and relatives are bugging you via e-mail for souvenirs, Bugis holds the key to your problems. Stacked high with bric-a-brac like fridge magnets, keychains, and souvenir shirts — many of them going for SGD 10 or less, head for Bugis to stock up on decent-quality giveaways that won’t break the bank.

Little India

If your folks back at home go through candy bars like a bunch of nine-year-olds, it’s a good idea to stock up on giant packs of chocolate mini-samplers, cookies and biscuits, Mustafa Department Store in Little India will set you up nicely. Mustafa is also famous back home for being a clearing house for affordable authentic designer perfumes in various sizes, so if you intend to give out Dior or Chanel for Christmas don’t forget to drop by.

One last tip for avid shoppers: if your purchases total to SGD 100 and up, ask the cashier for a GST (Goods and Services tax) rebate. He or she can make out a form for you, that you can show at the Customs office at the Departure Terminal at the airport, to claim back 7% from each receipt over SGD 100.