Continued from 2013 Tokyo Trip Day 2: Akihabara
Another shopping excursion spot for camera fiends is a little out of the way compared to Akihabara, but the prices alone are enough reason to go. Fujiya Camera Shop is a hole-in-the-wall in Nakano that offers both brand new and pre-owned cameras in a mind-boggling array of makes and models (Do you fancy a — say, Pentax Q10 in Evangelion colors?).
Aside from digital cameras in the P&S, Micro 4/3rds, mirrorless, and SLR formats, Fujiya Camera also offers a variety of films and vintage film cameras for your Lomo-toting hipster pals. There are also plenty of lenses, gear, and accessories designed to help you shoot better. Maybe. The jury is still out on that one.
One loooooong covered walk down the street and you will find yourself at Nakano Broadway, which houses a number of second-hand toy and hobby shops for figure collectors on a budget. Mandarake alone has 2309827310928 branches in Nakano — okay, I exaggerate, but I honestly haven’t figured out how many stores they managed to shoehorn into the tight spaces of Nakano Broadway because they are just so many of them.
Each branch is organized according to genre: there is a Kaiju specialist store, a Sentai specialist store, a BJD specialist store, even an Ichiban Kuji and Game Prize specialist if the item you are looking for is technicallynot for sale in shops. I could spend days just getting lost in the halls looking for that perfect deal. Breadcrumbs and a ball of string may be in order.
One tip: bring cash. If you think you can get away with using your credit card, you’re dead wrong. Many of these stores only accept cash (in Japanese yen). Many of these stores also do not have a Return Policy, so make sure you examine your purchase inch by inch before you head for the cashier.
JPOP Manila 