Nakano Broadway Guide: 5 Min from Shinjuku, Dozens of Mandarake Shops (by Floor)
5 minutes by train from Shinjuku, then a 5-minute walk: Nakano Broadway's dozens of Mandarake shops and vintage stores, floor by floor, most open 12:00–20:00 — the retro-and-rare alternative to Akihabara.
Why Nakano Broadway
Nakano Broadway is a 1966 shopping complex that became the collector's counterpart to Akihabara. Where Akihabara skews new and electric, Nakano skews vintage, rare and deep: floor after floor of niche specialty shops, much of it the many genre-split branches of Mandarake. If you hunt out-of-print figures, vintage manga, cels, sofubi, idol/tokusatsu goods or dolls, this is the place.
Getting there
From Nakano Station (JR Chuo Line / Tokyo Metro Tozai Line), take the North Exit and walk straight through the Nakano Sun Mall covered arcade — Nakano Broadway is at the end, about 5 minutes. It's an easy ~5-minute train ride from Shinjuku.
What's inside
- Mandarake Nakano is the star — not one store but dozens of specialized shops scattered across floors B1–4F: main stores, a card shop, a cel/photo shop, a cosplay shop, doll specialists, an anime shop and many numbered 'Special' shops. Open 12:00–20:00 year-round; tax-free and overseas shipping available.
- Beyond Mandarake there are watch dealers, idol-goods shops, retro toy stores, galleries and the famous oversized soft-serve at Daily Chiko on B1.
- See the building overview at Nakano Broadway.
Floor by floor: which floor do you actually want?
Nakano Broadway is four commercial floors (B1–4F) — and, importantly, 5F and above are private residences, not shops. Visitors regularly wander up and find apartment doors; the shopping stops at 4F.
Mandarake is not one store here but dozens of genre-split specialty shops scattered across those floors, all open 12:00–20:00, year-round. That layout is the single most confusing thing about the building, so use this as a lookup rather than walking every floor:
| What you're after | Floor | Shop |
|---|---|---|
| Manga, books, general stock | 3F | Main Store (本店) & Main Store 2 |
| Trading cards | 2F | Card Hall (カード館) |
| Cels, film & vintage photos | 2F | Katsudo Shashin-kan (活動写真館) |
| Cosplay costumes & accessories | 2F | Cosplay Hall (コスプレ館) |
| Retro video games | 2F | Galaxy (ギャラクシー) |
| Small & micro collectibles | 2F | Micro Hall (ミクロ館) |
| Figures & plastic models | 4F | Plastic (ぷらすちっく) |
| Anime merchandise | 4F | Anime Hall (アニメ館) |
| Music, CDs & discs | 4F | Kaiba (海馬) |
| Deep / niche collectibles | 2F & 4F | Mania Hall (マニア館), DEEP-kan, and the numbered "Special" shops |
| Selling or valuing something | 3F | Buyback counter (買取処) |
| Just arrived, want an overview | 1F | Gate (門) |
The numbered "Special" shops are spread deliberately — Special 1, 4, 4.1, 5 and 7 on 2F; Special 2, 3, 8 and 9 on 3F; Special 6 on 4F — so if you're hunting one specific category, check the shop name rather than assuming a floor is exhausted.
B1 is not otaku retail: it's everyday shops and food, including the famous oversized soft-serve at Daily Chiko. Worth the stop, but don't go looking for figures there.
Floor allocations verified against Mandarake's official Nakano store directory, August 2026. Individual shops move within the building from time to time — the directory at the entrance is the live version.
Tips
- Most shops open around midday (12:00), so come in the afternoon — mornings are quiet.
- Prices range from cheap used manga to very high-end collectibles; condition is graded, so inspect and compare.
- Cash is handy, though Mandarake takes cards. Combine with Akihabara on a 'two temples of otaku' day.
常见问题
- How is Nakano Broadway different from Akihabara?
- Akihabara is bigger, newer and more electric (new goods, electronics, maid cafés, arcades). Nakano Broadway is smaller, denser and more collector-focused — vintage, rare and out-of-print items, dominated by Mandarake's many specialty shops. Hunters and serious collectors often prefer Nakano.
- How do I get to Nakano Broadway?
- From Nakano Station (JR Chuo / Tokyo Metro Tozai), take the North Exit and walk straight through the Nakano Sun Mall arcade — about 5 minutes. It's roughly 5 minutes by train from Shinjuku.
- What time does it open?
- There's no single building-wide time; most shops, including Mandarake, open around 12:00 and close around 20:00. Come in the afternoon.
- Which floor of Nakano Broadway is Mandarake on?
- All of them, in pieces — Mandarake is dozens of genre-split specialty shops rather than one store. Manga and the main stores are on 3F; trading cards, cels, cosplay, retro games and micro collectibles are on 2F; figures, plastic models, anime goods and music are on 4F; the buyback counter is on 3F. All open 12:00-20:00 year-round. Check the shop name rather than assuming a floor is finished, because the numbered 'Special' shops are spread across 2F, 3F and 4F.
- How many floors does Nakano Broadway have, and can I go to the top?
- The shopping is B1 to 4F only. 5F and above are private residences, not shops - visitors regularly go up and find apartment doors. B1 is everyday shops and food rather than otaku retail, though it does have the famous oversized soft-serve at Daily Chiko.
- Which floor has figures and plastic models?
- 4F. Mandarake's Plastic shop handles figures and model kits, with the Anime Hall for anime merchandise and Kaiba for music and discs on the same floor. If you want vintage and rare collectibles rather than current stock, Mania Hall and the numbered Special shops on 2F and 4F are where those surface.
