Visiting Japan and My (Slightly Frustrating) Experiences with Finding Idol Merch
plus, a guide on where to buy goods
May was a pretty eventful month for a variety of reasons (both good and bad), but one of the main highlights that I experienced was that I actually took a much needed trip. And as you can probably already tell from the title of this post, I did visit Japan for the very first time in my life.
Being someone who has written many things that relate to Japan and some of the various aspects of its entertainment, it was pretty dang exciting to finally visit the country and take in the culture myself. Sure, the lack of communication skills that I have and just being in a place that I’ve never been before made me a little nervous, but most of my worries were just me overthinking and I ended up having a smooth and super enjoyable two or so weeks in a bunch of beautiful areas like Tokyo, Kyoto and especially Osaka (the latter of which I absolutely fell in love with the moment I strolled around Denden Town and Dotonbori). I even got to check off a couple goals/dreams that I declared years ago, such as watching a Japanese baseball game.
It was such a great trip that even after being back home for a couple weeks now… as much of a cheesy ‘meme’ it has become these past few years, I completely empathized with others and also experienced the withdrawals of vending machines, konbini shopping and Japan’s insanely efficient public transportation. At this point, I’m not ashamed to admit that it took a while to get over not being that country anymore (lol).
But interestingly enough, when I sat down to write a post about my brief time in Japan… I didn’t necessarily want to go through every little detail and discuss everything I saw on my trip. While there’s absolutely nothing wrong with doing that, I had an idea to talk about one specific thing that I experienced and thought would be kinda interesting to bring up.
Given that I’ve become much more of a Japanese idol fan these past couple years, I’ve dove fairly deep in the rabbit hole of idol fandom. Adopting a stronger sense of oshi culture, listening to a wide selection of music, becoming a fan of both popular and underground units, and even getting the opportunity to receive an autograph from an idol I admire… while I’ll always be a Japanese voice actor/seiyuu fan, it really does seem like I’ve been gravitating more and more towards general/mainstream idols nowadays. And by doing so, I’ve been learning so much more about this phenomenon through my fandom of a good handful of groups.
That said, one of my primary goals when I first got to Japan was to find some (3D) idol-related goods to purchase. Initially, I didn’t really mind if it was CDs, can badges, bromides, whatever… I just wanted to purchase something. And in the process, without-a-doubt did I learn a TON about Japan’s otaku shopping culture when I visited certain places like Akihabara, Denden Town, Nakano, and Shibuya/Shinjuku; since I immediately got the gist of their fascination and almost reliance on second-hand goods. While there are stores that sell products that are completely brand new and unused (e.g. animate, GAMERS, even group-specific places like the NMB48 Store in Osaka), it’s fascinating to see all the things that people give up and sell, assuming they’ve either moved on from their specific interests, wanted to get rid of stuff from their homes and/or just looked to make a quick buck. What results is finding literal treasure troves of goods that are significantly cheaper than what you’d find in other places; ranging from anime figurines, Blu-Rays, manga, to even rare vintage stuff from the 80s/90s. Obviously, thrift stores and such exist in America, but Japan’s second-hand market feels like it's on a whole other level.
my experiences
All that being said, here’s what I went through in great detail:
the goal
Buy various goods of idols that I follow/like.
the issue
Now, let me preface by saying that, yes, I do understand that not all idol groups are gonna get a ton of representation within these stores. I quickly realized/accepted that I wasn’t gonna find much merch of chika/chika-esque idols I frequently follow, such as TAKANE NO NADESHIKO or Karen na Ivory, and that’s totally fine (if anything, I did see the former’s CDs at a handful of stores like Tower Records and such).
But also being a fan of the Sashihara Rino-produced units in =LOVE and ≠ME, I was really raring to find some cool stuff from those two specific groups. Considering that they have a pretty big following in Japan, do large arena tours and all that… I had the strong expectation that I would be able to find some sweet items that I would probably never be able to get my hands on otherwise (more specifically, I was focused on buying anything Noguchi Iori, Takiwaki Shoko, Ochiai Kirari and Suganami Mirei-related).
And yes, I did find Ikorabu and Noimii merch; let’s make that clear before I say some possibly questionable things in the next few minutes (lol). From the dozen stores that I visited, all of which spanned from Tokyo to Osaka, I was able to find a nice variety of goods that featured those ladies. And to be honest, I was even overwhelmed with what I saw in these stores; incredibly organized sections that were dedicated to second-hand idol goods, containing CDs, Blu-Rays, bromides, photobooks, can badges and even autographed stuff behind massive glass cases. Even perusing the merch of idols I don’t know a ton about/follow, this really was consumerism at its finest, since it amazed me just how much random stuff is being produced for the fans of these entertainers. Sure, the United States has had its fair share of pop star merch production, and even nowadays, stores that solely sell K-Pop goods are gradually starting to appear on the streets. But damn… Japanese media and merchandise is already somewhat hard to come by as foreigner, and I have absolutely no expectation for any US store to sell Ikorabu/Noimii merch, so to see this stuff with my own two eyes was so new to me.
However… I was a little surprised how little Ikorabu/Noimii merch I found, at least when compared to other groups. Like I said in the last paragraph, I visited a good handful of stores; from large chains like Surugaya and Mandarake, to even super small shops that are impressively hidden from plain sight. And one thing I noticed in the majority of these places, and something I came to realize as an uninformed idol fan, is that the 48/Sakamichi groups are really popular (lol). When it came to the idol sections within these stores, even the small ones, I kept noticing how units like Nogizaka46 and Hinatazaka46 (among others) take up most of the space. And sure, I may come off as a bit clueless and even ignorant when I mention this; mainly because I don’t follow or know much about said groups, as well as me sticking with what I’m familiar with. But I was genuinely shocked to see how much of a following those groups have (not in a negative way), just based on the amount of merch I saw of them.
But I guess when compared to the things I saw of Nogizaka46… the selection of Ikorabu/Noimii goods just felt a bit underwhelming. While bromides are cool (essentially the main type of goods I saw), I started to gravitate towards purchasing something a bit more interesting than that. And even when I did come across something unique (like an uchiwa fan or some cool piece of clothing), they were either quite limited or there wasn’t a variation that featured my preferred oshi (the lack of cool Shoko stuff made me a bit sad). Although, I do appreciate these stores organizing/separating merch based on each member; it was genuinely helpful when finding stuff.
Obviously, this kind of experience will vary from person to person; someone who favors the Sakamichi groups or someone who likes collecting bromides will have an ideal time browsing these stores. That said, in no way am I downplaying these stores and saying they are not worth going to; they absolutely ARE worth going to, since it’s cool to look at all these awesome goods and there’s a legitimate chance you might find something interesting to buy. But speaking solely for myself, my own oshi preferences and the type of merch I was specifically looking for… it just didn’t entirely live up to my expectations; simply because of bad luck or bad timing (will expand on that in a bit).
the solution
As for what I bought, I got a few things. At the Mandarake in Nakano Broadway, I purchased a few Ikorabu goods; them being a CD (of their 10th single, The 5th, aka probably my favorite non-album release of theirs), a bromide of Shoko and luckily, I stumbled upon an uchiwa of Iori. Was really, really happy about the latter since, like I said earlier, it was literally the only =LOVE uchiwa I could find in that store and the fact that it's the Be Selfish version (a song that Iori was the center for and also one of my favorite tracks from the group)... felt very fortunate that I stumbled upon it.
Apart from the Ikorabu merch, I did buy a few other idol-related things. At the Tower Records in Shinjuku, I figured I’d pick up FRUITS ZIPPER’s new album, as well as a cool release from the GEKKAN IDOL project that featured BATTEN GIRLS’ Yanagi Miyu.
On a related note, legitimately out of pure luck, I actually stumbled upon a real idol group that was performing that day at the Tower Records store, called ‘kimikara’. It was such an insane experience, being able to witness idols singing live for the very first time and seeing the energy from their fans… it was 100% one of the most memorable moments from the trip and kimikara definitely made a fan outta me after that encounter, for sure (also quickly became a Ruru oshi).
a (hopefully) helpful guide
This post is already getting pretty long, but I wanted to talk about and share some of the actual spots and locations that I personally went to when I was searching for idol goods. I figured this could be informative for those who are fellow idol fans planning to visit Japan and I tried my best to not only include information about female units, but also some regarding male and 2D-related ones (since I did end up seeing those as well during my trip).
**quick but important note #1: I did not take many photos of the locations I’m about to talk about, mainly because I didn’t want to disturb these businesses and get into any potential trouble (especially as a foreigner). So while I did my best to describe what you can find in these stores, I also included a handful of pictures via Google Maps or official sources, in order to better visualize these spots. Thanks for understanding!
**quick but important note #2: to be honest, I browsed some of these stores really fast, so I don’t completely remember what I saw and the groups that were being featured so I apologize if I say anything inaccurate or fail to mention a specific idol(s)
Mandarake
Location: Nakano Broadway, Akihabara, Nipponbashi (and more)
What You’ll Find: bromides, can badges, CDs, DVDs/Blu-Rays, vinyl records, apparel, towels, acrylic stands… and more
Notable Idols/Groups: Johnny’s, 48 Group, Sakamichi Series, IKONOIJOY, chika idols, seiyuu artists, various K-Pop groups
My first encounter with idol goods was actually in the Mandarake store at Nakano Broadway, and no lie, I was probably in there for a good hour, walking around and just being in awe of what I was seeing. Shelves of CDs, live concert Blu-Rays, photobooks, magazines; as well as wire racks filled with bromides and can badges of people I was familiar with… like I said earlier, I was legitimately stunned that the merch I always see on social media was actually in front of me.
That said, Mandarake would probably be towards the top of my recommended stores to visit for idol goods. I say that because they feature groups that cater to a lot of fandoms, their selection isn’t too bad (in addition to the things I just mentioned, I found a few idol-related vinyl records and even bought a Perfume one), and it honestly does feel like an ideal starting point if you’re not really sure what you want to purchase. The idol sections are fairly easy to find and being exposed to the merch at first can really help you get a better idea of what Mandarake (and other stores) has to offer, in terms of idol-related goods.
I will say that your mileage may vary with individual Mandarake stores, similar to what I experienced. For instance, the Nakano Broadway branch has a ton of Sakamichi/IKONOIJOY-based merch, while I literally couldn’t find any in the Akihabara one. On the other hand, the store in Nipponbashi (Osaka) essentially had an entire floor dedicated to male/Johnny’s idols while female idols were kinda only relegated to a small corner on a different floor. So if you prefer to have a better idea of where certain things are, I’d suggest doing some research beforehand (the Mandarake online store usually shows whether or not a product is in a certain location, which I didn’t realize until after I came back home but would’ve been pretty helpful).
TRIO DX
Location: Akihabara (Akiba Cultures Zone, 6F)
What You’ll Find: bromides, can badges, CDs, DVDs/Blu-Rays, vinyl records, apparel, towels, acrylic stands… and more
Notable Idols/Groups: Johnny’s, 48 Group, Sakamichi Series, IKONOIJOY, Stardust Promotion, ASOBISYSTEM, Hello! Project, various K-Pop groups
This… this one’s tough to bring up. I vividly remember looking this store up during my last full day in Japan, and thinking I was about to hit the idol goods jackpot. Seeing pictures of a store that is packed with merch from a wide variety of groups; how can you not get excited? However, when I arrived at the sixth floor of the Akiba Cultures Zone building in Akihabara, I was met with a notice that legitimately broke my heart, which said they were under construction for an expansion. What makes this even worse is that they reopened literally ONE WEEK after I left.
But frankly, my sadness doesn’t matter since I do want everyone else to know about this place and check it out for themselves. Unless I missed out on any other related stores, I would genuinely consider this as THE mecca for idol merch within the Akihabara area, since judging from the frequent photos they post on their Twitter, it really feels like they have goods of (at least) EVERY mainstream group. Literal walls and aisles of Nogizaka46, TWICE, BTS, Stray Kids, =LOVE, NiziU, Momoiro Clover Z merch… even just from looking at those photos online, I’m blown away with what they sell in that store since it seems like they have a very diverse stock that may even include some fairly rare items (pretty sure I saw them selling a baseball jersey with an idol’s name on it, like what????). Which makes me feel even more bummed out cause I legitimately would’ve gone ham and made my wallet shed many tears.
If there’s only one single thing you take from this post: GO HERE. 100%, do it for me. 😭
Dera Nan-nan
What You’ll Find: bromides, can badges, CDs/DVDs/Blu-Rays, penlights, photo sleeves
Notable Idols/Groups: 48 Group, Sakamichi Series, IKONOIJOY
I actually went to two Dera Nan-nan locations: the one in Namba/Denden Town in Osaka, as well as the Akihabara shop. And not only did both have an extensive selection of glass-cased Sakamichi goods… but they were also kinda difficult to find (lol). More specifically the store in Akihabara, I got really confused on where it was until I realized it was quite secluded within the building that Google Maps led me to (later found out that their website gives specific and super helpful directions on where to find them, which would’ve been incredibly useful).
Locating struggles aside, these definitely felt a lot more intimate than the bigger chains I just talked about previously. Not just because it is literally small in size and not visible from the street, but I feel like these are more niche stores that you’d only hear about through other avid 46G/Sakamichi fans, rather than some sort of organized ‘Where to Shop in Japan’ guide. While their stock wasn’t all that impressive to me (not only because of the small amount of =LOVE/≠ME goods but the fact that they mainly sell photos and bromides), it’s still an intriguing place to check out and one that’s most certainly not as crowded as those other stores. Plus, if you’re looking for penlights or supplies to protect your goods, they got you covered.
(also shout-out to the Redditor that pointed this store out, I literally wouldn’t have known about it otherwise)
IDOL ON STAGE
Location: Harajuku (Takeshita Street)
What You’ll Find: photos, bromides, can badges, gacha
Notable Idols/Groups: Johnny’s, K-Pop idols + groups
Admittedly, I was only here for less than a minute (mainly due to time restraints and how small this store was) but I did notice that IDOL ON STAGE was more catered towards fans of male idols (both Japanese and Korean), as well as numerous well-known K-Pop units. The main type of goods they sell are photos, so if you’re looking for a cool physical print of your stan/oshi, this may be an interesting shop to check out. I also noticed there were a ton of unofficial gacha machines that were individually themed with various idols/groups; the one I immediately noticed was a NewJeans gacha, and while I have no idea what the capsules actually contained, it does seem like a fun thing to spend a few yen on.
Tower Records
What You’ll Find: CDs, vinyl records, photobooks, fan/oshi goods (e.g., penlights, uchiwas, etc)
Notable Idols/Groups: 48 Group, Sakamichi Series, IKONOIJOY, Stardust Promotion, ASOBISYSTEM, Hello! Project, various K-Pop groups, seiyuu artists, chika idols… and much more
If you’re someone who likes buying physical music, Tower Records is the place you want to go, whether you’re an idol fan or not. While I did stumble upon smaller music shops that sell older and probably more rare, second-hand CDs/vinyls (a notable one I went to was RECOfan in Akihabara), Tower Records is literally Japanese music heaven, as their selection is incredibly vast and really up-to-date. They’re almost guaranteed to have the latest releases from a majority of J-artists, whether they’re household names or indie artists. Regarding idols, I saw an impressive music catalog from both male and female idols, and even certain groups had their own sections that were easy to find, appropriately decorated and filled with various media such as CDs, live concert DVDs/Blu-Rays and even related magazines/photobooks.
They also carry music releases from other, lesser known groups and I was even surprised to still see CDs from specific groups that are have disbanded, such as the alt-idol unit sora tob sakana and the former seiyuu trio Run Girls Run. All in all, I’d say TR is a must-visit place when you’re in Japan (ESPECIALLY the Shibuya branch, due to how large it is), and if you plan accordingly or are just lucky, you might also get the chance to watch an idol/idol group perform a mini-live.
animate
Location: Akihabara, Shinjuku, Shibuya, Ikebukuro, Nipponbashi (and more)
What You’ll Find: anime/voice actor-related goods, CDs, live concert DVDs/Blu-Rays, photobooks, second-hand merch
Notable Idols/Groups: Love Live, The IDOLM@STER, Project Sekai, hololive (and more)
This one’s definitely more for the seiyuu fans out there, since you’ll find a lot of merch that relates to that area of otaku culture. Other than the copious amounts of manga they have at animate stores, they usually have the newest music releases from any of the popular multimedia idol franchises or a recent single from a seiyuu artist/idol. For example, I could tell they were really going hard with promoting a new release from former idol-turned-voice actress Kurusu Rin (who now voices a character in Love Live’s Hasunosora unit) since I saw a ton of display units, cardboard cutouts, and even outside advertisements of this woman. Additionally, there’s a section that has many voice actor/actress-related magazines and photobooks (as well as a tiny bit of second-hand goods from past seiyuu events and such, at least at the Nipponbashi store), so if you’re into that, they have a pretty good stock.
Surugaya
Location: Akihabara, Ikebukuro, Shinjuku, Nipponbashi (among others)
What You’ll Find: second-hand bromides, uchiwa, CDs, DVDs/Blu-Rays, photobooks, random assortment of goods
Notable Idols/Groups: 48 Group, Sakamichi Series, IKONOIJOY, ASOBISYSTEM, 2D/voice actor idols, male idols, K-Pop
Surugaya is another popular second-hand goods chain that you can probably find in most populated areas of Japan but when it came to idol merch in particular, I didn’t really see a whole lot. At least in the Shinjuku store, the female idol merch is only found in a small aisle, with different things scattered around. I also saw individual boxes that had a bunch of random stuff like uchiwa fans, keychains, etc in it that looked like it was discounted so… I know I may not be painting Surugaya as a great place (it is, in some ways) but I wouldn’t say it’s the ideal store for idol goods in particular; however your experience may be different than mine. Interestingly though, I did see a CANDY TUNE T-shirt in my size, but I ended up not getting it (lol).
K-Books
What You’ll Find: primarily second hand goods like can badges, figurines, keychains, plushies, etc
Notable Idols/Groups: Love Live, iDOLM@STER, Project Sekai, BanG Dream, Ensemble Stars, hololive, and more
Figured I’d throw this one in, since it is related to idols. If you’re looking to find merch of 2D/fictional idols, K-Books is a really good place to check out. While other stores like Mandarake and Surugaya also sell similar things, K-Books is much more catered to anime/2D fans and I personally felt they had a far better stock than those two aforementioned stores when it comes to popular fictional idol projects like Love Live, iDOLM@STER, Project Sekai, Ensemble Stars, and so on. Ranging from can badges, plushies, birthday goods, posters, figurines, even seiyuu stuff… I was overwhelmed during my first visit to the K-Books store in Akihabara’s Radio Kaikan building, since it truly was just 2D idol/anime goods galore. I did go kinda crazy when it came to buying stuff, especially since I was blown away when I saw the IDOLY PRIDE shelf, but I’d say it was all worth it.
BONUS: Mercari
Location: Online (through proxy services such as ZenMarket, Neokyo, Buyee, FromJapan, etc)
What You’ll Find: pretty much anything
Notable Idols/Groups: most likely anyone
If you’re like me and didn’t exactly find what you wanted in any of the aforementioned stores, something will probably catch your eye on the online second-hand market. There are so many people selling so many things there, to the point where I honestly believe you can search whatever you want, and there’s a 70-90% chance you’ll be able to purchase it (albeit, at a price your wallet might not want to see). I have personally bought a few things from Mercari, some of which are goods that were limited and are no longer in production, so it really is a cool and somewhat easier resource for those idol fans (especially foreign ones) who want to get their hands on some interesting merch of that kind. And after this trip experience of mine, I now kinda have the urge to browse Mercari and look for the things I couldn't find in these shops.
It’s also worth noting that you do run the potential risk of being scammed on a site like Mercari (or Rakuten or Yahoo Auctions or any other similar services) since, obviously, you’re not able to physically see or feel the product you’re about to buy. So it’s important to do your research, look into sellers’ reputations, and also pick out a proxy service that fits your budget and preferences (as most of them have differing fees and such). Speaking for myself, I’ve never had a bad experience on proxy sites like ZenMarket or Neokyo, other than the shipping fees being a bit steep at times, so take that for what you will.
So yeah. That’s all I wanted to talk about today!
Slight bit of ungratefulness aside, visiting Japan for the very first time was an absolute blast. Like I said: being someone who has dove really deep into Japanese entertainment and its culture, witnessing the many facets of it for myself felt surreal. While I know that the idol scene over there is crazy popular, I genuinely did not expect to see the amount of things I saw in these stores. The walls of bromides, shelves of previously owned CDs and Blu-Rays, signed merch, and even going through a music store that is literally eight floors high… it was definitely an eye-opening experience and I enjoyed every second of it.
And more importantly, idol consumerism aside, the rest of Japan is unbelievably gorgeous. I’m glad I had the opportunity to traverse around this country and go sight-seeing cause it truly is a fascinating and beautiful place. My trip was pretty brief so I hope I can eventually come back and take part in even more cool stuff (also this is an excuse for me to share my photos, since landmark/food/nature stuff is what I mainly took pictures of, lol)
That said, feel free to leave any thoughts in the comments! I would love to hear your experiences with finding idol merch, since I’m actually really curious if there are any spots that I missed or didn’t check out. I’m all ears!
Thanks for reading!!
-al
Looks like you went to lots of good spots. Try to make some time for Numazu/Uchiura if you plan on going back. Also try to hit up a chika idol live, they're surprisingly lots of fun. The one I went to was at TwinBox Akihabara, the staff were very nice even to a very obvious foreigner like myself.
I've been working on a similar post for my blog, maybe this will inspire me to stop being lazy about it.