Vocaloid Buyguide #7 Shopping in Tokyo
(art: Zain)
For many Vocaloid fans, it would be a dream come true would be to visit Japan. Sapporo is where Snow Miku Skytown is located (since it’s a permanent store in the Sapporo airport/ New Chitose Airport), but Tokyo is where you can find almost anything Vocaloid related.
I interviewed a good friend of mine (39), and asked her some questions about the best places to shop in Tokyo for Vocaloid merch.
Q. “Japan is a cash only society”, how much of this statement is true?
A. First of all, a lot of places in Japan do take card, prior to common misbelief. Chain stores that sell otaku goods are ready to take plastic, the real trouble starts when you shop at local mom and pop stores. For the most part, you shouldn’t have any issues paying with card, and it’s extremely easy to withdraw yen from your card; simply go to any 7/11 ATM in Japan, they accept all international debit cards and the interface is in English.
Q. Did you notice a difference in goods offered in Japan versus online shops such as Tokyo Otaku Mode/CDJapan?
A. It’s very easy to find recent figure releases and plushies within Akihabara. Pretty much anything new online is the same price as in a retail store. The real savings come when you buy second-hand goods. One major advantage of Akihabara is of course finding old treasures and super cheap prize figures. Gacha/smaller merch items that are used are so much cheaper than buying new online. There is a catch though, stock isn’t guaranteed so sometimes you have to go to Akiba multiple times to find what you’re looking for, especially since the street is rife with paying customers just like you.
Q. Was there anything that shocked you while shopping?
A. I had a budget and blew through it since I was so amazed with everything that was available. Please stick to your budget! Additionally, Akihabara has many doujin shops and many of the floors in those buildings sell “adult” doujins, it’s best to look at the store map to avoid sudden surprises. I was also surprised that in many electronics shops such as Sofmap, Miku was almost always sold out! There were plenty of AHS Vocaloids available for purchase but it was nearly impossible to find Miku in Akihabara. If you really want to buy the software, I recommend ordering it online and having it delivered to your hotel.
Q. Where do you recommend shopping?
A. Akihabara is a one stop shop, but take a look at Piapro blog before departing, sometimes CFM will open up pop-up shops and that was how I was able to get some Snow Miku Skytown goods at a Seibu department store in Ikebukuro. Honestly, all the stores are too good to just pick and choose, I would visit them all first to see what they offer and then come back a few hours later to buy stuff (assuming you didn’t go to the cashier with an overflowing basket on the first trip).
Q. Do you have any additional advice?
A. Bring your passport everywhere! Some stores offer duty-free/tax-free shopping if you are staying less than 6 months in Japan and you spend more than 5,000 yen in a single transaction. Please note, stores will NOT take copies, you must bring your original passport. They will staple receipts to it and when you depart back, you are required to give your receipts to a customs officer.
Here is a small list of shops I visited while staying in Tokyo.
Duty Free
Mandarake (Takes card)
Tsutaya
Seibu Department Store (Takes card)
Don Quijote (Takes card AND USD, warning, conversion rate is bad, only use if desperate). This place sells regular everyday goods.
Not Duty Free (You will have to pay 8% tax)
Book Off
Animate JP (Takes card)
Surugya (Takes Card)
Toranoana
K-Books (Takes Card)
Additionally, google maps is your best friend and will help you in trying to find physical shops. Free WiFi is very limited in Japan so I highly recommend getting pocket WiFi so you can use Google Maps if you’re lost.
Q. Thank you so much for doing this!
A. You’re welcome!
