Mandarake is the world's largest secondhand comics retailer — a Japanese collectibles chain selling used manga, figures, anime cels, doujinshi, toys, and trading cards. It runs around a dozen stores (the Nakano Broadway flagship and the eight-floor Akihabara Complex among them) plus a global online shop that ships to 83 countries.
If you spend any time shopping for anime, manga, or collectibles in Japan, one name comes up more than any other: Mandarake. It's the chain serious collectors plan trips around, and the one first-time visitors walk into and lose an afternoon in. This guide covers what it is, what to actually buy, where the stores are, and how to shop it from home if you can't get to Japan.
If you're building a Japan trip around exactly this kind of hunt, the Traveler Bottle I covers 27 essential destinations in one piece — a good companion for a trip with a mission.
What is Mandarake?
Mandarake is the world's largest secondhand comics retailer, founded in 1980 as a tiny used-manga shop in Nakano Broadway. It now carries over 20 million items across collectibles of every kind.
Mandarake started small — a roughly seven-square-meter used-manga storefront in Nakano Broadway, opened in 1980 by manga artist Masuzo Furukawa. The company incorporated in 1987 and grew into what Wikipedia now calls the largest secondhand comics retailer in the world, with more than 20 million items logged in its point-of-sale system.
What makes it matter isn't size alone, it's the model: Mandarake buys and resells used collectibles at scale, which means the shelves are deep in things you can no longer buy new. That's the whole appeal. This is where discontinued figures, out-of-print manga, and decades-old anime cels resurface.
What should you buy at Mandarake?
Mandarake is for second-hand and rare finds: out-of-print manga, original anime cels, discontinued figures, doujinshi, vintage toys, and trading cards. Come for what you can't buy new.
The range is enormous. Mandarake deals in manga, DVDs and CDs, toys, figurines, trading cards, video games, cosplay items, animation cels, and doujinshi — the self-published works that are a world unto themselves. By sales, toys make up the biggest share, followed by books and doujinshi.
For most visitors, a few things stand out as the buys: - Used manga — at the Nakano flagship, as low as ¥100 a book, or three for ¥200. - Original anime cels — hand-painted frames from pre-digital anime, now genuine collector's art. - Discontinued figures — the ones sold out everywhere else. - Doujinshi — self-published comics you won't find in any regular bookstore.
For a packable, affordable souvenir, the small stuff wins: a single figure, a set of trading cards, a used manga volume. For the serious collector, Mandarake is the whole reason to route through Tokyo.
Where are the Mandarake stores?
Mandarake runs around a dozen stores across Japan — several in Tokyo (Nakano, the Akihabara Complex, Shibuya, Ikebukuro) plus Osaka, Nagoya, Sapporo, Fukuoka, Kokura, and Utsunomiya.
Mandarake operates around a dozen retail locations across Japan. Tokyo has the densest cluster: the Nakano Broadway flagship, the Akihabara Complex, plus stores in Shibuya (which even has a karaoke stage) and Ikebukuro. Beyond Tokyo, there are stores in Osaka (two), Nagoya, Sapporo, Fukuoka, Kokura, and Utsunomiya.
For a visitor, the two that matter are Nakano and Akihabara. They're different experiences, and which one you pick depends on how you like to shop.
Sprawling small shops, retro depth, the treasure-hunt feel: Nakano Broadway. One big building, organized by floor, everything under one roof: the Akihabara Complex.
What is the Mandarake Complex in Akihabara?
The Mandarake Complex is Mandarake's eight-story Akihabara flagship, opened in 2008 — the single largest location, with whole floors given to figures, toys, and doujinshi.
If Nakano is a scatter of small specialist shops, the Mandarake Complex is the opposite: one eight-story building in Akihabara, opened in April 2008, with each floor dedicated to a category. The fifth floor, for instance, is given over to doujinshi. It's the easiest Mandarake to shop if you like everything stacked and organized rather than spread across a maze — and being in Akihabara, it slots naturally into a day of electronics-and-anime browsing.
What about Mandarake at Nakano Broadway?
The Nakano Broadway flagship is around 30 Mandarake shops spread across floors 2 to 4, each specialising in one category — the original and most atmospheric location.
Nakano is where it all began, and it's still the most characterful. Rather than one store, Mandarake runs around 30 small shops across floors 2 to 4 of the Nakano Broadway complex, each dedicated to a niche — Mandarake Manga for cheap used volumes, Galaxy for retro games, the numbered Special shops for figures, Henya for retro toys behind its red gate, and a dedicated shop for authentic anime cels. It's the treasure-hunt version of Mandarake.
For the full picture of Nakano Broadway — the watch dealers, the second-hand floors, the food in the basement — see our Nakano Broadway shopping guide.
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Can you buy from Mandarake online, or from overseas?
Yes — Mandarake runs a full online shop in Japanese and English and ships internationally to 83 countries. A proxy service covers anything that won't ship to you directly.
You don't have to be in Japan to shop Mandarake. It operates an online storefront in both Japanese and English and ships internationally to 83 countries via DHL Express, EMS, and other methods. That makes it one of the more accessible ways to buy Japanese collectibles from home.
Two practical notes. First, availability varies — some shipping options depend on your destination, and the size, weight, and type of item. Second, if something won't ship to your country directly, a proxy-buying service can purchase it on your behalf and forward it on; it's a common route for collectors chasing a specific piece.
How do you actually buy at Mandarake, tax-free tips included?
Prices are set by condition, stock is constantly turning over, and overseas visitors can often buy tax-free with a passport. Bring cash and check import limits on high-value items.
Because Mandarake is a second-hand business, stock turns over constantly and pricing reflects condition and rarity — the same title can sit at very different prices depending on printing and state. That's part of why price-comparing pays off, especially against other used-collectibles chains like Suruga-ya.
For visitors, many Japanese retailers offer tax-free shopping to overseas travelers on presentation of a passport, which removes the consumption tax. Confirm it at the specific store, carry your passport, bring cash for the smaller shops, and for anything high-value, check your home country's import allowance before you buy.
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FAQ
What is Mandarake? Mandarake is a Japanese collectibles chain and the world's largest secondhand comics retailer. Founded in 1980 as a used-manga shop in Nakano Broadway, it now sells manga, doujinshi, figures, anime cels, trading cards, toys, and video games across around a dozen stores and a global online shop.
Where is the Mandarake Complex? The Mandarake Complex is an eight-story store in Akihabara, Tokyo, opened in April 2008. It's the largest single Mandarake location, with floors dedicated to figures, doujinshi, toys, and collectibles — distinct from the many small Mandarake shops inside Nakano Broadway.
What should you buy at Mandarake? Mandarake is best for second-hand and rare finds: out-of-print manga (from around ¥100 a book at Nakano), original anime cels, discontinued figures, doujinshi, and vintage toys and trading cards. It's where you go for the item you can't find new.
Can you buy from Mandarake online from overseas? Yes. Mandarake runs an online storefront in both Japanese and English and ships internationally to 83 countries via DHL, EMS, and other methods. If an item or option isn't available to your country directly, a proxy-buying service can forward it.
Is Mandarake cheaper than other shops? Mandarake is globally known and can carry a slight markup on famous items, but its second-hand and rare selection is unmatched, and used manga starts around ¥100. For everyday used figures, it's worth price-comparing against chains like Suruga-ya.
If Japan's on your list, the Traveler Bottle I holds the 27 destinations we'd pair with it — built for first-time travelers putting together one trip that covers the essentials, with a Mandarake afternoon as the detour that makes it personal.
Sources
- Wikipedia — Mandarake — founding, founder, store network, Akihabara Complex, online/international shipping, market position
- tsunagu Japan — Nakano Broadway: A Collector's Paradise — Nakano flagship shops and used-manga prices
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