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For those lucky enough, a trip to Japan is an unforgettable experience. Any otaku will most certainly be stopping at Akihabara, Tokyo, a true haven for those passionate about anime, video games and all related subcultures. If you have a trip being planned, you may have encountered the number one problem with the area. There is simply just too much stuff! Luckily we put together this blog and a YouTube video highlighting some of the figure shops in the area we think you should visit.

For those just looking for our tier list, enjoy! We highly recommend you visit these shops: Trader, Tokyo Hobby center, Lashinbang and AmiAmi!

S Tier: Trader2, Trader Headquarters, Tokyo Hobby Center

A Tier: AmiAmi Figure Tower, Lashinbang Radio Kaikan & Akiba Cultures Zone

B Tier: Mandarake, Gear 2, Akiba no X, Surugaya

C Tier: AmiAmi Radio Kaikan, Book-Off, Character G Mart 

D Tier: ASTOP, Yellow Submarine, Volks Hobby, Liberty

E Tier: Akiba Senryuu & Senryuu 1st Store, Mulan

F Tier: MARURU 

If you don't mind text based information, this blog will go into a little more detail about the shops in the area to help you plan your trip. There are a few disclaimers before jumping into it however. First, Akihabara changes rapidly. Month to month there are sometimes major changes with stores closing/opening or undergoing restructuring. If you notice something in this article needs to be updated or you found an awesome new spot, please leave a comment. A sample map we used in our video is here:

Second, Akiba doesn't always have the best deals. As a popular tourist destination in Japan’s most expensive city, overall items will have an “Akiba tax.” You can find great deals, but you have to hunt for them. What makes Akihabara great is that you have everything you could possibly want in one area. Shopping is easy, items are plentiful and you can find some very rare and amazing treasures. You are paying for convenience and the shopping experience. If you want to find amazing deals, you would probably be better off going to some of the smaller cities.

Third, if you aren't very knowledgeable about figures, you may get ripped off. Since Akihabara is a high traffic area with many shops and game centers, pricing can vary a lot from store to store. For prize figures, I would recommend shopping around if the item is priced over 2,000 yen. I find under 2,000 yen, usually the difference in price is not so extreme but the further above that price point, the more likely it is you can find a better deal. My Figure Collection is a great site to get some information about the product. With that out of the way, let's take a look at the stores.

Akihabara Station Electric Town Exit

At Akihabara station, after enjoying the abundance of advertisements, head for the Electric Town Exit. Once you pass the ticket gate, you will be greeted by one of Akihabara’s iconic locations, Atre. Atre is a shopping center commonly found near stations around metropolitan areas in Japan. What makes the Akihabara location special is how it is used for advertising. Walking around outside of the building, you can find huge displays on the windows, showcasing anime and game characters. Almost always, the series being advertised will have a special pop up exhibit inside. This is part of what makes Akihabara the otaku heaven. There is an abundance of pop ups which are very short, limited merchandise events. If you like the series being shown, head on up to the second floor and see if you can nab some goodies. For Idolmaster and Love Live fans, there are also two stores dedicated to those series as well.

Radio Kaikan

If you did not get distracted and don’t care about idol trash, the Electric Town south exit has several popular figure shops a very short walk away. Most first time visitors will head to Akihabara’s second iconic location, the Radio Kaikan building. Fans of Steins;Gate should already be familiar with it since it is a central location to the series. Radio Kaikan is made up of 10 floors with an assortment of stores on just about each one. You can find every type of otaku merchandise imaginable at this one location. What makes Radio Kaikan a popular destination is that you can enjoy the Akihabara shopping experience in one concise location. If you don’t have much time to spend, Radio Kaikan will give you a condensed experience. If you have the time and are hunting for figures, you may want to check a few other locations first and roam around here when you are mostly finished.

Before even entering the building, you may find a selection of figures to browse. The figure store is sometimes replaced by a specialty melon pan food truck or if another event is being held but don’t worry if you missed it. The selection there is pretty good but pricing seemed to be a little high for some items. With the abundance of shops available, you wouldn’t have missed out on much. After entering, to the left is Gift Shop The Akiba which sells limited edition souvenirs. Want to bring back a nice bottle of whisky? Why not a bottle with a cute anime girl on the label? You can find very similar sweets and souvenirs elsewhere but missing the anime themed novelty.

ASTOP

The second floor will introduce you to ASTOP! The store is a rental showcase with all items being on consignment. You can find a huge selection of figures from a wide variety of different series but I would advise caution before buying anything. This is mostly a tourist trap and while you can find great items, you can also get ripped off. A lot of figures are displayed out of the box which will make them look more appealing. The prices are also set by private sellers so sometimes they are outrageous and can be readily found elsewhere for a fraction of the cost. I would highly advise not buying anything from this location until first pricing it around. I think ASTOP is great to browse and identify a nice looking figure for you to search for elsewhere.

If you do choose to buy something, staff can speak English and are helpful with answering questions. To purchase an item you mark down the rental box location on a slip of paper and bring it to the cashier. There is signage in multiple languages explaining the process. Before finalizing the transaction, staff will ask you to inspect the figure and they do not accept returns. Verifying the condition and authenticity is to your judgement. If everything seems fine, for figures without a box, staff will bubble wrap them to give you a little protection. Keep in mind your luggage situation and if you think it will be safe on your flight back home!

AmiAmi

On the fourth floor you can find AmiAmi! They have another location that is a whole lot bigger but the Radio Kaikan one is great thanks to all of the figures they have on display. You can see some items that are available for pre-order as well as older figures already released. There is also a pop up corner which has regular, limited time merchandise for a specific series similar to Atre mentioned earlier. The pop ups do not have special figures and are focused on general merchandise like t-shirts and keychains. If you have plenty of time, this is a nice store to browse but not essential to visit. Most of the figures can be found at their other location and this is mainly focused on more expensive scale figures.

Lashinbang

One floor up is Lashinbang! Like Ami Ami, there is a bigger, better second location but at Radio Kaikan, you can find a mix of new and secondhand figures. This location just opened in August of 2024. It is brightly lit, clean, organized and the shelves are easy to navigate. You can find mostly prize figures but they do have a small assortment of character goods and some scale figures. Just like Ami Ami, nice to browse but ok to skip.

Akiba no X

Akiba no X has multiple locations including one on the 5th floor of Radio Kaikan. You can find a pretty diverse selection and may be able to get some good deals. It is a very popular shop with a lot of foot traffic and high turnover rate of products. You can sometimes find sold-out recently released products that are basically unavailable everywhere else. It may be worth a visit but if you see something you absolutely can’t live without, you may not be able to price around.

Additional Radio Kaikan Stores Worth Noting

There are a ton more stores inside but individually which can be fun to browse. Some other stores to mention would be Azone and Dolk. These stores focus on dolls which are popular with those who enjoy figure photography. You can find doll clothing and different parts along with dolls that have been modeled after anime characters. It is very niche and most will probably pass on buying anything.

If you are looking for model kits and gunpla, you can also find Volks, Jungle and Yellow Submarine inside. Volks and Jungle have larger locations outside of Radio Kaikan which may be better for harder to find items. Yellow Submarine has some competitively priced figures but a limited selection. You can also find gacha items second-hand at Yellow Submarine for those who are risk averse.

Finally there is K-BOOKS for those who aren’t focused on just figures. Various merchandise, CDs, voice actor goods, tapestries, doujinshi and more can be found. They are fairly well organized for larger, popular series but the store is kind of chaotic. You can find some pretty unique stuff and waste hours digging through the shelves. Make sure to check out the glass display cases! The prices on items may bring tears to your eyes but they have some truly one of a kind items. They also have a section for adult products that is clearly labeled and hidden from sight so it is safe for families. I would recommend doing your shopping first and if you have time, come back and browse K-BOOKS.

Surugaya Akihabara Station Front Shop

Right next to Radio Kaikan is one of Surugaya’s figure stores. In front of the store you can find a discount section with some pretty cheap items. They are mostly prize figures but you may see a few scales thrown in. Sometimes they are overstock items trying to be liquidated, sometimes the box is damaged and other times there is something wrong with the figure like a broken or missing piece. Labels are in Japanese so just double check and make sure you understand what you are buying. Inside on the first floor you can find a nice selection of items. Most of the items at this location are second hand and there is potential to find some good deals, but also potential to overpay. You may also want to take a walk upstairs where you can find some pretty rare items like framed anime art pieces which are sometimes also signed.

Book-Off

There are three more small shops you may want to check out nearby. First is Book-Off. As the name implies, this is one of the best places to buy books and manga but on the first floor they have a small figure section. It is very tourist-friendly and has plenty of English support. The figure selection is mainly prize figures and more focused on shounen series like Dragon Ball, Naruto and One Piece and hugely popular franchises like Re:Zero and Hatsune Miku. They don’t really have anything that amazing and most of their stock can be found elsewhere. This is probably the best location for someone who isn't a big anime fan, doesn’t really want to start a big figure collection and just wants a nice DBZ figure because of nostalgia. For most people I would say to skip unless you are searching for the absolute best deals or you want physical media. Some of the prize figures are at a very competitive price point and may not be beat. The big draw is the large selection of very cheap manga, light novels, video games and movies. If you have a figure based on a manga cover, it could be neat to display them side by side!

Akiba no X Main Store

Next to Book-Off is Akiba no X’s second location and is worth a visit if you are in this area. The range of items offered is the same as the Radio Kaikan location but stock will be different. It is a little less busy and may have some rare items you are interested in. If you visited the Radio Kaikan location and are not planning to stop by Book-Off, I would suggest checking some other locations first.

Liberty

The last small store is Liberty. This store caters directly to tourists and is very English friendly. Similar to Book-Off they have a heavy focus on series that are well known globally and advertise well to try to lure foreigners in. You can find a lot of prize figures here and may be able to find some rarer items but this location overall is underwhelming. Liberty has several stores concentrated a little farther from the station which could provide a better shopping experience.

AmiAmi Figure Tower

The last figure store in this area worth mentioning is one of the best. AmiAmi’s second location, dubbed the figure tower, is essentially an all AmiAmi repeat of Radio Kaikan. It opened in summer of 2024. If you are shopping for figures, this location should most definitely be on your list. For non prize figures, it is hard to find a store that competes with AmiAmi’s figure tower. The store is insanely well organized with each of its 8 floors dedicated to specific genres and types of figures. You can find just about everything like collectibles and LookUp figures, all sorts of different posable figures, model kits, American comic book characters and of course, plenty of anime and game related products. On the 7th floor they sell adult figures and just like the Radio Kaikan location, you can find some figures being displayed. That includes adult figures so if you are traveling with children or those who might be a bit sensitive, you might want to skip the 7th floor. The 8th floor is for events and sometimes it is used as an outlet store where overstock items might have pretty huge discounts.

The main reason to visit this location is the huge selection. You can find pre-owned and new items and they have a second hand condition guide. They also have a discount corner near the escalator on just about every floor. Similar to Surugaya mentioned earlier, these may be damaged items and the issue is usually written in Japanese. It could just be a missing piece like an optional accessory that is not essential to the figure. If you aren’t worried about resale value and don’t frequently change your figures parts like face plates, this could be an awesome way to score a significant savings on recently released and older items. Stock in these sections change frequently so if there is something good it is the luck of the draw. Also by the escalator on some floors is a section of miscellaneous items. This could include character goods, lottery prizes and standard prize figures, but they may be less common items than those found in other stores.

Pricing is generally pretty competitive but not always the cheapest. You can also buy with some confidence that you won’t find the same figure at another store in the same condition at a drastically lower price. It can be a bit difficult to understand price differences as well and you may see the same item for multiple different prices. This could be due to something simple like second-hand unopened vs opened or some damage to the box. To further add to the pricing confusion, some items are sold with their pre-order bonuses for a higher fee. If the lack of accessories in the discount corner is a turn off, you might be able to score some bonuses which are very hard to find at other stores. These pre-order bonuses are not limited to AmiAmi exclusives and you can find things like Kotobukiya bonuses in the pre-owned section. The main takeaway here is for both second-hand and new items at AmiAmi, don’t just grab the box that is at the front of the shelf. Check and see if they have multiples of the same figure because you might save a little or decide to splurge for something special.

Tamashii Nations

Refocusing back on Akihabara station, if you take the north exit there is a large Tamashii Nations store. They offer a large selection of posable figures. For those looking for Figuarts products, look no further. All of the items are new and they do not sell pre-owned merchandise. You can find posable figures scattered around at some of the other stores but quantity is much lower than standard scales or prize figures. There is also a large exhibition showroom attached that has many items on display. Until September 2025, in celebration of Gundam’s 45th anniversary, a special Gundam figure exhibition is being held.

Akihabara West Area

Heading west from the Electric Town exit and crossing the street will lead you to plenty more shopping locations.

Trader2

Trader2 is very easy to find and one of the best figure shops around. This location is a bit small but you can find an assortment of different types of figures on the first floor. New items will be marked as such and everything else considered used. You can find some great deals on prize figures and prices can go as low as 500 yen. Those on a time crunch might want to check out their bigger headquarters location since they have significantly more offerings. Trader is also a good place to buy video games and video media. The second floor focuses on PC games and doujin software but skews very heavily to the eroge and hentai side.

Akiba Cultures Zone

Lashinbang

In the area you will also find another iconic location definitely worth a visit, the Akiba Cultures Zone. The first and second floor is the Lashinbang location you should really try not to miss. The selection is great with a very large quantity of prize figures on both the first and second floor. On the second floor you can find a pretty diverse offering of some scale figures, a decent selection of nendoroids and a small area with adult figures. Be a little wary of pricing. Since it is a very large and high volume store, there seems to be a bit of a mismatch from time to time. The same item may be on the shelf with different prices listed and it's even possible that an opened box item has a higher price than its more preferable unopened partner.

On the second floor near the elevator there is a discount corner with figures and character goods. As stated previously, these may just be overstock or may have damage so buy with caution. For scale figures, they don’t have a super large stock compared to AmiAmi, but they have a good mix of old and new releases. Overall, the store is very organized and you should be able to navigate and find what you are interested in fairly easily.

What really makes the Lashinbang Cultures Zone location a must visit is the additional offerings aside from figures. Half of the first floor is devoted to character goods and they even have a few sections for those fujoshi out there. Figure collecting is of course about the figures but character goods give you additional options to elevate your display to something truly unique and amazing! There are many live events, collaborations and exclusive merchandising campaigns that overseas audiences generally don’t have access to. Browsing the character goods section is an opportunity to discover some hidden gems and get your hands on something you missed. Browsing the glass display cases, you can find some very rare, very expensive, one of a kind type items. Missed out on HoloFes or haven’t been to a comic market event? You can find those types of items here.

The second floor also has a very large selection of tapestries and books. In addition to the discount corner already mentioned, they occasionally have bins in the aisles with some very cheap, non-figure items. This is also another location you can find art prints including signed memorabilia for those interior decorating needs. Again, at Radio Kaikan you can get a condensed version of this but for those with time, take a moment and just enjoy browsing.

Other Stores & ASTOP Zone

The third floor of Cultures Zone has a few small shops. There is one dedicated to otome merchandise women might like. Another shop focuses on shounen and bishoujo so there should be something for everyone.

The fourth floor contains another rental showcase ASTOP store. The same warnings from earlier apply here. You are responsible for inspecting the figure and there is a chance you will be ripped off if you're not that knowledgeable. I personally don’t think a visit to ASTOP is needed but on the fourth floor you can also find a little event space and a pop up store location. Both of these may offer special merchandise or just a fun, interesting experience like a gunpla showcase.    

Gear 2

There are a few more figure shops in the area. Those with an interest for figures from shounen series should check out Gear 2. It is located in a little alleyway, and has multiple floors but accessible by stairs only. The shop is small but clean and well organized. At Gear 2 you can find a mix of new and used figures from several popular series like Dragon Ball and Naruto. If this is your focus, this may be the second best store after Book-Off. It is an English friendly store and at the time of writing offers some in store bonuses for writing a Google review. 

Character G Mart

Character G Mart is also nearby. It is a very small store with somewhat limited selection but is very well organized. It is a bit more shoujo focused and you can find figures from series like Card Captor and Sailor Moon. Most Akihabara stores cater very heavily to majority male interests so it is always nice to see something different. This isn’t the best place to snag a deal and not a must visit location.

Mulan

Mulan has several locations in Akihabara, many not that great. Near the main road is their “anime store” location. This store has the most figures out of the Mulan locations but the selection is not that great. It is mainly second hand goods and it may be hard to find a good deal. Their main store is also nearby and may be worth a visit for Nikke or Zenless Zone Zero fans. They have small displays with character goods for those series at the time of writing. The figure selection at this location is also somewhat limited. One notable thing about Mulan’s main store is that there is a discount area for character goods. In front of the store and turning right after entering are two sections with discounted merchandise. You can find some pretty good deals on an assortment of items. If you enjoy digging through bargain bins, this is for you.

Akihabara Electric Town Northwest Area

Akiba no X Chuo Store

Heading north and crossing the street from Cultures Zone, you will find the third Akiba no X location. This store has less figures than the other two locations but it is a good mix of items. It shouldn’t take long to quickly take a peak at what they have. At the corner near the main road is BelleSalle, a popular event hall. Generally, it will be very obvious when an event is being held and they are usually free. You may find a hobby expo, mobile game anniversary celebration or Asahi beer giving out free samples because why not.

Mandarake Complex

The most well known store in this area is probably Mandarake. It is a big tower filled with vintage items and the inside has a thrift shop feel. You will find tons of second hand goods and as a popular tourist destination, you should have no issues receiving help. Mandarake is the perfect place to find all sorts of older items that other stores simply don’t carry. If you are hunting for something rare, this is probably your best bet.

The store itself is kind of messy with boxes all over the place and very narrow aisles. The figure floors are not very comfortable to browse and if you are like me and a bit big, you basically have to exit the aisle anytime someone wants to get by. Since the selection is older, more obscure stuff, I think most people won’t find much of what they want. It is one of the few locations that you may be able to find some garage kits however. Mandarake’s Nakano Broadway locations definitely provides a better shopping experience and their other stores have a better mix of old and newer items. A second Mandarake complex is planned to open sometime in 2025 right across the street from complex 1 so I am hopeful things will improve.

Surugaya Specialty Store

Near Mandarake is the Surugaya Specialty Store. Surugaya has several different stores in the area, each focusing on different kinds of products like board games and video games. The Specialty Store contains a nice selection of figures, both new and used including adult ones. It is organized by floor so it is easy to navigate. If you are searching for the best possible deal, this is another location that is necessary to visit. This location also has similar glass display cases like Lashinbang where you can find some pretty rare character goods. Overall, Lasshinbang’s Cultures Zone location is the better store but the selection of scale figures at Surugaya’s Specialty Store is worth a peek if you have time.

Liberty

You can also find more Liberty stores as this is the main area their stores are concentrated in. If there is a particular franchise you are interested in you may want to simply ask at any of the stores. They should be able to direct you to the best store since each one has different stock. You may not be able to find an amazing deal but if you have visited other stores with no luck, they do have a big selection.

Senryuu

The final store to mention is Akiba Senryuu which has two locations, on opposite sides of the main road. The stores are not that big and a bit disorganized. The selection is not so good with some new figures but you can find most of the stuff in other stores. You most likely won’t get a good deal either, so may not be worth a visit.

MARURU

This area also has a store called MARURU which is easily spottable on the main street. They have mainly prize figures and the selection is not the greatest with pricing leaning towards the higher end. There is a second store across the main street but that one is even smaller and definitely ok to skip. They like to play loud music and it is an extremely overstimulating experience. With prices not that great and a limited selection it is recommended not to be lured in by the shiny display.

Akihabara Electric Town Northeast Area

Tokyo Hobby Center

Crossing the main road back to the east/station side has more Liberty locations and possibly the best prize figure store. Tokyo Hobby Center is kinda far from the station, but they make up for it with prices. They have a decent selection of prize figures from several different series and are mostly competitively priced. In front of the store, they have a display of figures that have been marked down and you can definitely find some great deals. The overall atmosphere is also enjoyable and your ears will be graced with Hatsune Miku or anime songs. 

Trader Headquarters

The best all around store in this section of Akihabara is Trader’s Headquarters location. It has a much wider selection and is much, much bigger than the Trader2 store, with figures spanning 3 floors. Trader Headquarters is easy to navigate with very organized shelves. The third floor is more focused on shounen franchises, fourth is robot and mecha as well as some older series and fifth is the bishoujo area. They have a good mix of scale and prize figures, both new and used. You can also find some character goods and tapestries. The figure selection is better than Lashinbang’s Cultures Zone location in terms of uniqueness but for additional rare goodies, a bit worse.

Volks Hobby

Directly next to Trader HQ is Volks Hobby’s main store. The figure selection here is not great. They have a small selection of new scale figures and the chances of finding a good deal is slim. Like AmiAmi, they do have several items on display which could be enjoyable to browse. If you are looking for new model kits and gunpla or enjoy do-it-yourself type hobbies, Volks is amazing. Staff is very knowledgeable, albeit not the best with English. In addition to model kits, they also sell the tools, paints and display accessories like acrylic risers that may be needed. They also have a small selection of beginner friendly garage kits called CharaGumin. CharaGumin are colored resin assembly figures needing minimal expertise to put together. You can think of it more like a 3D puzzle and requires no prep work for the parts. You can of course do some additional painting and add finishing touches but it is not necessary and can simply be assembled and displayed.

Volks also sells new character goods that are a little different from some of the other stores. You can find things like shirts, acrylic clocks, mugs and even zippo lighters. Volks is another great pop up event location. They have two event floors in addition to the entrance that all frequently have time limited, franchise specific shops. The pop ups usually have characters in unique outfits and are generally advertised on the signage in front of the store. If it is a series you like, it is a chance to get something a little different. Volks is not a must visit store but interesting to browse if you have time.

This blog will continue to be updated and include some additional stores that travelers may be interested in visiting including some restaurants and anime event locations so check back again in the future!

Thank you for reading and for those planning a trip, happy shopping!