Shibuya
Not too much to say about Shibuya. The disorienting nature of Shibuya, plus the fact I didn't really spend much time there, screws with my ability to give adequate directions. Oh well. Aside from the arcades, pachinko parlors and adult venues, the only two stores I came across were Mandarake and Manga No Mori. Conveniently enough, the two are located across the street from each other. So all you have to do is find one of them. A helpful hint is to explore a large building thoroughly before moving on, otherwise you'll feel that much more
stupid when you find Mandarake on the other side of the building after you've spent an hour inside surfing the Internet and play the combini-catchers, and then another 30 minutes outside circling the building.
Mandarake
This place is located in the 2nd basement floor of some building. There is a stairway entrance out on the street, but lazy fucks like me will go inside and take the elevator down. Check your shit in the lockers before entering the store proper. Mandarake carries used manga, magazines, books, LDs, DVDs, CDs, doujinshi, porn, toys, and so on and so on. In spite of the wide variety of shit they sell, I was somewhat underwhelmed. Maybe it was the lack of adequate ventilation, making my visit extremely hot and stuffy. Prices vary from cheap to obscene, depending on what you're buying.
Manga No Mori
Across the street we have Manga No Mori, fine retailer of new manga, magazines, books, and some other minor shit I can't remember.
Well, so much for Shibuya.
Shinjuku
I like visiting Shinjuku whenever I feel a desire to get lost. For diversions, Shinjuku has shops, arcades, pachinko parlors, and many interesting places offering fine adult entertainment. Why is it that last year none of the call girls talked to me, and this year they're asking me, "Otousan, asobanai?" Goddammit, I ain't even that old. Anyhow, where to go for anime stuff...
To Kirara
- I find the JR Shinjuku Station slightly disorienting, so you're gonna have to put in a little work here... Anyhow, exit the station building near the Lumine 1 department store.
- Once out on the street, look for a Kentucky Fried Chicken on the other side of the street. There should be a side street to the right of it. Cross over and go down that side street.
- Take the first side street left.
Kirara will be on your left.
Kirara
This place carries hentai manga, magazines, PC games, live-action porn, and miscellaneous
shit like blank CD-Rs.
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To Comic Tora No Ana 1
- From Kirara, head left.
Comic Tora No Ana 1 will be immediately on the right.
Go inside and take the elevator to the 8th floor.
Comic Tora No Ana 1
Regular and hentai manga, artbooks, and magazines. All retail price.
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To Comic Tora No Ana 2
- From Comic Tora No Ana 1, head right.
Comic Tora No Ana 2 will be immediately on the left.
Go inside and take the elevator to the 7th and 8th floor.
Comic Tora No Ana 2
The 8th floor carries doujinshi and doujinshi soft, while the
7th floor carries even more doujinshi. All doujinshi prices.
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To Tachibana Bookstore
- From Comic Tora No Ana 2, head right.
- Turn left at the T-intersection.
- Head down this street and take the third sidestreet right.
Tachibana Bookstore will be on the left.
Tachibana Bookstore
This store carries live-action porno videos, magazines, and books. More importantly, they also carry hentai manga, magazines, videos, doujinshi, and doujinshi soft. All of it is retail price. This last time around, we overheard the clerks talking about "weird gaijin."
Considering that Verge and Cheap Bastard were the only two barbarians in the store, do you
think they were talking about us? Verge's reaction, "Pretty
funny, considering that we were smart enough to actually
understand what they were saying, and that they're making
a living at a place they wouldn't mention to their family,
let alone their significant others. I suspect they're there
just for the piddly discount they get when they buy their
own porn."
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Do you have anything with Ron Jeremy?
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To Liberty
- From Tachibana Bookstore, head left down the street.
- At the first intersection, turn left.
Liberty will be on the right.
Liberty
That same 'ole good shit just like you'll find in Akihabara.
Liberty for all! The LDs/DVDs are up on either the 3rd or 4th floor.
If you intend to use your credit card, the clerks will run the card
downstairs to process the transaction.
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To Books Charge
- From Liberty, head left down the street.
Along the way, look on your right for the Books Charge sign near a set of stairs. Books Charge is on the 3rd floor.
Books Charge
This is a tiny porn store. They have a small hentai manga section for retail price, and that alone is enough to merit their inclusion in this guide. ^_^ Oh yeah, they have live-action porn as well.
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To Manga No Mori
- From Books Charge, head right all the way down the street.
- Eventually the street ends at a cross street. To the right you'll notice Lumine 1 and Kentucky Fried Chicken. Head back to the corner of Lumine 1.
- From Lumine 1, go left around the corner (in the opposite direction of Yodobashi Camera).
- Keep going straight until you see a big set of stairs and escalators going down. Go down them. =P Semi-sanity check: downstairs you should be able to look up to your left and see a big TV screen on the side of the building.
- Once down the stairs, head straight down the street between the buildings on the left and the vehicular overpass on the right.
Manga No Mori will be down a ways on the left.
Manga No Mori
This place is fucking cramped. Downstairs is the women's comics. The "ground floor" (you have to go up a short flight of stairs) has magazines, artbooks, and manga. The 2nd floor has more manga. The 3rd floor has even more manga. This might sound like a lot of manga, but it isn't when you see how big each floor is. Anyhow, it's all retail price, and I don't remember seeing any hentai stuff.
To Yellow Submarine
- From Manga No Mori, head left until you come to a major intersection.
- Turn left and head down the street to another major intersection. Sanity check: there should be an OIZACCA (written that way in English, but actually pronounced "maruizacca") department store on one corner.
- Head right at this intersection (crossing the street and passing OIZACCA).
- Continue down the street until you come to another intersection.
- Cross the street and head left (which means crossing the street again).
Yellow Submarine will be down a ways on your right hand side. Look at the side of the buildings for a sign either in English or katakana (I forget which). The building that has the sign will have this doorless entryway that almost looks like an alley. Go down it and look on your right for a set of elevators. Go up to the 5th or 6th floor (one floor has regular car/plane model type shit, the other floor has anime-related shit).
Yellow Submarine
This is a hobby shop, so they sell hobby supplies. They also sell models, garage kits, figures, dolls (which were last year's perversion), and other assorted trinket-type crap. Oh yes, they sell American toys, too. Prices seem to be okay, but what the hell do I know. My bag is cheap laserdiscs.
However, back in the corner, they had a few hentai figures on display. Verge, God-bless him, did his part for humankind and took a couple pictures. Furthermore, P-Jin recently located the pics he took from back in '98.
Warning! There are some things a person just wasn't meant to see. If the thought of a pornographic figure frightens you, go no further! You have been warned!
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Back to the train station
Good luck, and have fun.
Miscellaneous Scraps
D-Books
I haven't been to this particular store, so I can't help you on how to get there. Hell, I don't even know if it still exists. Here's a map, though.
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Animekku
This is a long-ass walk for a relatively small selection of retail priced isht. Still, since I bothered to take notes on it...
- From Anime Porisu Pero, head right down the street. Keep going for a ways until you come to a corner with an entrance to Shinjukugyomae subway station. Note: another alternative would be to just take the subway from the train station.
- Turn right at said corner and head down the street. A couple buildings down there'll be one with Repouto Pia in katakana on the side. That is your destination.
The entrance to the building is at the corner. Take the stairs up to Animekku on the 2nd floor.
They have a small selection of videos, LDs, cels, manga, books, CDs, blah blah, etc. Once again, all retail price.
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