For otaku looking to immerse themselves in Japan’s culture, first thought may be to live or visit Tokyo; however, Japan’s largest city is not the only place to find a slew of anime stores. Fukuoka City offers its own take on Japan’s unique culture of anime, manga, and other otaku goods.
What We Cover:
• Fukuoka Shonen Jump Shop
• Mandarake
• Animate and Mint Shop
• Gee! – Fukuoka Cosplay Shop
• Kotobukiya
• Fukuoka Pokemon Center
• Maid Cafe
Anyone who knows anything about anime knows that the mecca for all Otaku is Akihabara, Tokyo. Its arcades, manga, cosplay, and maid cafes adorn just about every street you venture down. Unfortunately, for otaku visiting Fukuoka the Akihabara blueprint has yet to spread its wings to Tenjin; however, its presence and influence can definitely be felt. If you are in Fukuoka City and need to have your otaku thirst quenched, be sure to check out any of the following locations.
Find Easy-to-Pack Collectibles at Canal City’s Jump Shop
This massive shopping complex located in Hakata, has many stores to fulfill not only your shopping needs, but also your otaku fix. With stores like Jump Shop, Ultraman World, NHK Character Shop, Ghibli’s Donguri Kyowakoku, Collectors Gallery, Card Kingdom, and Disney Store, you are sure to find some new items for your otaku collection. After exploring all that Canal City has to offer for otaku, you can take a break at Moomin Bakery and Café where characters from the Swedish cartoon decorate the walls, menu, and tables of this popular eating spot. The stores in Canal City provide mostly small characters, accessories, stuffed animals, and gaming cards. The more serious items like manga and cosplay will have to be found in Tenjin.
Most of the anime-related stores are conveniently located on the BF1 level of Canal City. The shops are open from 9:00 am to 9:00 pm, but Moomin Bakery and Café’s hours are from 10:00 am to 10:00 pm. Canal City is a 10 to 15 minute walk from either Hakata or Tenjin Station. Or, you can take a 100-yen loop bus that departs from either station every 5 to 10 minutes. For more info about Canal City and what it has to offer check out our article here.
Mandarake: Fukuoka’s Manga Headquarters
The Mandarake Fukuoka location is enormous and will surely satisfy all your otaku needs and then some. If you’re short on time and want to visit one store that will most likely have what you’re looking for, then this should be at the top of your list. Its warehouse-like isles are packed with collectable and antique Japanese toys and figures, DVDs, CDs, manga, gaming cards, cosplay, models, games, and much, MUCH more. Mandarake is a short walk from both Tenjin and Akasaka Station, and is open daily from 12:00 pm to 8:00 pm.
Tenjin VIVRE’s Animate and Mint
Another large shopping center in Fukuoka City has two floors that may specifically interest any otaku. The 6th floor is home to the renowned Animate and the not so renowned Mint. Animate has a large collection of manga, comics, DVDs, CDs, toys, paper and utensils for aspiring manga artists, and cosplay to boot. Mint is a smaller shop that deals exclusively with gaming and trading cards. If you take a trip to the 8th floor you will find a couple cosplay items, as well as the much more expensively priced Goth and Lolita clothing stores. Tenjin VIVRE is open daily from 10:00 am to 8:30 pm. The shopping center is a walk across the street from both Tenjin and Nishitetsufukuoka Stations.
The Gee! Store for Fukuoka Cosplayers
Gee! Store is located on the 2nd floor of the Nakamuraya Building and specializes mostly in accessories, t-shirts, and cosplay. Unfortunately, there are not many games, manga, or DVDs at this location. It is a very specific shop that has developed a reliable reputation for cosplay accessories such as wigs, jewelry, color contact lenses, and a variety of anime t-shirts. It even takes special orders for items not available in the store. If it’s manga you are looking for, feel free to venture up to the 3rd floor and visit Melonbooks FUKUOKA. But, be forewarned, along with the traditional manga, Melonbooks also specializes in the hentai genre of the art. Gee! Store and Melonbooks FUKUOKA are a short 5 minute walk from Tenjin Station and are open daily from 11:00 am to 8:00 pm.
Gachapon Heaven at Kotobukiya
Kotobukiya is just as much of a hobby shop as it is an anime store. There are toys, trains, models, and other items for collectors and kids alike. There is also a large selection of novelty goods and accessories related to Japan’s favorite idols. It’s not hard to miss the many gachapon, or capsule machines, available as well, as Kotobukiya has over a 100 of them throughout the shop. Kotobukiya is located on the 5th floor of Solaria Stage, which is also connected to the subway providing easy access from Tenjin Station. It is open between the hours of 10:00 am and 8:00 pm.
Make a stop at the Pokemon Center
Pokemon Center is a store designed to satisfy all your Pokemon needs. Here you can find gaming cards, stuffed toys, games, arcades, accessories, and exclusive souvenir items such as Pokemon-themed cookies and snacks. The store occasionally has Pokemon gaming card competitions, too. If you stop by the Pokemon Center, be sure to also stop next door at PoPonDetta where electronic trains wiz through the shop on a multilevel model railway. The shop has many souvenir items such as Japanese trains, shinkansen, train station key chains, and much more. You can also get behind the controls and satisfy your childhood dream of being a conductor by giving the electronic train models a spin around the track. A few shops down from Pokemon Center is a bookstore called Maruzen where you can purchase a variety of manga. The Pokemon Center is located on the 8th floor of the Amu Plaza, which is conveniently connected to Hakata Station. It is open from 10:00 am to 8:00 pm.
End your day at a Japanese Maid Cafe
Visiting a maid cafe is an experience that until only recently was unique to Japan and seems to be shrouded with much mystery and misconception. Some people believe that you enter a maid cafe and are immediately worshipped as a lord or king of a castle. Or, that the maid sits by your side playing with your hair whispering sweet nothings into your ear. However, the truth is it is not too different from any other cafe or teahouse you may visit in your own county. The obvious difference is that the waitresses are wearing maid uniforms and may or may not address you as master, or mistress. Both men and women often frequent maid cafes in Japan, and it’s not unusual to see a couple enjoying a coffee and cake together.
At the moment, the Akihabara maid cafe craze has not infiltrated Fukuoka’s otaku scene, but there are a few sprinkled throughout the city. The most popular maid cafe in Fukuoka City can be located in Tenjin and is aptly named Tenjin Style. It has a homely atmosphere and a friendly staff. Once you enter you are greeted by the maid and given a menu. If it is your first time, she politely explains their policy. Basically, photos of maids is bad, photos of food is okay. You can take a Polaroid photo of one maid for $500 yen, and of two maids together for $1,000 yen. There is a blanketed-off section in the back of the cafe where you can use their Hello Kitty Polaroid camera to capture the moment. If you want to take a picture with the maids, well, you need to be a VIP member by being a frequent customer and racking up stamps on their member’s card.
The menu consists of items like spaghetti, omurice (a Japanese style omelette served over rice and topped with ketchup), and coffee. The prices are a little more expensive than a regular cafe. A latte can cost you 600 yen, with the main courses ranging from 1200 to 2000 yen. When you are ready to order you ring the hand bell and your maid takes your order. Once your food arrives it’s most likely decorated with an extra splash of “kawaiiness”—bears, cats, rabbits, hearts, or smiley faces. Your maid checks in with you occasionally to make sure everything is okay while offering a few compliments. When you’re finished, she brings your check and that is that—an experience not too different from other cafes, but one that should be experienced at least once in a lifetime for any otaku.
Tenjin Style is a five-minute walk from Tenjin Station and located on the 2nd floor just above Udon West. Tenjin Style is open daily from 12:00 pm to 10:00 pm.
