Mandarake Complex

A multi-story used-goods shop in Akihabara for manga, anime cels, toys, and collectibles, a short walk from the Electric Town exit.

Why visit

It is the best place in Tokyo to hunt for retro and rare anime and manga items.

How to get there

Mandarake Complex is a multi-story used-goods building in the Electric Town blocks, a short walk from the Electric Town exit of Akihabara Station. It is one address, not every anime shop on the street. The store directory at the entrance tells you which floor holds manga, cels, toys, or another category.

The shop publishes its own site, which is the source for hours and for what the building actually stocks. A map pin can lag a renovation.

Hours & tickets

Mandarake sets the building hours and posts them on its site and at the door. There is no city ticket to enter. You pay for what you buy. Checked Oct 2026: use mandarake.co.jp for the day's hours rather than a directory that lists every Akihabara shop as 10:00–20:00.

Floors can differ in how they handle tax and large purchases. Ask on the floor where you are paying. The entrance directory does not repeat every floor's policy.

• Mandarake official site

Best time to visit

Weekday afternoons give you room in the aisles, which matters because the point of this building is browsing, not a single famous item in the window. Weekends pack the elevator and the ground-floor entrance.

If you are hunting a specific era of manga or a figure line, go when you can stay. A twenty-minute stop sees the directory and not the stock.

How long to spend

An hour is one or two floors. Collectors should allow more and start from the directory so they do not spend the hour on the wrong category. This is a poor stop for someone who does not want to look through shelves.

Tips

• •Different floors focus on different categories — check the directory first.
• •Serious collectors should allow plenty of browsing time.
• •Read the floor directory before you ride the elevator. Categories are split on purpose, and the floor you wander into may not be the one you came for.
• •Used prices are the store's prices. Condition notes on the tag are part of the offer; ask the staff on that floor if the tag is unclear.

Nearby

Akihabara Electric Town and Chuo-dori are the streets around the building. Kanda Myojin is the shrine if you want a non-retail break in the same district. You do not need another anime shop on the same block unless the floor you wanted was somewhere else.

Play it in an itinerary