Off to Japan (I could have sworn I saw a thread about this)

[GoktimusPrime]

Have you tried just regular department stores (e.g. Daimaru, Seibu, Tobu, Itoyokado etc.)? Because I lived outside of Tokyo in a relatively rural area, and I got all my Transformers there from local dept stores. They should be stocked up on all the latest stuff. I find that non-metropolitan hobby stores are unlikely to stock Transformers stuff (they focus more on models etc.).

[requiemau88]

Hmm a lot of the places I visited where mainly fashion. I could of walked past them and never have know, Google maps wasn't much of a help ...

[GoktimusPrime]

Not all department stores have a toy section, but most should. Entrances have a store guide, so have a look at that first before bothering to enter the store.

Otherwise you could ask store staff 「すみません、玩具売り場はどこですか。」(Sumimasen, omocha-uriba wa doko desu ka)
("Excuse me, where is the toy section?")

Or you could ask, 「すみません、トランスフォーマーが買いたいんですが・・・」(Sumimasen, toransufoomaa ga kaitain desu ga...)
("Excuse me, I'd like to buy Transformers...")

[griffin]

Or if you don't speak any Japanese, go to an assistant wearing an obvious Transformers T-shirt and just point at it and motion for their help.
(or have with you an image of the current toy items you are after - a printout or on a smart-device)

It helped for me in a couple stores, by just showing toys that I had already bought, I was directed to their TFs toy section.

[Sinnertwin]

Akihabara & Nakano is where i hit gold at the time. TrU at Odaiba was also good for the then current Animated figures

[lobes]

TRU in odaiba had nothing when I went in Feb. Just a lone mp streak was the only thing worth buying.
Ended up grabbing most stuff from the plethora of mandarake stores and hero gangu in Osaka.

[Firestorm]

last time I was there most of my transformers shopping was done in Akihabara in Tokyo and Nipponbashi in Osaka, couldn't really find much anywhere else.
hopefully I can find some more places when I am back there in December