Toy Shopping in HK + Japan

[SuspectimusPrime]

Could someone post the links to the HK + Japan (specifically Tokyo) TF stores?
(happy for the mods to merge this thread with an older one perhaps make a sticky? )

I know there's quite a few threads already including HD's very informative blog post but I can't seem to find them right now. I'm in HK for a wedding now, and didn't originally plan on toy hunting but I've just been given an afternoon free.

[DELTAprime]

I don't know any specifics but I keep hearing people mention the Akihabara district in Tokyo for all sorts of geek shopping. Games, Toys, things that shouldn't be mentioned here, etc.

[BruiseLee]

For HKG, have a squiz at Griff's recent log. Think he made mention of a few places.

http://www.otca.com.au/boards/showth...ight=Hong+Kong

Bladestorm, our resident HKG member also posted a bit on shopping in her intro thread.

http://www.otca.com.au/boards/showth...ight=Hong+Kong

With some of the speciality stores, they do not open till later in the arvo or only in the evening. Quite a number of toy stores are located in Mongkok from memory but can't recall where they are. For morning shopping, the TRU in Ocean Terminal is open.

[Ode to a Grasshopper]

HDs blog.

[Bladestorm]

Anything specific you are looking for? I can point you in the right direction of some targetted shops here in Hong Kong.

Depending on what you are after may lead you to different stores however the main areas for shopping are Yau Ma Tei/Mong Kok and Wan Chai as a general start.

There are other areas and specific shops splattered around Hong Kong worth visiting based on specific needs.... If you are coming over in the next month Toys R Us is running a few specials on RID and Combiner Wars in the lead up to Christmas.

[SuspectimusPrime]

Thanks for all the tips and info guys Our time was super limited and even cut shorter even when my girlfriend's sis decided to tail us with her toddler. Was good enough fun finding some shops, but didn't really find anything I wanted.

I don't know any specifics but I keep hearing people mention the Akihabara district in Tokyo for all sorts of geek shopping. Games, Toys, things that shouldn't be mentioned here, etc.

Akihabara is amazing. I didn't get a chance to visit it this time, but spent two days exploring all the anime/gaming/geeky shops in 2012. If you ever visit, be careful with the things that shouldn't be mentioned as they sometimes can just suddenly pop up right next more harmless things.

HDs blog.

Many thanks I was looking for the specific addresses for the Mandarake stores since I only got to visit the Osaka one in 2012. Unfortunately I only had time to visit the Shibuya store this time around, which was very disappointing. The entire store was only 1 level, and only had 3 shelves of TF's. The most prized items were a boxed G1 OP, and perhaps a boxed Fansproject Intimidator set. There were a lot of used recent TF Legends and TF Adventures figures from this year, which didn't fit the feel of a vintage specialty store.

For HKG, have a squiz at Griff's recent log. Think he made mention of a few places.

http://www.otca.com.au/boards/showth...ight=Hong+Kong

Bladestorm, our resident HKG member also posted a bit on shopping in her intro thread.

http://www.otca.com.au/boards/showth...ight=Hong+Kong

With some of the speciality stores, they do not open till later in the arvo or only in the evening. Quite a number of toy stores are located in Mongkok from memory but can't recall where they are. For morning shopping, the TRU in Ocean Terminal is open.

Anything specific you are looking for? I can point you in the right direction of some targetted shops here in Hong Kong.

Depending on what you are after may lead you to different stores however the main areas for shopping are Yau Ma Tei/Mong Kok and Wan Chai as a general start.

There are other areas and specific shops splattered around Hong Kong worth visiting based on specific needs.... If you are coming over in the next month Toys R Us is running a few specials on RID and Combiner Wars in the lead up to Christmas.

I ended up meeting with a family friend who showed me around Mongkok and Yau Ma Tei from my last trip, and went for another 3 hour blitz

• Visited the eHobbybaseshop's retail shop (hilariously difficult to access as you need to take a lift and a separate flight of stairs to get to a quiet corridor that few people seem to venture to; and then find a nicely furnished shop). Funny seeing the second Ninja combiner team from TF Go! on clearance for $240HKD! Hesitated on Million Publishing United Stepper for $799HKD, in hindsight I should have just nabbed it.

• Really cool to see the completed G-Creations dino combiner prototype at a small shop that specialised in third party offerings called Toyer City.

• Had 1 hour to run through all the specialty stores in In's Point. Once again it was fantastic to see so many stores dedicated to TFs and Lego. This time around it seems like the number of TF stores has dwindled, with a much fewer number of shops having G1 figs (which I enjoy looking at although I don't collect them) and almost no Classics figs. The few stores that remained sold mostly MP figs.

[griffin]

Those places at Mong Kok which are buildings with hundreds of cubicle retailers are indeed an amazing place to spend all day, just looking at all the things they are selling.

I also thought that the availability of Transformers was noticeably down between my visits (2013 & 2015)... which can be annoying when options here are almost non-existent.

Finding the Toy Street stores at Wan Chai this year made up for it for me though (and the stores to the east of that that Bladestorm showed me).

[Ode to a Grasshopper]

To be honest, Mandarake is less of a 'vintage specialty store' than a collectible/otaku-themed 2nd-hand chain with a few 'vintage/exclusive' pieces. Most of the time Mandarake isn't really about 'special' pieces so much as resale of not-that-rare various bits and pieces...the 'special' stuff is kind of a sideline section. Especially so for TFs, which have sort of dropped off popularity-wise over the past few years.
On the bright side, their prices are usually much more reasonable than the more hardcore-collector-oriented places, but the selection is more hit-and-miss/general.

For real vintage/exclusive TF hunting Hero Gangu is the best bet in Osaka, with an honorable mention to Jungle. I'm not sure about Tokyo.

[ampoldj]

I don't know any specifics but I keep hearing people mention the Akihabara district in Tokyo for all sorts of geek shopping. Games, Toys, things that shouldn't be mentioned here, etc.

Yeah Akihabara (or Akiba for short) is kinda huge place with stores scattered around as well as some buildings where toy stores are scattered on different levels. One day is not enough for me then even with a map

[Bladestorm]

• Visited the eHobbybaseshop's retail shop (hilariously difficult to access as you need to take a lift and a separate flight of stairs to get to a quiet corridor that few people seem to venture to; and then find a nicely furnished shop). Funny seeing the second Ninja combiner team from TF Go! on clearance for $240HKD! Hesitated on Million Publishing United Stepper for $799HKD, in hindsight I should have just nabbed it.

• Had 1 hour to run through all the specialty stores in In's Point. Once again it was fantastic to see so many stores dedicated to TFs and Lego. This time around it seems like the number of TF stores has dwindled, with a much fewer number of shops having G1 figs (which I enjoy looking at although I don't collect them) and almost no Classics figs. The few stores that remained sold mostly MP figs.

Hobbybase can be accessed directly via a lift to level 3 OR you can sneak up the stairs from level 2... It is a great shop (my 8 year old son's favourite place to go too!) but not necessarily the cheapest; however he has been having a price war with the shop opposite over some of the TF new releases (primarily MP's) as the shop across the corridor has been selling for considerably cheaper although the stock literally flies out of the store if you aren't quick...

A few of the stores from In's Point (eg ActionRobo) have moved to other locations in between Sino and In's due to the unknown nature of In's Points (the building's) future which is one reason why it feels emptier than it has been. It also seems the vintage Transformers market here is not as cheap or abundant as people say it once was. I'm guessing the bargains have been snapped up. To be honest a lot of the "vintage" stuff I see here feels over priced compared to what you can pay in Japan or even back in Oz in some cases. Like you though I used to LOVE looking through display upon display of vintage TF's in In's Point when they had multiple shops simply set up like a museum.