The hottest places in the Anime & Manga industry, brought to you by the SMAC! News Team… This is TOKYO MANGA DEEP WALKER! “What should we show them next…?” Our team spent a long time brainstorming and came up with several great ideas! This time, we’ve decided to introduce a proud Otaku Town called Nakano! Unlike Akihabara, Nakano has a certain sense of history… So without further ado, let’s go check out it out!! Here we are, at Nakano Broadway!! This is a rare place where we can see the history of how anime&manga culture developed in Japan!! The first place that we would like to introduce is… here!!   This is the Nakano Branch of Mandarake! This is a specialty store that deals not only in manga, but also in figures and other goods! Right, let’s go inside… There’s so much manga that we can’t fit it all into one photo! And the surprising thing is that all the manga on these shelves are second-hand goods! Where on earth did they find all of them? Well, there’s a “selling” (to the shop) corner! Let’s go take a look! This is the selling corner!! Just look at all the activity!! Among the 11 branches of Mandarake in Japan, this store is by far the largest. Regardless of whether it’s a weekday or a holiday, it’s always full of customers who want to buy and sell goods!! When you want to sell something, it’s not just the local staff who evaluate it! All the stores are connected to a unique, country-wide database which is used to judge the value of each product. “Since we buy a large volume of goods, our price database is also very extensive and accurate.” What a brilliant system! From idol goods, to toys and books… I was amazed at the intensity with which various goods were flying back and forth over the counters!!   Here is a comment from Mr. Yamamoto of Mandarake’s Public Relations Department: “Every year there are more customers from other countries who come to buy toys and magazines! The great thing about Mandarake is the great mixture of old and new… just like Nakano Broadway itself! If you come here, I’m sure you’ll find something you like! So when you’re in Japan, please pay us a visit!!”   Next up… an amazing collector’s shop with great historical value! Nakano Vintage Hall specializes in very rare Otaku goods that are difficult to find elsewhere. It has lots of items that will give adult customers a sense of nostalgia! The moment you step inside, it’s like entering a different world! You can really feel the retro atmosphere! You might think that you’ve slipped back in time! The showcases are like mini-museums, containing everything from goods with historical value to rare items that would make a collector’s mouth water!! Foreign collectors often come to this shop seeking items that cannot be found elsewhere!! And there’s more!! These two shops are Ventvert and Bambool! The charm of these two neighboring stories lies in the countless figures displayed on their shelves!! There is a large range of figures, from popular One Piece characters to characters from Studio Ghibli movies. Start looking through everything and you completely lose track of the time! We got some comments from the staff for everyone: “We think that you’ll have a good time just looking at everything. If you come to Japan, please pay us a visit!” Next up is the mini-car specialty store! This store, Elf, contains close to 1000 miniature and model cars! Take a look at these valuable mini-cars!! There are lots of collectors and shop owners that come from overseas (especially from Asia), who come to make a purchase here. For those of you around the world who love cars: I recommend that you visit this shore at least once! You’ll definitely enjoy it!!   It just goes to show that Nakano Broadway is not just for anime&manga fans. There is a large range of people who will enjoy its attractions! There are also lots of items here that are normally difficult to get hold of. It’s not just about the fun, you can also see the history of Otaku culture here! This is definitely one of Japan’s Holy Lands of Otaku!! Next week… Part 2 of Nakano Broadway! There are too many places that we want to show you, so we’re going to continue next week!! Next week’s topics: A strange way to buy Otaku goods and some surprising special products… Photos: Yoshio Kobayashi