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An update of my previous guide on the best places to shop in and around Tokyo. If you are looking for Toys or collectables read on.

Toy Cats Showcase

Location: Horiuchi Building B1, Kichijoji Honcho 1-26-4, Musashino City
Nearest station: Kichijoji

On a recent trip I came across a small shop in a back street in Kichijoji called 'Toy Cats Showcase'.  Located in the basement of a small ordinary looking building the shop is crammed full of toys. The shop specializes in many Japanese toy lines including Microman, and Diaclone but has many other ranges. When I visited he had a good selection of Transformers and is one of the only shops I have seen the has vintage star wars figures. Normally you see lots of modern  Star wars and only vary rarely vintage lines.

Blister

Blister appears to have moved from Harajuku. The shop in Harajuku is currently empty.
The new shop location is listed on their website. I didn’t get  a chance to go there this time, so if anyone does, let me know what it is like.

Yamada Denki – Labi 1

Location:  Ikebukuro
Nearest Station: Ikebukuro on the Yamanoti JR line

If you exit the station on the Seibu side you can't miss this huge 7 story building.
Labi 1 is an Electronics and appliance store that opened in October 2009. This store is one of there flagships stores and is packed full of electronics. For the toy collector, head to the 7th floor to see one of the biggest selections of Gun-dam toys and collectables that I have ever seen. The entire floor is full of kits, models, toys, accessories and even clothing.

Bic Camera

Location: all over Tokyo

You can find Bic Camera stores all over Tokyo including Akihabara and Ikebukuro. This is another store that specialises in electronics and gadgets but it also normally has a floor of toys and games. The toys are mainly from the Japanese market, so lots of Gun-dam, Macross, Mask Rider, Pokemon, Power Rangers, etc. They tend to also have the latest range of Transformers. Depending on the exchange rate, the prices are pretty average for Tokyo. Not the cheapest, but by no means the most expensive (Kiddy Land and Hakuhinkan Toy Park are always more expensive than the rest).

If you are after some gifts for your kids this is a great place to check out.

Nakano Broadway

Location: Nakano, Tokyo
Nearest Station: Nakano on the Chuo line from Shinjuku

Nakano as always been one, if not the best place to shop for toys in Tokyo. The amount of shops and variation in what they stock is so great you can pretty much get anything there.
But on our last trip (April 2010) I have to say I was a little disappointed with what was on offer. There are still a large amount of stores, but some of the better ones seem to have gone. This is probably a sign of the economic state of Japan, but it still surprised me how much had disappeared in just over a year.

Even with less shops this is still a great place to shop, so don't forger to visit. Please check my previous article for more info.

Toys R Us

Location: All over Tokyo, Sunshine City, Odiba, Lala port Chiba.

Although you can go to Toys R Us in pretty much every country they are still a good place to check out. The stock such a wide range of toys and tend to have the best prices around.
On the last few trips to Japan I have managed to pick up large quantities of Star Wars toys that they have been selling off cheap.

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