Guide · Akihabara

Part of: Akihabara Figures: Where to Buy New vs Used

Akihabara Manga Stores: Where to Buy New Manga, English Translations, Doujinshi and Vintage Volumes

For new manga, go to Shosen Book Tower on the east side of the station, eight floors of books with comics on the 6th and 7th and a shelf of English-translated manga on the 6th, or to animate for manga with character goods. For doujinshi, Melonbooks Akihabara is in the basement under the Hey arcade. For vintage volumes, Mandarake Complex. Toranoana closed its last Akihabara shop in 2022. I run private anime tours here most weeks, and this is the shopping list I hand manga readers.

Akihabara is mostly sold as a figure district, but it is a very good manga district too, if you know that the books live in different buildings from the goods. Below is which building sells which kind of book.

Where should you buy manga in Akihabara?

It depends on the kind of book. New volumes: Shosen Book Tower or animate. Self-published doujinshi: Melonbooks. Old, rare or out-of-print volumes and magazines: Mandarake Complex, with Book Off and Surugaya for cheap used copies. All are within a short walk of the station.

This is the split I use with guests on my Akihabara anime tour when manga is on their list:

Can you buy English manga in Akihabara?

Yes, but only a shelf of it. Shosen Book Tower's own floor guide lists "MANGA (English translation)" on the 6th floor, next to its seinen manga and American comics. Everything else in Akihabara is Japanese-language editions, which is the point of the district for most collectors.

This is the honest section. If you read only in English, Akihabara is a place to buy a few English volumes and a lot of things that are not books: figures, goods, art books where the pictures do the work. If you are learning Japanese, it is the opposite, and a Japanese volume of a series you already know in English is the best souvenir in the district; learning Japanese by reading manga explains how to read one.

What is the best shop for doujinshi in Akihabara?

Melonbooks Akihabara No. 1, in the basement of the Hirose Building at 1-10-5 Sotokanda, under the Hey arcade. Its own page calls it the doujin shop nearest the station, and lists doujinshi, doujin music and software, doujin goods, comics and books, and women's-interest titles. For secondhand doujinshi, Mandarake Complex has whole floors.

Doujinshi are self-published works, many of them fan works sold first at events like Comiket. A lot of what is on these floors is for adults. The adult sections are separate, marked, and 18+. If you are browsing with children, Akihabara with kids covers which floors to skip.

Is there still a Toranoana in Akihabara?

No. Toranoana closed Akihabara Store A, its last shop in the district, on 31 August 2022, after closing Stores B and C in 2021. Its official store list now shows Ikebukuro as its own shop in the Tokyo area. Older guides and maps still list the Akihabara shops.

Toranoana started in Akihabara in 1994, so the closure surprised people, and a lot of English-language advice has not caught up. If a guide you are reading sends you to Toranoana on Chuo-dori, that tells you how old the guide is. For what Toranoana used to sell, go to Melonbooks.

Is animate in Akihabara worth visiting for manga?

Yes, if you want the manga and the goods in one place. animate Akihabara at 4-3-1 Sotokanda reopened in its expanded form on 8 August 2026, with character goods across Building 1, game-related goods in the ANNEX, and a capsule-toy floor on the ANNEX's B1 and 1F. It is tax-free and takes cards, transport IC cards and QR payments.

Bookstore purchase bonuses are the thing animate and Melonbooks do that general bookstores do not: a postcard, a card or a small print with a new volume, often store-specific. Check the fair notices on the store's own page before you go if a series you follow has a new volume out.

Can you buy manga tax-free?

At shops registered for tax-free sales, such as animate Akihabara and Melonbooks Akihabara No. 1, which both say so on their store pages, if you spend ¥5,000 or more before tax in one shop on one day. From 1 November 2026 you pay the tax at the till and get it back after a customs check at the airport.

Tax-free shopping in Japan after November 2026 explains the new process. Manga is heavy, so if you are buying a full series, read luggage forwarding in Japan before your bag fills up.

Frequently asked questions

Where is the biggest bookstore in Akihabara? Shosen Book Tower, at 1-11-1 Kanda Sakumachō on the east side of the station, has eight floors of books plus an event hall on the 9th. Comics are on the 6th and 7th floors and light novels on the 8th.

Is there English manga in Akihabara? A section of it, at Shosen Book Tower on the 6th floor, listed in the store's floor guide as "MANGA (English translation)". Most other shops sell Japanese editions only.

Did Toranoana in Akihabara close? Yes. Its last Akihabara shop closed on 31 August 2022.

Where can I buy old or out-of-print manga in Akihabara? Mandarake Complex, at 3-11-12 Sotokanda, has a vintage books floor on 3F. For cheaper secondhand volumes, try Book Off or Surugaya.

Can I pay by card in Akihabara manga shops? At the large shops, yes; animate lists credit cards, transport IC cards and many QR payments. Bring some cash for the smaller secondhand shops. See cash or card in Japan.

Books in one building, goods in the next

If you would like the manga floors and the goods floors chosen around the series you read, Adventure in Akihabara with Anime is my private half-day walk, three to four hours, never shared with other guests. The price is on the tour page.

About the author. I am Yuuki, a Japanese teacher and Akihabara anime tour guide based in Tokyo. I run private anime tours here most weeks, rated 4.96★ on Airbnb across 171 reviews. I have watched over 1,500 anime series, which is either a qualification or a warning depending on your point of view.

See the Akihabara anime tour →

Sources: Shosen, Shosen Book Tower (1-11-1 Kanda Sakumachō; floor guide: 6F comics for seinen readers, American comics and "MANGA (English translation)", 7F comics for younger readers, 8F light novels, 9F event hall); animate, animate Akihabara (4-3-1 Sotokanda; renewal opening 8 August 2026; Building 1, Building 2 and ANNEX floors; payment methods; tax-free); Melonbooks, Akihabara No. 1 (1-10-5 Sotokanda, Hirose Building B1; tax-free; categories); Mandarake, Complex (3-11-12 Sotokanda; 4 minutes from the Electric Town Exit; floor notices); Toranoana, store list (Ikebukuro store); Akiba Keizai Shimbun, Toranoana's last Akihabara shop closes (1 September 2022). All checked 4 October 2026. Opening hours are deliberately not given.