Nakano Broadway

The Alternative Nerd Wonderland to Akihabara

If you have any pride at all as a fan of anime and manga, you must have heard of the legendary area of Tokyo known as Akihabara by now. After all, this place is basically the geek capital of the world. Ever year, countless numbers of Japanese and foreign nerds make pilgrimages to this sacred otaku town. Alas, as more and more people have fallen in love with Japan’s pop culture, the number of people frequenting Akihabara has exploded overnight. While this mecca of all things nerd is still well-worth your visit, these days the area is certainly more jammed that it used to be. As a result, much like the fashionable area of Harajuku, Akihabara has lost a bit of the charm that put it on the map to begin with.

What’s a self proclaimed otaku to do? Well, unbeknownst to many foreign visitors, Tokyo actually has another nerdy enclave stashed away near Shinjuku. Known as Nakano Broadway, this shopping complex is famous for its multiple stores that peddle all sorts of anime and video game related paraphernalia. Spread across four levels, you’ll find a whole host of specialty stores selling anything from collector’s items to figurines to old video games. Honestly, Nakano Broadway is nothing short of a massive emporium for all things geeky. A journey here checks all the same boxes that a visit to Akihabara would, albeit without…