Nakano Broadway: The Retro Game Route Without the Akihabara Crowds

Why Nakano Broadway

If Akihabara is Japan's retro gaming megastore, Nakano Broadway is its cult-favorite little brother. This five-story shopping arcade near Nakano Station is best known for figures and vintage toys — but tucked among them are some of Tokyo's densest concentrations of retro game shops, with none of the tourist crowds you'll find in Akihabara.

The Route

Start at Nakano Station's North Exit and walk through the Sun Mall covered arcade — about 5 minutes to Nakano Broadway's entrance. Head up to the 2nd floor for Mandarake Galaxy and Lashinbang's Audio-Visual Hall. On your way back down, Janpara on the 1st floor sits right by the Waseda-dori exit — a natural last stop before you head back to the station.

Store-by-Store Notes

Mandarake Galaxy (2F) — Retro-only specialist: Famicom, Super Famicom, Game Boy, PC Engine, Saturn, Dreamcast, PS1, 3DO.
Lashinbang Audio-Visual Hall (2F) — Strong on large console hardware, displayed in open bins.
Janpara (1F) — Better for hardware and peripherals than software; the final stop on the route, right by the Waseda-dori exit.

While You're There

Mandarake Galaxy is only one of Mandarake's storefronts in Nakano Broadway — the chain runs several, each with its own specialty, and two of them upstairs are worth the detour if what draws you to old cartridges is as much the era as the games.

Mandarake Main Store (3F) — まんだらけ本店. The manga flagship: shelf after shelf of back issues and out-of-print volumes. The place to go if you want to put your hands on Japanese manga culture rather than read about it.
Mandarake Hen-ya (4F) — まんだらけ変や. Showa-era retro toys, tin robots, and antique goods. It's the same "retro" that fills the game bins downstairs, approached from the toy and manga side — the boxes and packaging from the decades that produced the Famicom, sitting next to the robots that shared the shelf with it.

Mandarake Main Store on the 3rd floor of Nakano Broadway, walls of manga volumes with an oversized figure mounted above the shelving — Mandarake Main Store, 3F. Manga to the ceiling, and something large mounted above the shelves.

Mandarake Hen-ya on the 4th floor, its entrance built as a red Shinto shrine gate with paper strips hanging from the beam — Mandarake Hen-ya, 4F. The entrance is built as a shrine gate.

Both are in the same building as the game shops, so there's no second trip to plan — once you've worked through the shelves downstairs, it's just an elevator ride up.

No Japanese? No Problem

None of the game shops carry English labels — shelf tags, price stickers, and bin dividers are Japanese-only throughout, which is exactly where Kataban helps most. Cartridge-based systems (Famicom, Super Famicom, Game Boy, PC Engine) don't have barcodes on the cartridge itself, so type the product code (型番) instead — it's usually printed right on the label. Disc-based systems (Saturn, Dreamcast, PS1) often still have their box, so a barcode scan works there. Either way, Kataban gives you the English title, platform, and release year instantly.

Practical Tips

Most shops open around 10–11am and close by 8–9pm. Bring cash — many smaller retro counters don't take cards. Weekday mornings are quietest; weekends get busy with local collectors. If you're visiting during Tokyo Game Show week (Sept 17–21), expect Akihabara to be busier than usual, making Nakano a good lower-traffic alternative.

Before You Go

Look up your want-list on Kataban before you leave your hotel — note down the product codes for anything you're hunting. Having the exact code ready means you can walk straight to the right bin instead of scanning shelf by shelf.