Shopping Taking a Trip to Japan for Dollies? Info & Advice

Yeah, and I love how the main street of Den Den Town in that map book is right on the spine of the book so when you crack it open, it rips and you can't read it. No, no tourists go there. It's nothing important or anything < /sarcasm> The Kyoto maps in it are decent, though. But Kyoto is an easy city to navigate - as long as the maps have put the attractions in the right spot (I'm looking at you, Lonely Planet >.> I blame you for making me get lost so much the first time. What is your Ginza map? I mean, seriously...) Sorry. I've had such mixed luck with maps for this country, which is why the Tokyo City Atlas makes me so happy. But I guess I should get an update, since mine doesn't have the Tsukuba line and that other new subway, and I think some places might have changed since 2011 (like Radio Kaikan). For Osaka I still don't have a decent map, but I think I got one from the tourist board that was at least decent. I'm probably going to use Google Maps, too. I like Osaka and I like walking around and exploring, but I don't want to end up somewhere I don't want to be, either. The only place I've ever felt remotely nervous in Japan was a random place I ended up in Osaka when I thought I was somewhere else.

I've gotten over that I'm missing the Dolpa and Doll Show, mainly because I knew it was a possibility from the beginning. I think I'm going to move one of my Tokyo days into Kyoto and see a couple more temples. Too much Kyoto in one shot and I get 'out-templed', but one or two days is always a nice break from the atmosphere of the bigger cities. For the second day, I'm still trying to decide between Hakone and finally checking out Yokohama. Or are there other day trips from Tokyo anyone wants to recommend? Except Nikko, because I've already been there

 

I admit it, Doll Show is my favorite of the events I've been to for dolls in Japan. I like the selection of dolls and dealers best and I find the line procedure (at least last time I was there) preferable to how it is done at Dolpa. Though seriously, at this point, I would consider trying to buy a dealer place, since it is just a lot more enjoyable.

The free map from the tourist authority is helpful enough when in comes to Kyoto. >>;

For Osaka, generally the area around Tennoji and Dobutsuen-mae can be a little sketchy. I have been to Spa World though and it is near Dobutsuen-mae. It was awesome. >>; (at least if you like cheezy onsen experiences) Namba to Umeda is mostly through shopping and then what looks like a business area. The area around Osakajo is pretty nice.

I definitely understand feeling "templed out" though I find collecting temple stamps makes hitting up temples more fun.

Yokohama is pretty similar to Tokyo IMHO. I've been there a few times. Hakone is great if you want to go to onsen, other than that it's really just sort of taking lots of different forms of transportation? If you're not ready to go nude, Yunesun is super popular and all the most fun aka cheeziest onsen are bathing suit ones. My favorite day trips are one the expensive side without a pass. I love Nagano. The temple there is really something. I also went to a nearby park at Kawanakajima, the site of several famous battles during the Sengoku Basara period. With a rail pass, I've also done a day trip up to Hiraizumi, north of Sendai. >>; It was really beautiful there. I loved Zao onsen and I've always wanted to go to Yamadera outside of Sendai. From Kyoto, I've made a day trip to Kanazawa to see the garden. I've also done a day trip to Okayama to see the garden.

Rail passes are a lovely lovely thing. BTw, you never if you want to splurge a bit there are air passes as well, right? I used one once to fly from Nagoya to Hakodate.

 

I highly recommend the Mt Fuji tour K's House does. When I went there was about 10 of us, and it was probably the most fun we've had on a tour. It's a very grounded kind of tour, tbh. The guide is great, and it's not run by JTB so you're not getting the "official" story on some of the features. The full day takes you to the traditional start of the pilgrimage climb, around the lakes, through part of Aokigahara and into Ice Cave and (the mouth of) Wind Cave, up to the Fifth Station (the highest you can go by bus), as well as a few sweet vantage points in the surrounding area. You can book online easily, and the tour leaves from the Fujikawaguchiko station, which is a little fiddly to get to and requires a bit of an early start from Tokyo, but it's so worth it. Here's the site: http://mtfujitour.com/

 

Wow, those are some great suggestions! I never thought of Nagano as a day trip, but it really doesn't seem to take that long to get there after all. And the Mt. Fuji tour looks good, too! I've got some more thinking to do. But I have to do it fast - I'm leaving the 5th of April. I'm going to get my rail pass next week, even though I've been itching to for weeks. But when I last had convenient hours to go to the JTB office, it would have expired before I got there (two month expiry, apparently). I'm only going to need a 7-day one this time, but I'm feeling cheap so I'll get the standard one and take my chances. By the time anything Golden Week-related starts, I'll be long settled in one place so I have less chance of not getting a general seat in coach. This trip an air pass isn't practical, but for my next trip to Japan (because there's always a next time with me) I plan on hopping all over the country and it might be a great option for the longer distances. And my free map of Kyoto I got the first time I there was so well-used that it fell apart! Fortunately, they still have that one available. I just showed the old map, and they brought me a new one. It's by far my favourite map, so I would have been sad not to get the same one.

Also, thanks for the warning about the area around Tennoji. I was going to check it out for the first time after I finish with Den Den Town since it's close by. I'll make sure I get there long before dark and keep my wits about me. I'm assuming a lot of the sketchiness comes from that nearby entertainment district. I was going to see about eating there, but maybe I should just skip it and look for something else? If it's all run down and seedy, I can think of several other good places to get food where I won't have to be nervous about it.

I guess I'll also ask if anyone has taken the ferry from Fukuoka to Busan? Or in the opposite direction (which is what I'll be doing)? I've never taken a long-haul ferry (the only ones I've ever taken were 15 minutes, tops) and I'm curious how it is. Comfortable? Is buying tickets a challenge? Is it really only a couple hours, because I keep getting conflicting information on that?

I've got to check if there's a Korea travel thread like this one somewhere else on the board. I can do Japan pretty effortlessly because I've been there a ton of times and all around, but Korea - this is my first time going. I've got a ton more to learn. Including some basic Korean, which really does make a ton of difference.

 

I'm really sorry to ask, but I am looking through the responses on the first few pages, and am mainly seeing advise on how much money is needed and how to travel around Japan.

I am booked in on a manga/anime tour in March, and as I've got a few days/evenings to myself while in Tokyo, I was wondering if anyone could advise how easy it is to find BJD stores, or if there are any guides on how to find them (preferably written in English ^_^; )

 

There aren't a lot of BJD stores in Japan beyond the various Volks Sumika locations, which I know there are detailed, illustrated English instructions on how to find here on DoA, and just a couple of pages back there are directions to finding the Dolk store. Bluefairy has a storefront located just outside of the city, though I am not sure if anyone's ever made it to Sora*iro in person yet and shared their experience.

Your tour should probably take you to Mandarake. The Nakano location has a used doll section.

 

Thank you so much! I would actually love to find any Volks store while I am over there (I am dying to get my hands on a Dream Dynamite Doll if I can track one down), but to be honest, any BJD store would be great to see.

I haven't heard Mandarake mentioned in any of the tour information packs so far, but if they have a used doll section, I really do hope that the tour passes by there!

Thank you

 

There's a standard model, DDDy Miko. You should be able to get her in regular sumikas ^^
http://www.volks.co.jp/jp/dollfiedream/dddy_miko.html

 

Your tour is bound to spend at least a day in Akihabara, since it's the anime/manga/electronics hub of Tokyo. A bunch of the doll shops are there. You'll probably also hit Nakano Broadway, where one of the Mandarake locations is (it's kind of scattered all throughout the top two floors, actually...) Parabox is there too, if you like Obitsus.

There are some great people here on DOA who have created a map of all the known doll shops in the world. I've been to a lot of doll shops in Japan, but have still missed a ton of these. I usually skip the Mandarake in Akihabara because I was under the impression it was all hentai, but apparently they've got some doll stuff, too. This time I'll do better.

The link is here.
https://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UTF&msa=0&msid=213725146645980848278.0004a6942268dfe0bbd3c

As for navigating Tokyo, whether that's easy or not depends on where you are. Shibuya is a maze. Despite the number of times I've been there, I always get lost, even with a good map book. Akihabara isn't so bad, IMO. It's also hard to get lost in Nakano Broadway. Just one thing to remember is that the escalator from the ground floor takes you TWO floors up, not one. So you'll be on the 3rd floor when you get off and will have to take the stairs if you want to go back to the 2nd floor. But your guide will probably tell you that if you head there.

I could have sworn I recently saw a picture guide of at least the stores in Akihabara. There were more than doll shops on that map, though. I saved the map to my hard drive for reference, but don't remember the website I got it from. I'll go look for it.

 

My trip to Nagano was as a day trip. I really wanted to see Zenko-ji, and because of other interests wanted to hit up Ueda-jo and Kawanakajima. It was very easy and very pleasant. Sometimes I've been known to get a regular rail pass as well as a JR East Pass. At one point they were having a special where you could get a 3 day Flex JR East pass. I loved Zao onsen, but it's harder to do as a day trip because of the bus. Many many people do Hakone as a day trip, but I like staying overnight, but again it's the sort of place you go to for either onsen or to go on lots of different forms of transportation. Depending on the time of year Mito is an amazing day trip from Tokyo, but you need to go during ume season for the best time. Kairaku-en, the garden in Mito is considered one of the big 3 (along with Kanzawa and Okayama, which I've done as day trips from Kyoto.)

I think the area immediately around Tennoji wasn't so bad, but I know by the time you get to Dobutsen-mae it can definitely be a bit shady. I mean I was there with some other people at night, cause we were at Spa World, but other than Spa World it just seemed sort of dull. It's not rundown compared to places I've seen in the US, . I went to a bunch of temples and shrines connected to the Seige of Osaka Castle by myself and other than passing a ton of love hotels, it was perfectly fine. To be fair, Osaka mainly has a bad rep from the homeless population, but the Japanese homeless seem overall rather benign. I mean people consider Roppongi in Tokyo seedy too.

I've been to Fukuoka, but that was my ending destination. Most of the people I know who have gone to Korea flew from Tokyo. :/

I do know what you mean about next trip, while I've not been since 2010, I am sure there is a next trip for me too. I've been to Japan about 30 times a this point.

Like everyone else has mentioned, I'm sort of surprised that your trip doesn't include visiting Mandarake since Mandarake is known for mostly selling used anime/manga and their goods. The one in Shibuya is quite good for that, but in general the Nakano one has the most dolls. Nakano is very very very easy to get to. Just take the Chuo (Orange) line to Nakano. The mall with lots of anime/manga and several different branches of Mandarake are pretty much directly across from the station.

I've not been since 2010, but assuming it is still open, I always thought the Studio Alta branch of Volks was pretty easy to find. It's in Shinjuku, the busiest train station in Japan and the Studio Alta building is a local landmark. I believe it is on the 6th floor. You could easily visit Nakano and Shinjuku together. Both are on the Chuo line and are one station from one another. I also think the Ikebukuro store is not too hard to find, particularly if you are hitting up the Animate, Sunshine 60, and all the other anime and manga shops in the area. I find that one tends to slow out a little slower of items than some of the other branches.

Good luck!

 

The best directions I've been able to find are by Angel's Den, but they've been a bit out of date lately. The big Kanto quake and just the natural business cycle have closed some locations. But they're here: http://www.angelden.net/photoguide/index.html These directions start at the nearest train stations, usually JR, but sometimes the subway.

New directions to Volks Akihabara (I also mention the locations of Mandarake and Azone in Akiba) - http://lansupantsu.tumblr.com/post/50090789926/directions-to-the-new-hobby-tenkou-in-akihabara-the

List of Mandarake locations: http://www.mandarake.co.jp/en/shop/ The Shinjuku Shibuya one is a pain in the rear to find, but maybe it was just because I was there at Golden Week and it was so crowded I didn't see Hachi until I almost tripped over him.... The best ones are Osaka and Nakano.

 

Any recommendations on how to use data in japan? I'm USA with a Verizon iphone, but I will be taking a trip to kagoshima, kobe, and yokohama with a really really bad sense of direction, so I was hoping to googlemaps the shops

I've googled quite a few prepaid sim cards, but all are quite expensive

As for doll shopping, is it Japanese brands only in stores? Or a mix of some of the other brands ex. LUTS, SOOM

Thanks in advance for any help!

 

I can't help with your question regarding data, as I don't even own a cell phone (I apparently live in the dark ages, but I do have an iPod for wi-fi navigation, at least). Some cities have city-wide free wi-fi, or so I've heard - I haven't tested it personally yet. I might be the better and cheaper option for you. I'm sure someone else might have more info on this. I remember reading something about an access card you can get at convenience stores. I guess I'd better go find out for myself before I head off, since I was planning on using it. ...Found it: http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2279.html There's a section at the bottom of the page that talks about data plans and roaming.

On merchandise/dolls, I find it is mostly from Japanese companies, but not exclusively. Second-hand dolls seem to be mostly from Volks. I've heard of a place in Osaka that has second-hand dolls from lots of different companies, but I sadly missed it last time I was there. I will be there next month and can let you know what the current selection is like.

 

Seconding that it's kind of a mix in Mandarake. In Closet Child it's actually 90% Pullip and Blythe, BJDs are kind of just mixed in. Probably 50% of the Mandarake doll selection is Volks, and then there's some BlueFairy, and other Japanese makers. You'll see some Luts and Soom in there too. I saw a surprising concentration of Unoa too. Including a great deal on a B-El that was a mighty temptation indeed.

 

When I'm in Japan I use WiFi... A lot of places have WiFi only for Japanese cell phone companies though which is really annoying.

If someone can answer the data question...

 

I've seen used: Soom, BlueFairy (they have a much stronger market in Japan than in English speaking fandom), Luts, Fairyland, and DoD. Generally, I think the prices for Korean dolls used are higher than what you will pay on DoA, but it's a good way to see a doll up close. The majority of used dolls are Volks and Unoa though because if you live in Japan those are just much easier to get.

Osaka has a branch of Dolks, just like Tokyo, perhaps that is what you are thinking of Edtel, though the dolls are not second hand. I find the prices on Volks/Unoas can be a real good deal, on the Korean brands much less so.

I never use Data in Japan. I tend to just use SMS/MMS since I prefer using a map book. (I also have a great sense of direction and have been to many of these stores before.) I believe you can rent a SIM card form a lot of the big carriers in Japan. I use to rent a cell from Softbank because my US phone never worked in Japan and it was just easier.

 

Thank you !

 

Gah I wish I could have read or found this thread when I went to Japan last year. I tried to find some of the numerous Volks locations, but had no luck. I may have wandered into a Mandarake in Ikebukuro though as I remember going into a store with nothing but gently used anime goods (got a lot of otome games for cheap!). I did find a lot of anime stores scattered around Tokyo that sold Azone dolls and some random Yosds. Next time I'm gonna have to really go and hunt out for some these stores like the Closet child and others mentioned here.

Anyways I can help on the data info for phone usage in Japan .

First off you'll need an unlocked sim-card using phone. Unfortunately that means if you have Verizon you won't be able to use your phone since they don't use sim cards and they have their own data usage for when you go international, which the fees can be quite expensive. I have heard though that they do have some sim card using phones that you can "rent" from them, but you'll probably have to call in Verizon and ask for more info about that. Also if you have At&t the phone must be out of contract in order for it to be unlocked. T-mobile is fine. Though key thing is that the phone must be unlocked, which you would have to call in your phone provider to do it for you.

Second you can rent phones, sim-cards and mobile internet (wifi) through Softbank. More info can be found here http://www.softbank-rental.jp/e/rental-plan-ib03.php. Unfortunately it can get expensive when using/renting wifi data there. One tip though is that Starbucks and some of the subway stations have free wifi!

Another thing is that there is a Softbank rental booth right in the Narita Airport so you won't have to go out into the city to have to find one. Also renting it out at the airport is the easiest as it's the only one with workers who can speak English and you can return it there right before you leave!

 

Gosh, I forgot to post back about the results of the trip!

My phone company,Verizon wireless, had an international preset plan of 100 mb (roaming data) for $25. I stuck with this as I didn't arrive into japan by airport, but by cruise so I couldn't do the rent phone at airport thing . It's sufficient for checking emails, but I went over it when I used google maps when I got lost :<

I only had an opportunity to pop in to volks in akihabara as I ended up going to tours during the shore excursion. It was mostly dollfie dreams on display and parts, and the stock looked the same as on the international website.

I really recommend visting the fushimi inari shrine if you're in Kyoto area,there was a road to the shrine full of small doll sizeable items such as folding screens, fans, etc. it's also quite beautiful for photos as it has the long red gates

 

This is a great thread for info! I've been planning to go to japan for a long time now
Thank you all for sharing!!

 

I just found out that for tourist, we can buy a SIM for mobile data. But this sim card only can be used for internet, so you can't talk via phone or sms, just using internet for browsing, email, etc
A tourist are not allowed to buy Japanese phone number cause they're afraid with crime and such.

I have only found 2 company that offer this service.
http://www.sakuramobile.jp/
http://www.bmobile.ne.jp/english/

By the way, make sure your phone is compatible with their sim card, check your phone system, kernel, etc. They won't refund you with any reason, so once you bought it, that's it. Just ask as much as you can via email to make sure you can really use it.

I'm also going to Japan this year and I can't really wait
But I don't think I'm able to purchase any dollies there cause my shopping budget is quite limited though... Hopefully I can satisfy myself by just sightseeing.

 

Wow thanks for the link, that's really exciting

 

You're welcome

By the way, I wonder what thing that we should do and don't in Japan? I heard Japanese like to prioritize mannerism and etiquette so hopefully I hope I don't mock or make them uneasy in a way I don't know

 

It's fairly straightforward once you're used to it.

For example people don't talk loudly or eat on the train, that kind of thing. You'll soon learn where you're expected to be quiet and when it's OK to be noisy!

In the cities people are generally quite accepting if foreigners commit faux pas, as long as you're not doing anything outrageous!

Its considered impolite to walk around eating or drinking, so you'll notice there's always a bin next to vending machines. I'd advise carrying drinks you can close and pop in your bag so you don't have to chug the whole thing!

Also when moving through crowds foreigners don't always notice that there are flows of movement and can get flustered. People generally walk on the left but it can switch. If you pay attention to the way the crowd flows you'll find yourself feeling a lot calmer! Tokyo for example is crazy busy but I find much more pleasant to move around in than London, because you don't have to dodge people all the time!

Not sure if you already know the food etiquette? Nearly everywhere you eat you'll be provided with something to clean your hand with before you eat. But never your face, haha.

Oh, and don't ride taxis unless you absolutely have to. Expensive and rude in Japan, nothing like what I'm used to in Kuala Lumpur where all the taxi drivers are nice Uncles!

 

Oh okay, thank you so much for the information
I highly doubt about riding taxi cause I'm going to join a tour which mostly using bus as transport.

I really excited to see BJD store there, hopefully I have enough free time to spend inside the store

 

This is good to know. Inner-city travel always get expensive once my rail pass runs out, or if I don't have one.

Also, on your much earlier post regarding Starbucks WiFi...I might not remember correctly, but I could have sworn I signed up for Starbucks WiFi once I was already in Japan. I just wasn't able to do it on a Starbucks connection.

So true! Well, okay. I can't speak for Japanese taxi drivers being rude, as the one time I needed to use one out of first-time-traveller desperation we literally went a block and a half. But both the drivers I had in Malaysia were awesome and told me so much about the city (in my case, Melaka). Of course, this isn't a thread about Malaysia, so...

One final thing for now, promise.

I ended up going for this option, and it was a fantastic tour! Thanks for suggesting it. It was an early start, but well worth it Since it was such a late spring, there was a landslide that made the Fifth Level inaccessible, so instead they took us for cherry blossom viewing, but not just any place. The shot you always see of Mt. Fuji with the red pagoda in the foreground? That exact vantage point. I got some really great pictures.

 

Hey all! I am studying in Japan for a month, and I've brought my girl Joren with me. She's a Fairyland LittleFee Dark Elf Soo. I'm feeling really bad because I haven't done anything with her yet, and I promised to take her shopping. However, I'm not sure what stores there are in Tokyo that would be easily accessible to me from where I am (Kichijoji), and given my transportation allowances (I have a JR Line Suica pass).

So the easy part of the question is: do you know of any brick and mortar BJD stores in Tokyo?

The hard part: Do you know of any brick and mortar stores in Tokyo that can be traveled to on the JR Line?

To help everyone out, I know there are a couple of BIG STOPS on the JR Line that would be likely candidates: Shinjuku and Akihabara. I would prefer Shinjuku, since my Suica pass would let me ride there for free. I would probably have to pay a bit to get to Akihabara.

Thank you in advance!

 

I haven't been in Tokyo for a while but I always liked visiting mandarake - they have a few different stores, you can see the list here, and they sell all kinds of things but you can find second hand dolls and stuff there. I liked the shibuya store. Nakano Broadway was quite fun to look around but the number of interesting ships dwindled while I was there and that was a long time ago so I don't know what it's like there.

If you like books, you can find their stores as well. I went to the one in akihabara but there are others.

 

No, Radio Kaikan is back and Volks has just had an event abut it Like, last week.

http://www.volks.co.jp/radikan/

Hobby Tengoku is still open too, I think.

 

They're still listing the Akihabara sumika at Hobby Tengoku, but I'm across the world and can't hop there to check :__D
http://www.volks.co.jp/jp/shop/akiba_nest/

 

I thought the Closet Child in Ikebukuro was closed? I can't remember where I read that. Maybe someone can confirm this?

I can't believe I've never been to the DOLK in Akihabara! haha But I looked online and I found their prices pretty high compared to ordering online, even taking into consideration the shipping costs. I guess it's great for instant gratification though. I will definitely check it out next time.

 

Thanks! You know &#8230; I was at that Animate and never noticed the closet child! I will have to go back and look for it. Have you gone to the Volks in Ikebukuro? Another failure of mine &#8230; I completely forgot there was a Volks showroom in Ikebukuro. Durr.

 

I will definitely try to check out Mandarake in Nakano. That sounds perfect. Nakano is about halfway between where I am and where I go to class, so I can take the train there without forking over extra.

 

I was in closet-child Ikebukuro a month ago. It is a little hard to locate as it's several floors up. Look out for the Starbucks then look up, it's above it. The range is not huge, but they do have dolls and outfits available.

 

The Closet Child in Ikebukuro was still open as of last April, and I got a ton of stuff there. I'd heard a rumour that they were phasing out the doll stuff, but that certainly wasn't true when I went. If anything, the doll section has expanded since the first time I visited.

The Ikebukuro Volks doesn't have a ton of doll stuff, but it does have some items, mostly for Dollfie Dreams. It's pretty quiet in that location, and it's a full showroom with all Volks' product lines, so it's fun to just look around at everything.

 

I went to Closet Child in Ikebukuro last weekend and the place looked much more organized than I last time I went. They still got dolls and have interesting outfits that are mostly used. Too bad I didn't bring enough money with me at that time or I could have bout some outfits

 

Hey, guys! I see here a lot of useful links about Tokyo. Does anybody know any nice stores in Osaka? I am mostly interested in Tiny dolls and everything, that fits them (not only clothes, but all sort of miniature stuff ). Although, it would be nice to peek at big ones as well Any hints? Going to Osaka next week...

 

Little World - Osaka
Jungle
Azone Labelshop
Volks Osaka Showroom/Tenshi-no-Sumika
DolK Osaka Store
Mandarake
https://maps.google.com/maps/ms?msi...ll=34.664964,135.504234&spn=0.017208,0.033023

Most of them are accesisble through the Nanba metro station, except Mandarake. There are two in Osaka, and either of them are well word the visit for dolly related items.

 

Thank you! This is very helpful!

 

That strip of otaku stores is known as Otaroad, in case you'd like to get more info.

http://www.dannychoo.com/en/post/26249/Otaroad.html
http://kamlau.com/japan/otaroad/

You can't miss the Volks showroom and the Azone store. As for the location of the Osaka Mandarake stores, see
http://www.mandarake.co.jp/en/shop/osk.html (Umeda)
http://www.mandarake.co.jp/en/shop/gcs.html (Grandchaos, a bit to the north of Namba and Otaroad)

 

Thank you very much!

 

A friend and I are in Japan for 21 days, we went around Akihabara a little bit and we think we found a volks shop, but it didn't seem to be open. This is my first time in Japan and I wanted to pick up some items for my dolls, also possibly buy a new one. Are there other shops in the Tokyo area?

 

Do a quick search for a thread called: "a trip to japan for dollies". There is lots of information in there. When I traveled to Japan a few years ago, I found walking photo directions to the Volks store. More recently, someone has posted links to a district known as Otaroad, is kind of Akiba for girls. LOL!

Have fun!

 

(The Akiba for girls is Otome Road in Tokyo near Ikebukuro Station and apart from a tiny Volks showroom is focused towards BL and yaoi, Otaroad/ Denden Town in Osaka is a generic otaku and electronics mini-neighborhood like Akihabara, not particularly geared towards women)

 

It's also always worth it to check to see if there are going to be any events while you are in Japan. Tokyo, Osaka, Nagoya, and Fukuoka all have doll events. Most people know about Dolpas, but there are also I Doll events and Doll Show. I Doll+Doll Show are not ABJD exclusive, however they also have the greatest variety of fashions for non-Japanese ABJDs. The shows vary in size, generally the ones in Tokyo are quite large, while the ones outside of Tokyo are much more low key.

Volks tends to have a Tenishi no Sato event every October. If you're going to be in the Kansai area then, it doesn't hurt to see if you can attend, by emailing Volks directly. You can usually tell when it is because it's the days Tenshi no Sato is closed to make International Reservations or you can use the Japanese website to see when they are going to be.

Hope this helps!

 

There's an I Doll show in Osaka next Sunday on the 12th, if you're planning on going elsewhere in japan on your trip: http://www.idollweb.net/west/19.php

 

Does there exist a photo guide to finding the Dolk shop? I can make one if it's needed ^^


I'm linking my Tokyo meet thread 26th October here: http://www.denofangels.com/forums/showthread.php?645164

 

I'd like a photo guide to Dolk!

I'm going in January. Super excited! As my contribution to the thread, I'd like to recommend AirBnB. We've booked a lovely apartment with tatami and futons literally just down the road from Sensoji temple in Asakusa for £47 a night, which includes a pocket wifi.

 

Did Volks close their store in Akihabara? I'm in Tokyo right now. I found their store but it was closed. The windows are covered in paper en when I peaked inside, the store looked lik it was busy woith construction works. They appeared to have a sign about moving to a different street and with dates of 1st of November.

 

Hmmm, one of their pages indicates a new "Doll Point" in the Radio Kaikan building, opened in July?
http://www.volks.co.jp/jp/shop/akiba_dp/
http://www.volks.co.jp/radikan/dollpoint/

Correction:
It is in original location that the Volks showroom used to be, which is the newly replaced Radio Kaikan building.
Radio Kaikan 8F
Sotokanda, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 1-15-16
101-0021

Azone should be in the same building on the 7th floor.

The blue part is the place that is closing.
The red part is the new Doll Point, and Hobby Square. (8F)


[video=youtube;9hgTI6FMasg]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9hgTI6FMasg[/video]

 

Thank you very much. I managed to find it last night

 

Yea, I was looking for volks also. Someone else was too and we were shown the way. I got some outfits and my first Dollfie Dream/volks doll. I spent forever in Akihabara looking for it lol

 

Just got back from Japan today, found that the Shinjuku Volks is closed at the moment for renovations. Didn't look too hard at the sign to see when its reopening honestly, but I don't think it's that far away, I could see through the window there were workers putting up new fixtures on the walls.

 

I didn't manage to do a photo guide on how to find Dolk in Akiba, as it was absolutely pouring rain. I bought a little Pipos mouse. It's quite small in there, but lots of stuff for boy dolls ( no good for me @_@ )