The Idol and Monster Shop
Suddenly, you discover you have just too many monsters in your room! That collection you started when you were six has colonized every shelf and surface, leaving you nowhere to put the empty instant ramen cups that stack up during online gaming marathons. But what can you do? Chucking them in the recycle bin is unthinkable – some of those figures are valuable! If only you could sell them and use the proceeds to fund your new obsession, AKB48 collectible cards!
Enter the showcase locker shop!
Rent one of these clear-fronted displays, arrange the treasures you want to sell, and hope the right customer stops by to browse! I’ve seen these shops all over Tokyo, and they provide surprisingly accurate demographic snapshots. This one at Nakano Broadway is predictably stuffed with anime/manga goods and the collectible obsessions of adolescent boys. The one I saw at an obscure suburban shopping mall was a meatspace version of Etsy, featuring overly optimistic offerings of bead jewelry and other housewifely handicrafts.
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Jonelle Patrick View All
Writing mystery books set in Tokyo is mostly what I do, but I also blog about the odd stuff I see every day in Japan. I'm a graduate of Stanford University and the Sendagaya Japanese Institute in Tokyo, and a member of the International Thriller Writers, the Mystery Writers of America, and Sisters In Crime. When I'm not in Tokyo, I live in San Francisco. I also host a travel site called The Tokyo Guide I Wish I'd Had, so if you're headed to Japan and want to check out the places I take my friends when they're in town, take a look!
Jonelle Patrick's Only In Japan 