Discovering Hobby Shops in Akihabara - Tokyo Japan

[@bobrivett7645]

So cool Mr. G. I was in the Marine Corps back in 1977 to late 83. My first west-pac deployment to Iwakuni Japan was in Sept-79. I found a well stocked hobby shop in town, almost every payday I would go and buy a model, some paint, brushes, glue, etc. Then every two months or so I would ship everything home to my parents house. This hobby shop is were I discovered Tamiya. God such a long time ago. Great video, thanks for the memories. Can't wait to see you build those Japanese aircraft as well as the Phantom. Merry Christmas.

[@MisterGsWorkbench]

Merry Christmas to you as well! Thanks for sharing your memories of Japan, and thank you for watching!

[@NVRAMboi]

Thanks for sharing this adventure. All very interesting to me.

[@MisterGsWorkbench]

@@NVRAMboi glad you enjoyed- it was a lot more fun this time because I knew what to look for. Thanks for watching!

[@marineboy4622]

Whenever i am on holiday, get some grip seal bags from Daiso and a pair of cutters. By cutting most of the parts from the sprues, you can save a lot of luggage space. Place the parts in the bags and flat pack the boxes. Doing this reduces the space by about 75%.

[@MisterGsWorkbench]

Thanks for that tip - and thanks for watching!

[@orbitalair2103]

I love rummaging thru the old kits stores. I found a lot of old kits at Oshkosh AirVenture last year. The main shop had 4 big tables of old kits. And there was a vendor with lots of old kits, but his were priced very high.

[@MisterGsWorkbench]

It was definitely a lot of fun looking for kits I'd never known about. Thanks for watching!

[@jlcsr9163]

On my bucket list to go to Korea and Japan but the airfare prices are crazy.

[@MisterGsWorkbench]

The money you'll save on expenses with the exchange rate will make up for the flight, if that makes any sense. Thanks for watching!

[@lesthiele4921]

Hi John, that sounded like a really great trip, and of course made better by all the 'treasts' you brought back with you, I hope you and Mrs G and the family had a great Christmas, all the very best for 2025, a safe and Happy New Year to you and your family, best regards from a Kiwi living in Melbourne Australia, Les

[@MisterGsWorkbench]

Hi Les - Merry Christmas to you and yours from Texas! We had a great time in Japan and we're looking forward to the next one. Thanks for your continuing support of the channel!

[@good2us1]

Thanks for sharing. I always go to Yodobashi Akiba every trip, a must stop! And when you're done shopping there's a great french style bakery on the ground floor just outside. I also love Leonardo's another great must stop shop, if you love building model kits you have to stop there! Shizuoka not has only Tamiya's HQ, another must visit, there are alot of "mom and pop" stores as well.

[@MisterGsWorkbench]

Thanks for the info- I'll look into them next time we go. I'm hoping to visit Tamiya HQ next visit to Japan. Appreciate you watching and sharing your experiences!

[@Bob-b7x6v]

Volkes/Zukei-Mora make insanely intricate everything. I only own the 1/48 Ta-152, but even that one is a mechanical marvel in plastic form.

[@GNMi79]

The Hasegawa recon plane you returned is easy to find online for about $30.

[@Bob-b7x6v]

That's a magical shopping arcade alright.

[@rafaelontiveros7450]

Did the specialty shops, offer international shipping? $20 discount for SWS kits, I would have bought several and ditch the boxes. I lived in Japan, I didn't get back into model kits when I was there, good thing, I would have bought a lot. Bic Camera, is another store like Yodobashi-Akiba, I bet they had model kits on one of their floors too.

[@MisterGsWorkbench]

None of the shops I visited offered international shipping. It seems like doing that really negates the savings. Thanks for watching!

[@Bob-b7x6v]

Those Fine Molds kits are top-notch, especially the Star Wars ones. I think I get mine from Mission Hobbies' Ebay store. Adam Savage and his modeling buddy buy from their brick and mortar superstore in San Francisco. They have everything Mr. Hobby from paint to airbrushes straight out of Japan.

[@MisterGsWorkbench]

I'll take a Fine Molds 1/48 kit for $11 every day and twice on Sunday!

[@Bob-b7x6v]

@MisterGsWorkbench Good Lord, what a discount vs. Murrican markup.

[@MisterGsWorkbench]

The kit was being sold as "used", but the box and its contents were sealed. Add to that the exchange rate (basically a 30% discount) and a tax-free purchase, meaning another 10% off the purchase price. I could have filled a suitcase with low-priced hobby stuff!

[@davidebert8034]

Any ideas on how to buy acrylics and ship them by boat back to California? I’d like to get about 200 USD worth of paint, if shipping would be reasonable.

[@MisterGsWorkbench]

Honestly I can't imagine it would be practical to order paint from Japan due to shipping costs. If you're not traveling there, sorry to say but the advantages of the exchange rate are lost.

[@davidebert8034]

@ true. I do plan on going next year. I went this year and bought about 1,300 USD worth of models from Tamiya and Hasegawa-Yodobashi Camera, Tam Tam and Radio Kaikan. I had two large suitcases full! I’m just seeing if it’s feasible to purchase about 300 USD worth of Tamiya paints and ship them here to the states, rather than buy them here.

[@MisterGsWorkbench]

@@davidebert8034 definitely not worth the expense to ship paints from Japan. If you're headed back then I'd start planning a way to pack them into your suitcase for the ride home. Thank you for watching and thanks for your questions.

[@GNMi79]

Acrylics are water-based, aren't they? I don't see why the airlines wouldn't allow them in checked bags.

[@davidebert8034]

@ the Tamiya acrylics are alcohol-based. I thought they were water-based, too. I know I can fill out a form and get the items shipped by boat. I’m just trying to gather as much info as possible. Hobby shops here in the states get the paints shipped by boat because shipping alcohol by air is not allowed. Unless there’s some other way?

[@Bob-b7x6v]

I was happy my local shop had all those Tamiya sanding pads. They even carried a lot of Tamiya tools. Thanks Great Lakes Train and Toy.

[@Bob-b7x6v]

My rarest Fine Molds kit has to be the 1/48 J4N2-Y Nightfighter Judy dive bomber with the 30mm cannon firing diagonally through the canopy between the pilot and bombadier-navigator.

[@Bob-b7x6v]

Shopping capitol of Japan.

[@MisterGsWorkbench]

Well, as long as you're shopping for model kits, anime items, or gachapon I suppose. No doubt more hobby shops in one area than anywhere I've ever been. Thanks for watching!

[@Bob-b7x6v]

I have that A6M2-K trainer Zero. Hasegawa did well scratching that niche itch.

[@DCS_World_Japan]

Leonardo ET, Leonardo LG and their second location, Surugaya, Yellow Submarine, and Volks are my top 6. Yodobashi is hideously overpriced, particularly Eduard kits. Locked in a glass case and charging 3x list price from the Eduard store. Volks and Surugaya tend to have better prices on Eduard.

[@MisterGsWorkbench]

Yodobashi is basically good for tools. The other places are a good blend of variety. Thanks for sharing your experiences!

[@Bob-b7x6v]

I'm glad I didn't have to go to Japan for the Myrt and Twin Seat Zero you bought. Still a Wonka-esque model shop scene, though. I'm glad Great Lakes Train and Toy in Utica, Michigan has a big dong Murrican storefront, those little Japanese stores look claustrophobic.

[@MisterGsWorkbench]

The journey is the whole point - I would have come back with something regardless. Two weeks in Japan eating fresh seafood and taking in a rich culture was my main goal. Walking from hobby shop to hobby shop was the icing on the cake. There's something fun about squeezing down those aisles and looking for the kit you've never seen before.

[@Bob-b7x6v]

@MisterGsWorkbench Did you go to a place called Duck Shop? I ordered some top-shelf stuff from them before. A lot of rare anime and mech kits, mostly.

[@Iain1957]

Volks has gone downhill over the years. What about Yellow Submarine? They were there there in 2023. For me I felt that the wide avail;ability of kits on the internet reduced the magic of finding something new or obscure in Akihabara. But the tools are still interesting to me. No pictures of Maids or Swans which are also part of Akihabara.

[@MisterGsWorkbench]

I had Yellow Submarine as a backup location, but I ran out of time to get there. I agree- being able to access items via the Internet takes away some of that magic, but having all those shops in one area is terrific. Volks seemed more like an anime shop than a hobby shop- the ZM kits were relegated to half of one floor in the store. As for Maids, it's my understanding that it's rude to photograph them without permission, and I honestly had bigger fish to fry that morning. Appreciate the feedback and thanks for watching!

[@Bob-b7x6v]

Was there a Mr. Hobby outlet store?

[@MisterGsWorkbench]

Not that I'm aware of...

[@Bob-b7x6v]

That Tamiya-related store looked like 5 floors of fun. Reminds me of a vertical version of the Original Squadron Shop in Hazel Park, MI before they ran off to Texas for lower taxes and to set up their mail-order and internet warehouse empire.

[@MisterGsWorkbench]

You talking about TamTam? It's really just two floors in total. There are other stores on the remaining floors. Their model selection is good, but I could buy 80% of their stock from home, online. Obviously not at the same lower prices, but they're available.

[@Bob-b7x6v]

I'd kill to go to Shizuoka City and get a tour of Tamiya, Hasegawa, and Bandai's factories.

[@MisterGsWorkbench]

Agreed - on my list for the next trip!

[@Bob-b7x6v]

Did any of those stores have the Creator Works Hasegawa kits like the F-8 Crusader and F-14 Tomcat in Area 88 markings? I had to get mine from Mission Hobbies.

[@MisterGsWorkbench]

I honestly didn't take notice if they did - not my thing.

[@Bob-b7x6v]

Those are some deep discounts, especially for Find Molds kits. I think my cheapest one was 28 bucks before shipping, I'm gonna say it was the J8M Shusei rocket fighter.

[@RedViking2020]

Love Japan, city name call out helpful but without seeing inside the shops and the types of models seems a bit pointless.

[@MisterGsWorkbench]

As I mentioned in the video- most of the hobby shops I visited had signs prohibiting video. The last thing I need to do is be the ugly foreigner who breaks the rules.

[@mybrainmeatshurt]

Getting caught filming when the signs specifically say not to is grounds for instantly getting kicked out.

[@beldin3013]

I could barely fit in leonardo.

[@Bob-b7x6v]

That was the best A5M Claude kit till the Wingsy kit came out of Poland.

[@Bob-b7x6v]

Did you ever ask anyone wth Hasegawa never bagged their decals? They wouldn't yellow as fast if they bagged them like Tamiya. I've burned through more sandwich and gallon storage bags resealing my Hasegawa kit decals.

[@Bob-b7x6v]

Looks like you made out like a hobby pirate in Akihabra. Ichiban, indeed.

[@Bob-b7x6v]

God Hand sprue cutters at the exchange discount, noice. They're like 40 bucks here.

[@Bob-b7x6v]

😵‍💫🤯

[@riff2072]

More models, less.....

[@MisterGsWorkbench]

Travel? Nah.