TOKYO is a paradise for Warhammer, GUNPLA & scale modelling (best spots 2024)

[@stahly_taleofpainters]

Tell me about your favourite hobby spots in Tokyo so I can add them to this list: goo.gl/maps/sm6hz5crcCJmuJib8

[@neilomac]

"This store offers a diverse selection of kits..." *tilt shot of a shelf with a diverse selection of K.I.T.T.s* I see what you did there.

[@johnbruce4004]

Absolutely fascinating.

[@Necroifyful]

Hobbyland@Akihabara is a small but great store for Gunpla and other miniature figures. I was amazed how much can fit in such a small place!

[@joshuasorensen3363]

I'm so glad you went to Koenji! It's my personal favorite area of Tokyo.

[@mirage809]

Makes an awful lot of sense that Tokyo is heaven for Warhammer and scale model enthusiasts in general. Some of the juggernaut scale model companies are Japanese after all. I also just love the aesthetic of Tokyo. Such a weird mishmash of urban wackiness. Oh and those giant mechas are just awesome. If aliens ever invade, the Japanese got the world covered.

[@Themodelman]

Wow there are so many cool shops, I definitely would love to visit one day

[@happosaai]

3:20 I love how you're panning past a bunch of Knight Rider KITT models as you're remarking about the variety of model kits... cracked me up!

[@stahly_taleofpainters]

You're the first to notice this little visual gag ;)

[@laughingman4570]

If you find yourself in Osaka instead of Tokyo, head to Den Den Town, which is south of Namba. It's a smaller version of Akihabara but has most of the same stores. 🙂

[@BMJYDK]

Going to Tokyo in January, what have you done Stahly!!

[@AwkwardBirb]

Small Worlds just made it onto my bucket list! ❤

[@maqywhaq]

I went there a few months ago for the first time. If you're keen on it and have a forwarding address, you can also get your likeness replicated and become a resident of small world's display(and receive a larger version of that same scan/model).

[@Xhantoss]

It was rather suprising to see relatively many German board games in the various shops around Tokyo. Every now and then when looking through the games I suddenly spot the logo of Schmidt or another German board game company with the whole box just being the German version.

[@PartnersofMachino]

Loving all of your videos. Where did you pick up your manga?

[@maqywhaq]

Nakano Broadway used to be amazing for digging out a load of second hand toys and models. Sadly, over the last 5-ish years, there has been a bit of a shift in the market that's gotten into the scalping side of things(you used to be able to find OOP items for only slightly over sticker, or new items being sold for 20-30% off MSRP. Nowadays, you might only find unpopular items for any discount, and some semi-popular items will likely be marked up quite quickly.

[@stahly_taleofpainters]

I also found that a lot of second-hand shops had quite marked-up prices, especially when it came to GUNPLA kits. Maybe the pandemic played its part, as a lot of people had more time for their hobbies so the demand increased?

[@whitestagg]

The road between Akihabara station and the Warhammer Cafe used to be closed to cars and only for pedestrians until a man drove a truck into the street and then started stabbing people 😢 I was on my way to the Yellow Submarine between that corner and where the Warhammer Cafe is now to play Dark Heresy that day 😱

[@stahly_taleofpainters]

Oh, I didn't know! Happy to hear you was safe.

[@burningphoneix]

There are two stores called "Leonardo" in Tokyo. "Leonardo LG" and "Leonardo ET". Both are in Akihabara (LG has two stores in the area. LG1 and LG2). They're both successors to a legendary store " Leonardo" that sells old second hand scale model kits. They're great for finding out of print stuff but the downside is that a lot of people dislike their steep price hikes for old kits, capitalizing on collector's and people's nostalgia.

[@twincast2005]

I did an exchange year in Tokyo sixteen years ago. (God, I feel old.) Which was right after I got actually interested in Warhammer (instead of just vaguely aware of its existence) thanks to Dawn of War and WFRP2, but several years before I bought my first Citadel miniatures. However, it was also when I decided to take the plunge into Gunpla after the kits had been enticing me for ages. 2:25 I'm pleasantly surprised to see Vallejo there. The last time I looked up the mini paints situation in Japan was several years ago, but I remember there being a lot of snobbery against acrylic ones (as opposed to "good old" enamel), apparently because local brands were of poor quality at the time, Citadel paints limited to Warhammer stores, and no other foreign brands available. 5:10 Important to note that the moving Gundam is only there until March (?) next year. Seeing as I'm currently broke as hell, I'm deeply saddened by most likely never getting to see it in person. 6:05 I'm in love. 8:15 I've been to Nakano Broadway, albeit only a couple times. There might be slightly more Mandarake now than then (probably not), but I certainly didn't know there were anywhere near thirty. 9:10 One of my main haunts (others were Animate Akihabara, Kinokuniya Shinjuku Main Store, and my local Itō-Yōkadō and Tsutaya in Minami-Oosawa). I coincidentally went there a few hours before the second batch of Wiis went on sale and naturally decided to wait and grab one. For months I kept getting surprised reactions that I managed to get a Wii when I mentioned I had one. 12:40 Not quite the same, but I kept up on US comics at Blister, which AFAIK was the only store for such at the time (remember, this was pre-MCU). It has since moved from Shibuya to Akiba.

[@Magma-vu5vo]

gunpla and tamiya

[@redgreen09]

WOW !! one day be fun all hell sorry hek censers you know

[@WarLore]

i fuckin' love this shit

[@sumanthvarma1013]

commenting for engagement

[@PANCAKECRAB1]

Are the warhammer stuff in 2nd hand shops significantly cheaper?

[@stahly_taleofpainters]

Don't think so... Warhammer in Japan is quite expensive, and these second hand shops know when they have something good.

[@LEF3133]

I have to say i am a little depressed after watching this though. Those stores are ridiculous and nothing in Oz could hold a candle to them.

[@stahly_taleofpainters]

I'm sorry, but yeah, Tokyo truly is a geek mecca.

[@Николай123-ш1о]

Ооо ,я бы с удовольствием сыграл с иностранцем . Я часто слышу ,что в каждой стране свой взгляд ,свой tir list по вархаммеру. Мне интересно почувствовать это в бою

[@Banshun]

There are more tourists than Japanese people in Takeshita and Akihabara. I have lived in Japan for a long time and especially Akihabara has changed a lot over the years. Great to see the new Warhammer Cafe though. Volks have been my go to supplier for Vallejo for years. They also sell online if you live outside of Tokyo.

[@whitestagg]

Yeah, I miss when the street was closed and you could just cross. Went to the multi-floor Yellow Submarine right there on the corner all the time.

[@Banshun]

@@whitestagg They don't do the pedestrian paradise thing on weekends now? Is that since Covid? I haven't been up to Tokyo since the start of the pandemic.