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Arcadia, CA

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Kinokuniya

4.3 (58 reviews)
Closed • 10:00 am - 9:00 pm
Updated 3 months ago

Services - Kinokuniya

Cards and stationery

Gift shops

Kinokuniya Photos

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Recommended Reviews - Kinokuniya

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Reviews With Photos

Ben P.

Was at the Santa Anita Mall and came across this very cool Japanese Bookstore. If you're into Japanese books, manga, etc, this is a very good store to shop. Besides books, they also have toys, stationary, cards, etc. The store can be very crowded, but still able to navigate around. Staffs are friendly and helpful. I believe the prices are fair considering their products are mainly from Japan. Love this store. Brings back memories when I was younger. Check them out if you are coming to the Santa Anita Mall.

Leeanna C.

I love everything in this store! The book selection is great, but all the other items they carry are what bring me in. If you want unique gifts, this is a great place to find just that. The staff seemed to be helping people at every turn but I didn't need any assistance so I had no interactions with them to comment on. As it relates to the prices on the gift items, they're pretty high. I recall grabbing a few keychains and the price range for a single keychain ranged between $15-$22 for the Ghibli stuff. Yikes!

Ugly Dolls
Rochelle M.

Our daughter loves Kinokuniya. This Japanese store carries a great selection of books, stationary and specialized gifts. The toy section is always fun and nostalgic for me with characters that our children grew up with. I also love the small gift items section that change each time we visit -- today the cat plates got me! The husband enjoys looking through all the Gundam models. Our daughter can never resist buying a cute stationary item. The store is packed but well-organized and clean. Prices are reasonable. The staff members are friendly and always willing to help you find whatever you're looking for.

Gundam
Ronny S.

This store is really a great reminder of how physical bookstores are amazing. It's pay well organized, packed with all things Japanese. Books (manga magazines) are all wrapped which I love--you get new unused/ unread stuff and just in excellent condition. Tons of model figurines, and pens, stationary etc., just so much to see. Definitely feels like you left the states. I wish I had more space and of course money to buy everything I wanted there. Clean, and amazing place.

Elizabeth L.

Well, culture shock here I come. I know a lot about Korean books and K-Pop as I have a grandson, but I know nothing and I really mean nothing about Manga books or comic books or really anything that is in this wonderful Japanese store (please tell me it is Japanese). I walked in and this wonderful girl/woman employee must have sensed that I was just confused and lost. She was so sweet. She came up to me, the old lady without a clue, and asked how she could help. I explained that my grandson who is speech impaired told me he wanted Magna Blue Lock. I had no idea what he meant, but I thought this is Japanese--please. She smiled at me like I was her mother, and told me she knew what I meant and took me straight to a book called Blue Lock and said this is Magna. There were a lot of books but I grabbed that one like it was the last one on earth and asked what else might he like. This wonderful human took me through the store and it is loaded with the cutest things. All seemed fairly priced to me and this store is so cute, you just want to stay there. I ended up getting him a puzzle, pens and some plush thing that she thought he would like. He loved them all and I was the hero for a minute or two. I loved this salesperson. She never made me feel stupid, she made me feel safe. This store is in The Shops at Santa Anita. This place is such fun and you will love it. I love to learn something and I did and now I know where to go and this next time I will take my grandson with me.

10 days after released in Japan. Found it here
Winnie T.

Amazing service. Amazing store. If you are into any Japanese culture items, this is the right place for you. Esp during the current time when tariff is unknown and you can buy anything online without knowing how much extra tariff you need to pay for UPS or FedEx. They got amazing stock of manga (English and Japanese), LN, models and other stationary or blind boxes. And if you are looking for anything in specific item, they have have a Kinokuniya version which will come with a little picture board. I got my English copy of the ORV LN from them and got a wonderful picture board which I treasure a lot. But most impressed me is their service, I was looking for a Japanese manga that just got released about 10 days before in Japan. Not a well known name in the US and I wondered if they would carry it. I just bring a picture with me on my phone and ask if they carry the Japanese manga. And they recognized the title immediately and went all about to help me find that manga. (It got misplaced somewhere and they only carry one copy of it). I am so pleased with all their help (it was a busy Saturday night with tons of customer, yet they found a person to help me to look for it all around the shop!) It's always those tiny memorable moments that made us fall in love with a shop like that. I have not yet tried to use their online ordering. Heard a lot of good things about it too!!

Kislev A.

Came back again because our last visit was very much enjoyable and we found a great deal of items that interested us. Unfortunately this means I had to spend money because my girls found stuff. Again. Can't blame them though. I would have gladly spent more time going through the bookshelves. Great selection of manga. Great stationery and pen section too. Always kinda busy. Line for the cashier doesn't take too long.

Pam B.

Went here first weekend of August. Brought my 2 teen boys to the Santa Anita Mall because I needed to pick up something in this particular mall. They went around by themselves and found them at this store. Really cute Japanese bookstore - my son picked up a book that was hard to find. They spent a lot of time looking at items here. Price is what you would expect for a specialty store. My son bought 2 manga books for about $15 each. Highly recommend that you visit if you're into manga or any Japanese books, plushies or trinkets.

Frontage
Stevo O.

There is so much I want at this store, it's hard to determine where I should start! The store is dedicated to Japanese stationary and reading material in both Japanese and English. The environment makes me young again, with all the teens and older are the predominate age group at this store. Service to purchase my toys for the grandsons was quick and easy. I feel the costs of these items are appropriate for both age and quality. I hope the boys like what I bought them and look forward to shopping with them when they get older...

Maruko X.

The Japanese bookstore and gift shop is located inside the shopping mall. The walkway is so narrow here and hard to navigate with two way traffics, and it's overly packed and crowded over the weekend.

I can't get away from my addiction!
Pam S.

Cute bookstore that will make all fans of Anime and Asian stationery very happy. Service was friendly at the register and there are plenty of signs promoting their membership deals. I went on a Saturday and it was PACKED inside! The rows are narrow and there's a lot of merchandise to see. This place was one that I had bookmarked on my #StationeryStoreCrawl so I'm glad I got to make it in but I wasn't impressed with their Washi Tape assortment nor lettersets. Respectfully Reviewed.

Lilian W.

This Kinokuniya Bookstore is located in the Shops at Santa Anita. This branch is part of the well-known Japanese bookstore chain. The store is very clean and filled with cute and unique items, offering a range of Japanese books, magazines from Asia, journals, tote bags, stationery, and more. The staff is friendly. However, prices can be on the higher side--for example, Christmas cards are priced at $9.95. This location is much smaller compared to the Kinokuniya I've visited in San Francisco's Japantown, but it still maintains its charm and quality. Overall, it's a great spot for those interested in Japanese culture, even if it's a bit pricey.

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2 months ago

This store has so much stuff I love going here everytime I want merch. I love buying from here

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Review Highlights - Kinokuniya

“They got amazing stock of manga (English and Japanese), LN, models and other stationary or blind boxes.”

Mentioned in 15 reviews

Read more highlights

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Selection was larger than I expected and the breadth of genres was impressive. I've worked in…read morePublishing/distribution/sales for this industry and I enjoyed the service and quality offered. There are not many booksellers left but I'll always stop when I see one and buy, not that I NEED more books but I like to do my part to keep this institution alive. I never buy from Amazon and shop publishers directly online so that my money goes back into publishing and not someone's yacht.

I've been shopping at this store for the past seven years and have always enjoyed the atmosphere…read more The employees have been friendly, although they don't always acknowledge you unless you approach them first for assistance. Unfortunately, my experience this past December left me with a bad impression. I stopped in to buy Christmas gifts and while I was being helped by the employee at the register, I asked if they happened to have small handouts explaining the properties of a few crystals that came from the glass shelves. They weren't sure, so they asked the older employee/manager standing nearby. His response was rude. He came over and said they would have to print one out and didn't have time to do that. I wasn't expecting anyone to go out of their way to print something--I was just asking in case they had copies available at the front. A polite "no, we don't" would have been fine. Instead, the sharp tone was embarrassing, especially since it happened in front of other customers, the employee helping me, and my partner. I still purchased my items, but the interaction left me hesitant to return. This is a shop that should feel warm, welcoming, and relaxing considering what it offers. Nobody should leave feeling uncomfortable after a simple question.

Kinokuniya - bookstores - Updated November 2026

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