Used to come here every now and then for anime figures, but haven't been back since I stopped…read morecollecting. I started coming again now that I got into model kit building and painting and I have a totally new appreciation for this place. Due to the small size of the store, the selection is not comprehensive, but I always find very cool things every time I come in. I usually shop for gunpla, military model kits, game miniatures, and hobby supplies like paints and glues. I'm fine with paying a bit more to support a local store, but I'm always pleasantly shocked that prices here are either roughly the same as online or cheaper! I don't keep up with anime figure prices anymore so I can't tell you if the prices on those are as competitive. I can only vouch for the model kits/miniatures/supplies. The biggest downside is the place is super cramped, but in a way it's also somewhat of a plus because I can look around at the various stacked boxes and find lots of treasures. Plus the person behind the counter (think he's the owner?) is very nice and patient.

A great store with a wide selection of figures, board games, and other animanga collectibles :)…read moreThis store is across from the bathrooms next to Suzu Noodle House. The store offers a variety of collectible/fun items at competitive and relatively low prices. They have a rotating and wide selection of figures from various franchises that other stores in the Japantown mall might not have, even the Kinokuniya. During my last visit (12/17/2025) in particular I remember they had a huge selection of Spy Family figures and many of the Project Sekai Sega Prize figures but they also carry other merch from many other franchises like JJBA, Love Live, and MHA. The store limits its capacity to six customers at a time but that's only because they have so much items in the store! The employees are very nice and help get the items you want quickly, every item I've purchased from here has been unopened and in perfect condition. Highly recommend this store

Really cute store with all the classic anime represented! They had an entire wall of stickers and…read morepins to choose from. Saw some Pokemon pins and Naruto stickers that stood out to me. Most pins were $10 Other home decorations, trinkets, graphic tees, and knives also available here

The only place in San Francisco for quality knives and swords. Friendly staff, great experience…read more Grateful they are so customer focused. Thank you

Amazing service !!!, I have went to Japan town about 2 times now and everything are regular priced…read moreno retail prices. Sonny angels are real here and aren't fake they are only a dollar more of their original price but besides that everything here is pretty good priced.

I've been looking for Smiski and didn't want to risk buying a fake online, so I checked out…read moreJapantown. A few shops were sold out, but I eventually found some at this store. All Smiski items come in blind boxes. I chose the "Let's Exercise" series and ended up getting the Balance one. I also picked up a strap blind box and got a secret, which was a nice surprise. Customer service was great, and the prices were decent. This was my first time buying Smiski, glad I was able to find them here. :)

They have a fun activity for kids where you buy an item (mirror between $20-30, jewelry box between…read more$33-40, photo frame between $30-40, as a few examples on pricing), and they can glue on fun beads (mini food items, cartoon characters, flowers, letters, etc). The glue is the texture of frosting and in fact you squeeze it out from a tube like frosting so it's part of the decoration. Every kid gets to choose 2 colors, and they can also share between them. There are some limits like you can only glue on one side of the mirror, because they will tape it down to a paper plate and you can't glue to the other side. There was no one doing the activity on a Sunday around 2pm, except they told us we had to come back in 30 minutes because they needed to clean. We came back in 30 minutes and there had be absolutely no cleaning done (it was the same disposable tablecloths that had glue stains, the same excess pieces on the table). It wasn't overly messy, but clearly they just wanted to go on break, why didn't they just say that? You take your finished craft with you, and it takes 3 days to fully drive, but within a few hours it was hard enough that no beads could be accidentally pushed off of the craft.

First of all, the store is a mess. It's as if someone was selling these items out of their garage…read moreor front yard. Second, there was one person working there and they were not the most helpful or pleasant person. As someone WHO KNOWS NOTHING about these items and LABUBUS, she acted as if I were asking stupid questions. I ended up buying a Labubu (someone's gift) and it was A WHOPPING $65, for what??? A ridiculous keychain. SOOOO MARKED UP. I know it's a popular item but wow. At least make the shopping experience nice by tidying up the store and having NICE customer service. Never shopping here again. Also, F LABUBUS!

This place is stationary heaven for me. It's also packed with everything I'm into which is…read morejournaling, drawing, and calligraphy. The selection of various Japanese pens, mechanical pencils, brush pens, and notebooks is incredible. I also appreciate I can pretty much try out most of them to make sure I like it. I'm most pleased about their selection of fountain pens and inks. So amazing to be able to see them in person. Prices are either about the same or higher than what you'll find online, but it's well worth it to be able to be in the physical presence of all these tools and get lost in the creative possibilities while browsing through the aisles. The staff here are super friendly and helpful as well. I just wish there were more of them. This place can get crazy busy.

My family and I are slightly obsessed with Japanese stationery, and few places top Maido in…read moreJapantown. We once spent a long afternoon in Ginza Itoya--the eight floor modern, immaculate stationary superstore in Tokyo with rows of perfectly designed pens, playful stamps, gorgeous hand printed stickers and ephemera we didn't know we needed. Maido is much smaller, a little cluttered, but brings some of that experience with its rows of geometric folders and gorgeous mechanical pencils. I've never met a gel pen or cat stamp here I didn't love. I also like to shop both Maido locations: upstairs they have small cubby packed full with stationary and office supplies, and downstairs, a small shop with gifts and cards. If you fill a basket here with over $40 in items, which is easy to do as its pricey, they offer a parking subsidy --a thoughtful touch that hardly any other Japantown shops offer anymore, which can make a visit slightly easier to justify.

I'm not a parent (being my own only child, not withstanding), but I am an uncle. You know what the…read morebest family roll is? Being an uncle. All of the fun, very little of the responsibility. Want to make it really fun? Be an uncle who lives in far-off San Francisco. By this I mean, the time you actually get to spend together is very special, because it is a rare treat. I have two nieces, currently both a little younger than 4 and 2, respectively. I wanted to get them something special and San Francisco-related for my last visit. Here's the rub: I know very little about children. I'm not sure what age kids start doing things, but I do know that things change quick in terms of development. What to do? I recommend Fiddlesticks to the clueless uncles of the world. My primary feedback about this store is about its service. The gentleman who helped me on my two visits could not have been nicer or more helpful. He has a background in education, and walked me through how toys and games relate to development. Left to my own devices, I would have missed the mark on a few items - so the help was very valuable. Instead, he walked around giving me a bunch of good options. And, the girls loved their gifts. They have a great selection of toys and games, definitely for the younger crowd. I would think that 7 or 8 would be about the high end for age - I may be wrong about that. They also have a lot of cute and high-quality clothes and shoes. (Although I'm a rube, so if it's clothes, the girls are getting Vikings, Twins and, to the chagrin of their U of M parents, definitely some Wisconsin Badgers gear from Uncle Adam... I might sneak some Giants stuff in when the Twins are better, I don't want them to jump ship on their hometown team. Although I almost pulled the trigger on a stuffed Lou Seal)

I have been here multiple times! It's one of my favorite children clothing stores. I've came here…read moreshopping for friends' kids and now my own daughter! Unfortunately today was not great. When I walked in, I had one quick greeting and then the employees started chatting with each other. When I was about to ask a question, one of the sales person said, "Oh are you looking for the sales section?" I replied, "No... I'm looking for a gift. He's turning 2." And she showed me the entire section that isn't organized by gender or age. LOL! Very specific recommendations. Anyway, I was wearing sweats today but since when did anyone care about what one wears on a 3pm on a Tuesday shopping? And frankly, not that it matters, but I don't think I've ever bought anything on sale from here.

Dear Japan Video/じゃぱんビデオへ (I know this is my 2nd letter to someone/a business on Yelp because I did…read morethis for Uncle Clay's), Thank you for being a pillar for what was it? 40 years? That sounds about right. You and stores of the past made me who I am today. (I remember a neighboring store having merchandise of a game series that never appeared here in "Sentimental Graffiti"/"センチメンタルグラフティ".) I don't remember when I started visiting, but I would always come by with my city friends or at least just 1 of them. Since Yelp wants me to type up the "service" part of these reviews, the place always thrived there. Oh, and I always thought that even though I did spend more than what I want, it's more of me wanting to avoid spending, but I end up buying an item that has a cute girl anyway. Ha ha ha! Well, enjoy the earlier than expected retirement. (Dog gone rent hikes.) Someone should make a display or whatever to protect the legacy. I better get going. ありがとうございました! ^^ - Don, San Jose/Milpitas +/The jiving and vivid memories, with the selection and interactions, have me remember the place. -/No flaws.

Late review, but this truly was a staple of SF's Japantown. Although I'm a SoCal native, it was…read morealways comforting seeing an old mom & pop shop every time that I was there. Probably have been visiting for over 10 years at this point. With rent hyper increasing in areas like this, sadly, we're probably going to see less of these unique shops and a gross amount of chains and generic copy paste shops, unfortunately. I'm going to miss seeing that little Totoro plushie and they did have a big sale and large outpouring of support in the final days. Let's see what the future brings for J-town.

I've visited only two of Tokyo based Kinokuniya Bookstore's seventeen U.S. locations, San Francisco…read moreand Seattle, but because of my affection for Japanese food and culture, it left a strong impression, and I return from time to time. Did you know they have six stores in California and four in Texas alone? I'll gladly reconfigure my thoughts about Texans, that they that can support the existence of four Kinokuniya bookstores. Respectfully. I enjoy browsing the SF store, especially the travel section, cookbooks, and unique magazines. They have all the requisite kawaii stuff including Miffy, Moomin, Studio Ghibli, and Sonny Angels. Having Google Translate at the ready in camera mode, makes exploring some of the Japanese titles even more fun. A unique, immersive bookstore experience.

Had a fun time visiting this Kino while in SF Japantown! It's gigantic as it has two floors, filled…read morewith mango, anime merchandise, and so much more. You can find notable fandoms like Honkai Star Rail, Genshin, and others. It's a spacious location that's well stocked with so much variety for anime/'manga lovers. The staff are so attentive and friendly when we were trying to find certain art books. It's so easy to wander around and get lost in the products.

Had a fun time exploring here with a friend while walking around in SF japantown! It's such a…read morewhimsical and small shop filled with gacha machines from popular fandoms like Hello Kitty, Tamagotchi, and anime! They have niche machines like rings, foods, and so much more. Everything is self service with a credit card/money slot machine that only accepts $12 at a time. NO change is given if you pay cash, so please use the exact amount. Each token is $3 so a $12 purchase gives you 4 tokens. Each slot machine has an indicator of where it needs 2 or 3 tokens. They also have a great photobooth for your pulls! Definitely go to this place if you love gacha machines!

It's similar to the other Bandai Gachapon locations that I've seen all over, but it does have an…read moreadded feature of the photobooths. There's a Bleach one outside and a Fruits Basket one inside, as well as another fancier one inside, though I didn't get to see what it exactly was. Like the other Gacha set ups, there is also a photo area for you to take pictures of your new little figures in, so that's neat as well. I'm going to say that what I've seen here is mostly what I have seen all over SoCal at the Bandai locations, at Shibuyala, Mitsuwa, etc. so it's not THAT unique, but there are a few machines that I have not seen such as a bottle clip that was a pair of glasses among some other things. I believe you can use these tokens at other Gachapon locations, so keep 'em if you don't want to use them all here. Also know that on busier days this place gets super packed! Also see if you can trade with others if you have a specific one you'd like too!

Came on a Saturday before noon and it wasn't crowded at all! Been needing a large straight-walled…read moreglass jar, as I've been making my own sourdough bread. Looked around and found it for less than $7! Short line at checkout and got rung up quickly. Love this place!

One of my favorite stores on the West coast and Hawaii because everything is high quality and only…read more$2.25 unless it's marked differently! The more "expensive item e.g. glass teapot, large Japanese lacquer trays etc. All the good I have bought here are of Good quality and cheap! Love their unique offerings of Japanese made stuff, pens and cards, paper flowers etc for making cards and scrapbooking are unique. This is the only store I have found to carry thee types of items outside of Japan! A lot larger store than expected! I went first two store when I was in Hawaii and Japan. Now I look for the when visiting California. Make your selections carefully as it is NOT RETURNABLE. I will continue to seek out this store everytime I am on the West Coast! I hope they come the East coast soon!