animate Ikebukuro main store

Tourists, beware when shopping here. I’ve never experienced such obvious and infuriating discrimination as I did at Animate Ikebukuro. The staff’s hostility and xenophobic attitude towards foreign customers is not just subtle, it’s glaring.

The moment I showed my passport for tax-free shopping, one staff member, a larger woman, immediately dropped her fake politeness and treated us like we didn’t matter. She refused to use polite language, even though the store had translation devices, and spoke to us in a tone that was both condescending and cold. When I tried to address a member card issue, she loudly gossiped about us to other staff, in front of customers, mocking us as if we weren’t even there. It was not just unprofessional—it felt like open disdain for foreign customers.

To make matters worse, when I asked for the rude staff member’s name, she covered her name tag and claimed it was “private information.” Other staff were willing to give their names but couldn’t give me that staff’s name for complaint. They said I could only use her supervisor’s name to make a complaint. The supervisor was willing to give me her name, which made the situation feel even more suspicious—almost like they were covering up for her awful behavior.

It was 1 hour later when i stepped out of animate. I felt frustrated and angry. But one more disaster happened, I realized one of the promotional items I was supposed to receive was missing at the second payment when I got back to hotel. I am not sure whether the staff who refused to apologize and ran to the staff room was deliberate or not.

Tourists, check everything and be prepared for rude, discriminatory treatment. The staff here clearly enjoy taking their frustrations out on visitors, knowing they’ll leave soon. No one should experience this kind of treatment.