Kinokuniya Shinjuku Main Store — Attraction in Tokyo

I NEED TO LEARN JAPANESE! 😓

Kinokuniya KLCC opened when I was 17, sparking a quiet dream to one day visit the “original Kinokuniya.” 📚✨ And there I was, at Kinokuniya Tokyo, a vision from my school days now fully realized. 💫

Kinokuniya Tokyo has 9 levels, but only a few are relevant to non-Japanese readers. Despite this, every corner holds something special. There’s no wooden floor, yellow lights, or classical music like KLCC - it’s a different vibe. No cafe overlooking the tall buildings either, despite being in Shinjuku. Everything felt more businesslike, with a nostalgic air, like the 1990s Popular bookstore in Malaysia. 🏛️

I begin with The Apothecary Diaries, holding Maomao’s world in my hands. It’s as if I’m drawn into her realm, a place of secrets waiting to be uncovered. 🕵️‍♀️🌿 Jujutsu Kaisen’s character guide follows, with Gojo’s gaze almost tangible, the world of curses and courage pulsing beneath my fingertips. ⚔️✨ The Boy and The Heron mascot stands nearby, guarding endless stories, a silent nod to Miyazaki’s magic. 🕊️🌌 The Garden of Words by Makoto Shinkai feels like Tokyo’s heartbeat on a rain-soaked day, a delicate moment I can almost walk through. 🌧️💧 Anya from Spy Family beams from a set of stickers, her playful grin reminding me to find joy in small things. 😆💖

Another difference? No customer service to discuss membership, merchandise, or book a book. It felt transactional, missing the personal touch.

Despite my love for “everything Japan,” Kinokuniya KLCC still feels like home. The ambiance, service, and KLCC location are irreplaceable. ❤️ Maybe Kinokuniya Tokyo would feel different with my own Kenji beside me. But the steep prices remind me there’s only one way forward: to learn the language and make this place mine. 🌏📖

Maybe I was missing Kinokuniya Malaysia...

UPDATE/TLDR: Some genius moved the GOAT manga floor —a very popular and always busy floor— from the 2nd floor to the 8th floor. You either have to walk up 8 flights of stairs (terrible in the summer) or wait for the World’s Slowest Elevator, which usually arrives on 1F fully loaded heading down to B1, and when it comes back up to 1F is often fully packed from people waiting on B1. Whose idea was this and why??? I’m docking them a star because of this.

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However, if you're after stuff like manga, anime DVDs and blu-rays (which are very expensive in Japan) and magazines, this is probably the best bookstore in Tokyo for it. As a general Japanese bookstore it's exceptional, too, with the primary caveat that it's so sprawling that it's spread out in his building across multiple floors. This wouldn't be so bad if they didn't move the manga floor from the 2nd floor (where it had been for two decades) to the 8th floor.

And to get to the 8th floor you either have to figure out where the next escalator is (it's never in the same place as the preceding escalator) or wait for the elevator --which takes forever as it's small and slow-- or walk up eight flights of stairs.

Best bookstore,...

went to tokyo solely for this.

staff are very nice, and i left $100 worth of pens there, explained to the security guard, and agreed to accompany us to retrieve it. he may not be all smiles but be sure is very, very kind. he also helped us converse with the staff which then retrieved the lost item from their counter for us! super kind I'll forever remember this.

place is massive and you'll be spoilt for choice! (if youre japanese)

me personally, i went there to purchase danmei and the selection was much vast than in my own country's, and they even display the covers! (unlike my country's branch) like guardian by priest, was slapped right there for the whole world to see. went there to purchase erha, and though it has all volumes, BUT its pretty limited, like the stock. if im not mistaken, the danmeis were like about SGD10 cheaper here.

additionally danmei translated into english is on the floor with all the japanese mangas, in the male colours section and the section states very clearly it is...