Kinokuniya Bookstore - San Francisco — Attraction in San Francisco

I've been going to the bookstore for years much more in my youth. It has always been a well-managed clean, organized and interesting place to go. At a time in our consumer lives where book stores are becoming less and less common, it is refreshing to see that one of my original bookstore experiences continues to go strong and that it has plenty of content to keep its stock wall to wall. In addition to the top floor which is their main space, they also have a manga section downstairs which is on the lower floor of their space and includes publications for all forms of Japanese geek, pop culture from manga to video game, art to novels, etc. It is relatively amazing to me. How orderly and organized. They keep everything and the flow of people through the lower section is even more dense than the top with the lower manga section being about half or a third the size of the top floor. I love that this place still exists and just window shopping through their inventory is a fun time. You can also find books such as how to draw, magazine publications for hobbies and toys, art books, calendars, and manga that is both in traditional Japanese as originally published and versions that are published in English as well. They even have legacy manga publications that have been out and completed for years that continue to be sold on the shelves, likely due to their popularity. Keep in mind, that most of their content is wrapped in plastic. This ensures that your copy will be fresh and new and clean, but also prevents patrons from coming through the pages. In some cases you may find an unwrapped version that you can casually browse through, but this is uncommon and shouldn't be expected. In that way you may have to know what it is at your buying or what contents may likely be before you purchase since there may be no other way to...

This bookstore is great for comics and Japanese books. Now with that being said, if you are one of the many coming for Pokemon cards because you’re in Japan town and it just makes sense… you will be highly disappointed. I spent approximately $100 on cards and every single last card were common, uncommon, energies, and some trainer cards (a couple at best). I was told by an employee in the mall that this store was licensed to sell them, but I sense that may not be the case. Not a single EX, full art, anything… I have gone to Best Buy on multiple occasions and spent $50 and have gotten some nice cards, at the very least 1-2 ex cards. Again, not a single one. Not a single full art… $100 later. I am almost certain these packs are resealed and the good cards were pulled out of these packs. In addition, the cards feel a bit flimsy as well, so I’m not entirely sure how legitimate these cards are. BEWARE!!! Also, to add to this, there’s another store in the mall that sells Pokemon cards for a ridiculous amount and are also potentially fake. I think this mall is great for food and random finds, but if you’re coming for collectibles and/or Pokemon cards… stay far away because they take advantage of tourists hoping to take something unique home. My advice…go to Target, Walmart, Best Buy, or any reputable card shop outside of this mall. Passing the message along to everyone so they do not get...

This is truly an institution in japantown. The wonderful things you can find at this bookstore is not just books, nor the little gifts, calendars, or other knickknacks. The best thing about this place is the atmosphere and the visual things you find in every little corner. I think the best thing is the front window displays that changes regularly and seems to draw the most amount of visitors to come inside and explore. Once inside you will find a variable smorgasbord of Japanese cultural offerings and lots of unique reading materials and gifts straight from the land of the rising sun. I can guarantee that you will find at least a couple things that you would want to take home with you. It's very interesting looking through the books and magazine aisle and seeing how different Japanese culture is to American culture.

When coming here plan to come early as it gets really crowded with visitors, tourists, and locals. Plan to also spend quite a bit of money as some of these books costs a lot to get imported here. My daughter bought an anime illustrative book and it cost a...