Neo Tokyo Arkaden — Local services in Oslo

I moved to Oslo about two years ago and this was very much my favorite store for almost the entirety of that. I was a dedicated customer that brought a new friend with me almost every single time I went because I wanted to show them the joy and wonder that is Neo Tokyo. Everything is definitely a little more expensive than it would be if you ordered it from the Internet, but it’s about the experience and supporting local businesses. There is nowhere else and also where you could find the selection of fun and Kawaii things that you can find here. Very much up my alley.

Sadly, I have to give this review 3 stars because of something that happened in February that has bothered me ever since. You see, they have these loyalty cards where you get a stamp for every 100 kroner you spend and once you spend something like 3000 kroner (estimate, can’t recall exact number) you get 250nok off your next purchase.

I saved up every little step in anticipation of finally being able to use my card. The first problem was one time when I went to show them my card they tried to take it away without saying anything and give me a new one. When I asked what they were doing the person said it was expired, but when I pointed out that they incorrectly read a five as a nine they corrected it no problem and gave me my card back with the new stamps. The important thing to note here is that the numbers are handwritten and not always extremely clear.

The next time, I had a card that expired on 2/2/25. I mistakenly read this as 2/12/25. I went to the store on February 12, bringing a new friend with me as usual, and picked out a little bit more than I would normally purchase because I was excited to reward myself. my extra was going to be some snacks and a little Kirby keychain. I know I’m a grown ass man but I was super excited for this little treat after patiently saving up stamps for the last eight months or so. When I got to the counter, whatever teenager they had hired told me they can’t use my card because it’s expired, pointing out that it indeed had a 2 and not a 12. i’m a very polite person, I’ve worked in customer service for many years, and while I was clearly disappointed I just politely asked if there was anything they could do because it was obviously an honest mistake and I am clearly a returning customer. Not only did they refuse, they refuse to even ask anyone else on staff. My friend also couldn’t believe it and decided not to buy anything. I went ahead with my purchase, even though they asked me if I wanted to put everything back because I no longer had my discount.

I get that second time was partially my fault, but I would think as someone that’s clearly put in a lot of effort into going to the store some empathy would’ve been nice. It was a pretty obvious honest mistake. Also why are the cards not good for one year? It really sucks because I haven’t been to the store since and every time I light up thinking about going in I remember what happened and don’t.

So it’s cute, it’s Kawaii, they have snacks you don’t need and expensive plushies that I love. Everything you could want from a Japanese themed store is here and it’s super fun, they even have a really fun Japan exclusive rhythm machine in the back that you can get a play card for from the register. It’s super fun, i’ve had a few rhythm battles with friends there.

Sadly the two interactions I had regarding the loyalty card just kind of turned me off. The last one really took the wind out of my sails and I just can’t bring myself to go back, so I write this long delayed...

This shop offers varieties of Japanese items that you couldn’t find in any Norwegian stores. Pretty much, Norwegian children are hooked mostly into American culture including American comics and animation. This store makes some children to be influenced with Japanese animation and culture. Although it’s expensive but why not here instead of some American items found in Norwegian stores.

Another thing why I like this store is the delicious and healthy grape flavoured Fanta as well as their Caramel snack. Fanta grape really taste like grape and it taste like a real Japanese ramune. Hopefully in your store will have Other drinks of Coca Cola, Aquarius and other drinks that aren’t available here in Norway.

Update (February 2, 2022): I hope there are other merchandices like Chuunibyou, Aobuta, Hyouka, Toradora, and Sakurasou in Neo Tokyo as I have not see these products...

Last time I was at Neo Tokyo was around 2019. and was impressed with the huge amount of retro gaming merchandise. Anything related to Sega, NES, SNES and PSX. Bunch of games, accessories and stuff was perfect. And I made some quite remarkable purchases there. But now in 2022. Three years later, I was unpleasantly surprised that there is no longer any of the retro gaming stuff. Mostly food and drinks alongside tons of weeb merch dominates this place. If you are into anime and manga stuff, this is the place to go. I am not really interested into that stuff myself, therefore I have to complain that what made this place great for me before, doesn't really scratch that itch anymore. I know that this place has to roll with the trends, but a little bit more of gaming stuff...