Lego in Japan? Where?

[Jonas]

Hi,

I am going to visit Japan in the end of September. I will stay mainly in Tokyo and in Osaka. I will be quite busy, but just for curiosity:

Can anybody tell me whether there are any special Lego shops there? Or is Lego widely available in department stores? Are there any Japan-specific Lego sets, like e.g. those Kabaya sets some 10 years ago? Can I find a Japanese Lego catalog in stores?

Thanks for any reply, comment or advice.

[def]

There's almost no special sets, just one overpriced one sold by ANA Airlines in their sky catalog.

But, this store is all over

http://www.clickbrick.jp/

I went to the store in Yokohama, just south of Tokyo, last spring. It's basically a large boutique, but it had a way better selection than the other main source, Toys R Us.

If you go to MUJI (all over the country), you can get their special Lego sets which seem to have come back onto the market.

http://www.eurobricks.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=35831&st=0#entry625448

Lastly, you could look at some of the competitors. There is one fantastic super mini series, Nanoblocks, which repeatedly tempt me, but I'm simply short of cash to pick it up.

sample Nano set

That's about 10 cm square.

Oh, and check online to see what's available in the country, or on Amazon.co.jp

http://market.lego.com/ja-JP/default.aspx

[Jonas]

Thank you very much, def.

But, this store is all over

http://www.clickbrick.jp/

This seems to be a useful link. It helped me to find a Clickbrick shop just in central Tokyo. It should be that called Yaesu, which - according to Google maps - is close to Tokyo railway station.

Thank you also for the other tips.

On this web page

http://market.lego.com/ja-JP/default.aspx

I can start to practice my Japanese.

[metalgearsolid]

Hi Jonas, congrats on your upcoming holiday and hope you'll have loads of fun.

I went to Osaka & Kyoto in May & shared my Lego shopping experiences in my blog:

Lego shopping in Japan

In Tokyo I went to the clickbricks store in Venus Fort which was relatively easy to find but quite small.

Apart from Lego lifestyle exclusives in Japan, you can also consider getting some of the Japanese Lego books:

- List of Lego books I like (look at Book Museum & the Red & Green Idea Books)

- Some pics of the Red Idea Book from Japan

More info is also available in my blog about Nanoblock if you are interested (just click on the category 'Nanoblocks').

[Jonas]

Many thanks, Metalgearsolid.

Your blog is very interesting and full of useful information. I am sure it will help not only me but also some other AFOL visitors to Japan.

And, I like the Red Idea Book, in particular.

[metalgearsolid]

Many thanks, Metalgearsolid.

Your blog is very interesting and full of useful information. I am sure it will help not only me but also some other AFOL visitors to Japan.

And, I like the Red Idea Book, in particular.

You are most welcome. Try to get all 3 books if you can, especially the Book Museum. I really love that book. Let us know if you discover new places and Lego merchandise in japan k? :)

[Jonas]

Hi all,

several days ago I returned from my trip to Japan. I was attending a conference so I had very little time to explore things like Lego.

Anyway, thanks to Metalgearsolid and Def, I had at least some hints where to go and what to see.

So, I visited one of the Clickbrick shops in Tokyo - the Yaesu one in the shopping mall near to the Tokyo station. It is actually a small shop with a rather limited selection of Lego. I searched there for anything that would be Japan-specific but all the displayed Lego sets looked same as in other parts of the world. No Japanese characters on the boxes, no special sets.

Later I visited also a small department store called Kiddyland (near Harajuku station on the Yamanote line). The selection of Lego sets was a bit larger, but again only the same classic stuff as anywhere.

Although, for the first time, I could see those tiny Nanoblocks creations mentioned by Def.

So, the only Lego souvenir I brought home was a Japanese edition of the Lego 2010 catalogue.

Some more pictures are in my Brickshelf folder.

Edited October 11, 2010 by Jonas

[GMW79]

Toys R Us also has limited edition sets from time to time, and the Nanoblocks are available in LOFT stores as well. Some of the larger retail stores like Takashimaya usually have some Lego in their very limited toy department, but bear in mind that a lot of these places have a sizeable mark up. The worst I've seen is at TRU (Toys R Us): The Medieval Market Village is 20,000 Yen, which is approximately $200 US--double the price in America/ S@H.

[def]

Toys R Us also has limited edition sets from time to time

Toys R Us has limited in Japan, like the MMV or Dooku's Solar Sailor, but I've never seen them have anything limited to Japan.

Since the Kabaya contract expired, there's only been the ANA sets, which are (as far as I know) only available through their catalog.

No Japanese characters on the boxes, no special sets.

By characters, do you mean letters? In that case, they have them, but only in the legal info. As far as I know, LEGO makes international boxes. The Japanese sets occasionally have some Japanese language insert thrown in, but usually it's the same. I think only America gets its own regional boxes.