Tweet

This is the second stop on the map for our tour of Tenjin Kita – one of the major otaku areas of Fukuoka.
The “Daiei Shoppers Fukuoka Store” is well known to the people of Fukuoka, and while it may appear that “otaku culture” is in no way connected to the commercial complex, there’s actually a whole otaku utopia just waiting inside.
You’ll find these otaku shops lined up along side insurance vendors and an event hall, and it’s the stores of this peculiar space that we will introduce to you here.


● The shopping complex is mostly filled with items for everyday needs…mostly.

The store I visited is called “Toy Collector.” You’ll find it on the 6th floor, immediately to the side of the escalator in a long narrow space. Even from outside the store you can tell that the number of products they deal in is vast.
In this lineup of goods, of what is most likely a 10,000+ collection, you can find collectors toys (prize toys, the free toys that come with candy/food products, etc.), capsule toys (‘gachapon’), figurines, trading cards and more.


● In the left of the photo is the far-stretching ‘gachapon’ (capsule toy) corner (too far-stretching to fit in the photo!).

First up, let’s take a look at the showcases. These are ‘shokugan’ (free toys that comes with a particular candy or type of food product) of the world famous Japanese monster series, “Godzilla.” They’re only about 5cm tall but the modeling is superb and the detail of the wrinkles in the skin and the craftsmanship of the surface of the pedestal is really impressive.
The next thing to catch my eye was the “Shocker” figures. The underlings of the evil organization are depicted in various comical poses but the detailing is top-notch.


● Love these figures!

According to the store manager, “Toy collector is the indies label of Fukuoka’s otaku shop industry! We stock items that the bigger shops don’t. It’s not about stocking goods from well-selling lines; our mission is to bring our customers modeled objects that have a soul, items that can be enjoyed regardless of generation or gender.” Inside the store there’s a trading card battle space, you can look through data books of all the different cards, collectors toys (‘shokugan,’ etc.) are sold individually – a range of services all offered with the user/buyer in mind.


● Trading card data books. These are worth a look!