Animal Crossing things in Japan

[Koi Karp]

Hi everyone!

I am lucky enough to be working in Japan this summer and I would love to find out some of the best places to go for anything Animal Crossing related (specifically in and around Tokyo)!

As I have never been before, I don't really have any idea what to expect or what to look out for. If anyone has been before or knows extensively about Japanese culture and has any recommendations (maybe things like cool flea markets etc) then really would be hugely appreciated from me.

Thank you so much and best wishes!

 

[rianne]

Since ACNL has been out for almost 8 yrs., it was a lil tricky to find AC merch in Tokyo (for me at least) the times I've went over the past 6-7 years.

There's a chance there may be AC gachapon (capsule toys) at various malls/shopping centers and at Kiddy Land (Harajuku), which is where I've found AC gachapon. There are also various thrift/secondhand stores which could have some AC toys and merch but I'm not sure of the pricing markup of those in general. :/

Japan does have ichiban kuji/"lottery" option for character items (Sanrio characters, Bleach and other anime/manga, AC, etc. at konbinis and for Sanrio---Sanrio stores and whatnot) at 7-Eleven and the latest one was pretty cute as well as these previous ones. There's a chance there will be another release of exclusive AC merch when you're there but no info has been released that I'm aware of. I "won" one item from the lil lottery (and it wasn't a wash cloth/towel; score haha).

In my experience, it was tough to get Animal Crossing merch and I'm able to visit Japan fairly often. :s It really is about timing with snagging good AC merch in person! Best of luck to you for this summer. <3

 

[Koi Karp]

Since ACNL has been out for almost 8 yrs., it was a lil tricky to find AC merch in Tokyo (for me at least) the times I've went over the past 6-7 years.

There's a chance there may be AC gachapon (capsule toys) at various malls/shopping centers and at Kiddy Land (Harajuku), which is where I've found AC gachapon. There are also various thrift/secondhand stores which could have some AC toys and merch but I'm not sure of the pricing markup of those in general. :/

Japan does have ichiban kuji/"lottery" option for character items (Sanrio characters, Bleach and other anime/manga, AC, etc. at konbinis and for Sanrio---Sanrio stores and whatnot) at 7-Eleven and the latest one was pretty cute as well as these previous ones. There's a chance there will be another release of exclusive AC merch when you're there but no info has been released that I'm aware of. I "won" one item from the lil lottery (and it wasn't a wash cloth/towel; score haha).

In my experience, it was tough to get Animal Crossing merch and I'm able to visit Japan fairly often. :s It really is about timing with snagging good AC merch in person! Best of luck to you for this summer. <3

Thank you so so much rianne - really appreciate your insight! It must be excellent to get to visit Japan so frequently! They really are so cute and congrats on winning one!

I will actually have my own flat so I may try looking into possibly bidding for online auctions whilst I am there - I haven't looked into it that much though and I remember reading something about needing a Japanese credit card!

Out of interest, do you speak much Japanese? I know none atm but have the next few months to learn and prepare. Do you know how Tokyo and surrounding areas are for those without knowledge of the language? Plus, if you do know Japanese, do you know of any good resources for learning to speak some Japanese in a 3 month-ish time frame?

Really appreciate it and thank you!!

 

[Nougat]

Now how cool is that? I've been to Japan a few times so I also have some advice.

I'd advise you to go to Nakano Broadway, there are many small shops there selling various gaming & other items, mostly second hand but some also new/as new. It will be your best shot for finding older Animal Crossing items from when the game was just released and there were more items available. You'll also be able to find some of the previous Ichiban Kuji items there, it's really heaven for collectors of all sorts of items (also Disney, anime, gaming, retro toys, ..) If you want to take your time to browse through all the shops there it's best to save a few hours for it.

Also, in Tokyo you should be fine speaking English and using an app for any Japanese you might need to speak. The Google Translate app is awesome for that, it allows you to scan in text through pictures or even live translation through your camera. It helps a lot if there is no English menu for example, or when you want to scan in some guidance on a sign or so.

 

[DubiousDelphine]

I wonder of there is a Animal Crossing themed cafe in Japan.
How lucky of you!

 

[friedegg]

I just came back from a 3 month working holiday in Japan! I worked in Niseko, but then spent the last week of my trip in Tokyo, and managed to get a few AC goodies in Tokyo (and spent way too much on them too)
The main place you can find stuff is in Akihabara, from what I remember its about 1-2 train stations away from Tokyo station. Akihabara is pretty much the gaming central for Tokyo, you can find heaps of stores, like a SEGA store.
The store called "Yodobashi Camera" (Also called "Yodobashi-Akiba") is a massive 9-story store dedicated to pretty much everything. One of the upper levels (I think it's level 7? But I might be wrong) is all about gaming. Theres a huugeee Nintendo section, with heaps of amiibos and japanese games too It was here that I found some AC plushies, a few pens & a few AC guide books written in japanese! You can also buy amiibo cards here, which is awesome since I live in Australia and they pretty much haven't been sold here since 2016 I found this store didn't have any AC amiibo figures, but if you're looking for those, try "Bic Camera", I was able to get Blathers, Kicks, Lottie and Resetti
The prices for all of them were alright, some a bit expensive but considering I couldn't get any of these back home, I was happy to pay for them. The amiibo figures were around $12 AUD each, the amiibo cards were about $4 AUD per pack. I got an AC themed pen for $10 AUD (ouch), a small Tom Nook plush for $11 AUD, and a medium sized KK Slider plush for about $7 AUD.
Sorry this was long but I hope it helps It took me soo long to find all of this, let me know if you find anything different on your trip, I might be going back there next year and would love to get more!

 

[moonbyu]

Whoaaa, that's so cool! You're so lucky! I think there should be tons of AC-related merch there!

 

[Justin]

Isn't there a train somewhere that has stop announcements or something from Isabelle on it? It's on a video screen in the train I think. Not sure of the specifics but maybe someone else who posted in here knows more.

 

[rianne]

Isn't there a train somewhere that has stop announcements or something from Isabelle on it? It's on a video screen in the train I think. Not sure of the specifics but maybe someone else who posted in here knows more.

This train clip. Yes.

 

[Koi Karp]

Thank you all for sharing your insights! Really really appreciate it. Will hopefully be able to find some cool AC related things whilst I am there!

- - - Post Merge - - -

I just came back from a 3 month working holiday in Japan! I worked in Niseko, but then spent the last week of my trip in Tokyo, and managed to get a few AC goodies in Tokyo (and spent way too much on them too)
The main place you can find stuff is in Akihabara, from what I remember its about 1-2 train stations away from Tokyo station. Akihabara is pretty much the gaming central for Tokyo, you can find heaps of stores, like a SEGA store.
The store called "Yodobashi Camera" (Also called "Yodobashi-Akiba") is a massive 9-story store dedicated to pretty much everything. One of the upper levels (I think it's level 7? But I might be wrong) is all about gaming. Theres a huugeee Nintendo section, with heaps of amiibos and japanese games too It was here that I found some AC plushies, a few pens & a few AC guide books written in japanese! You can also buy amiibo cards here, which is awesome since I live in Australia and they pretty much haven't been sold here since 2016 I found this store didn't have any AC amiibo figures, but if you're looking for those, try "Bic Camera", I was able to get Blathers, Kicks, Lottie and Resetti
The prices for all of them were alright, some a bit expensive but considering I couldn't get any of these back home, I was happy to pay for them. The amiibo figures were around $12 AUD each, the amiibo cards were about $4 AUD per pack. I got an AC themed pen for $10 AUD (ouch), a small Tom Nook plush for $11 AUD, and a medium sized KK Slider plush for about $7 AUD.
Sorry this was long but I hope it helps It took me soo long to find all of this, let me know if you find anything different on your trip, I might be going back there next year and would love to get more!

Will sure let you know how it goes! Thank you so much for sharing your experiences - sounds like a good challenge to have whilst I am there!

- - - Post Merge - - -

Now how cool is that? I've been to Japan a few times so I also have some advice.

I'd advise you to go to Nakano Broadway, there are many small shops there selling various gaming & other items, mostly second hand but some also new/as new. It will be your best shot for finding older Animal Crossing items from when the game was just released and there were more items available. You'll also be able to find some of the previous Ichiban Kuji items there, it's really heaven for collectors of all sorts of items (also Disney, anime, gaming, retro toys, ..) If you want to take your time to browse through all the shops there it's best to save a few hours for it.

Also, in Tokyo you should be fine speaking English and using an app for any Japanese you might need to speak. The Google Translate app is awesome for that, it allows you to scan in text through pictures or even live translation through your camera. It helps a lot if there is no English menu for example, or when you want to scan in some guidance on a sign or so.

Thank you so much Nougat - I am pretty sure I will have lots of time to mull over things so this recommendation sounds delightful!