On a mobile device? Try our mobile site, optimized for faster browsing.
Categories: Bookstores, Comic Books, Music & DVD's [Edit]
Neighborhoods: Pacific Heights, JapantownFor a $20 annual fee, you can join the Kinokuniya membership and get 10% off on your purchases!
For details, please contact us.
Mon-Sun. 10:30 a.m. - 8:00 p.m.
"I knew about this store before I ever even stepped foot in it. My sister is a DJ on the side, she used to live right behind Cha Cha Cha's…" read more »
My 11 year old daughter is feeling the blues. Summer is almost over and I thought I would take her to Japantown, her favorite place in the world - for one last taste of freedom from homework!
Enter Kinokuniya Bookstore - on the first level of Japantown where every Manga and Anime fanatic goes to get their fix. I admit, I felt out of place in that store because I have no idea what is what - but she did/does because she LOVES everything Manga and Anime. It was neat to watch her dart from book to book, oohing and aaaahing, calculating her pile of stuff so as to avoid exceeding the pre-agreed upon $50 total.
This store made my daughter so happy and for that (as well as my replacement copy of "Kiki's Delivery Service" that I can hide on my bookshelf at work next to Spirited Away and Totoro) - you get 5 stars!
My crazy girl says phrases in Japanese and people there smile and answer her. ::laughing:: For that and so much more, we will return!
my friend offered me to take care of him so I head to kinokuniya and spend my whole time. I was tired and thirsty and hungry but kept standing for tachiyomi, reading with standing.
their craft and magazine section is amazing. they don't have good picture book selection,though.
this makes me want to head to NYC only for the tachiyomi.
I love this Kinokuniya. They have more current magazines and Japanese music books in stock here than in the Seattle location. Okay don't laugh, but I am one of those fans of a certain Japanese boyband (Arashi) and I was so stoked when I found 2 of the older Arashi photobooks brand new in stock! Yay!
The bottom level of this store is dedicated to anime and mangas, I'm not so much into those, but my sister seemed to enjoy it.
Why is everything so UNBELIEVABLY expensive? Well let me take a step back. So I go to Japan Town and this really is one of the only worth while spots to make a stop at. It's big, its sprawling, they have a huge assortment of books and some other side novelties. These range from bags, figures, CD holders, key chains, plush toys, etc. etc.
If you are looking for Japanese books/magazines or a books/magazines about Japan, this is the place for it. They all are reasonably priced and some are even on sale lower than their publishers suggested price. They even have a lower floor dedicated to manga. Cool if that is your thing.
The problem comes with everything in the store that is not a book. There was this little cat that is much like a bobble head except that its tail was the thing that bobbled around. You may think, OK $10, maybe $12. How about $50. Then you see a little key chain. You think $5 at most. How about $30. What the heck?
Look around at all the little novelties and the vast majority are remarkably over priced. Now at first I was thinking well maybe what is publicly available is some sort of knock off and these are the real things. In that case the import costs would probably really high. High enough to warrant these prices... maybe, but that's a huge maybe.
That's when I realized oh they are selling some designer toys that Kidrobot is selling. Kidrobot I know for sure are selling the real deal. That's what their whole stores are all about. Kidrobot on one hand is selling these miniatures for $5. I look here; $15. $15... yea that's too damn high. Way too damn high.
Let me say this though, they got a lot of books and they are reasonably priced. There is no place to sit down and read. Its not like a B&N or Boarders at all. if you want you buy. Well I take that back, of course there were people reading the magazines for free :P.
if you are in the market for a book from or about Japan and/or its culture, chances are you will find it here.
Now that all the subhuman anime freaks are relegated to downstairs this is a 5 star book store.
Tip: Now ban cellphones.
this is THE place of Japanese books/magazines. Its pricey, but hey, all of the stuff is flown in.… Read more »
Dang, I wish my Nihongo could improve so I can really take advantage of all the awesome books and magazine here!
This place has one of the best selection of books imported from Japan. I always check out the cookbooks because the Japanese adore their food and appreciate the art of plating.
They had a few Japanese cartoon characters... specifically "Domo". Super cute!
If you don't know any Japanese, don't be discourage! Go inside and look at the photos in the books and magazines and absorb the culture.
Kinokuniya was so much fun. Took the bus from Union Square and ended up staying most of the afternoon in Japantown. Kinokuniya, while pricey compared to retailers online, had a great selection of Japanese literature (well, mostly manga) and an assortment of Japanese pop stuff (I picked up a Piperoid [was a lot of fun to assemble] and a cool furoshiki). I could spend hours in this place.
I am a bookstore freak (maybe bookstore junkie is more appropriate). I can't help myself. Every city I visit, I'm looking out for used bookstores or great independent bookstores or even some of the corporate biggies to browse in.
In Tokyo, if I've enough time, I'll hit up Jimbocho, a small ward in the middle of Tokyo that has up to 80 bookstores. If time is pressing, I'll visit either Maruzen in Nihombashi or Kinokuniya in Shinjuku and browse a bit.
I visited Kinokuniya yesterday, which is next to Takashimaya Department Store in the Southern part of Shinjuku (Exit A-8 from the JR - Kokutetsu - Line). If you enter Takashimaya you can take a catwalk directly to the Kinokuniya Building - I think it's on the 6th or 7th Floor. The bookstore itself has 7 or 8 floors - it's large. The books in English are on the 5th Floor. They've got a really large and eclectic collection of books in English that are published in the US, the UK, Australia, and so on. For example, Michael Connelly's _The Brass Verdict_ is already available in paperback there (from a UK publisher).
Haruki Murakami has a new book out in Japanese entitled, _1Q84_ (ichi, kyuu, hachi, yon - but, I don't think the book is connected to the Orwell classic). It's in 2 volumes with Volume 1 sold out in many stores. The plot and story line have been kept secret by the publisher but, from what I can gather, it's about a man and a woman who are trying to search for each other through the hazy and surreal fog of modern day life. It is, supposedly, in the style of _The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle_
I couldn't do it yesterday, but after visiting Kinokuniya, I like to eat lunch in Takashimaya. On the 13th and 14th Floors, there is a wide selection of great restaurants to visit. And, visiting the basement level for food products is always fun. As with all Japanese department stores, Takashimaya has a great food court in the basement with everything from prepared fried foods, to French pastries, to all kinds of bento, to kimchee, to 10,000 yen melons, to roasted chestnuts, to California cherries, to Japanese confectionary products, to......just about everything under the sun.
This place is just the epitome of Japanese and anime culture that I've never found anywhere else (yet). There are literally probably thousands of Manga and books and magazines you can purchase from here as well as pop culture memorabilia that you'd be hard pressed to find anywhere else. The previous reviewer mentioned Domokun and that is exactly what I went there to get! I never saw Domo in so many places :) especially as a bottle opener ... I just had to get it!
Overall probably a little more expensive than your average Japanese book store or hobby store but well worth the visit.
I love perusing through the fashion magazine section. Japanese fashion is way, way ahead of the US. So many to choose from. Lots of other delights. I love the craft, design and Parisien style books. Just wish I could read Japanese.
The Kinokuniya Bookstore located in SF's Japan Town Mall has gotten larger, but somehow seems less fun as of late.
Kinokuniaya means "Store of Kii Province". The company was founded in 1927 & has blossomed into a mega company, complete w/ publishing & 22 brick & mortar stores in nine countries including Japan.
It's a great place to find all your Japanese language books, magazines, & other publications, along w/ sparse novelty & toy goods.
A couple of years ago, they expanded & separated their anime/manga (Japanese animation & comics) sections from the rest of the store & relocated them downstairs. It is linked by a stairs to the main store upstairs. The Anime/manga side carries a moderate selection of blind boxed, plush, & other related toys. They tend not reorder on these, so get them when you see them, for they might be gone forever. (Or at least from this location.)
The selection is pretty wide & they can order almost anything currently in print, so in that sense, it's nigh endless.
The major drawback are the prices. It's WAY above the retail yen price. It's unexcusable too, since they are the publisher for many of the titles, so there's less middleman action to justify the inflated prices. Shipping containers do not go by weight.
The pricing is what keeps me from giving this place five stars.
Most Japanese books & products have their yen prices on them, ala Sanrio merchandise. I usually don't like paying too much above a penny to a yen. 1,000 yen should be around a dollar.
Excellent Bookstore.
Has alot of japanese books and helpful if you are in search of anything related to Japan and its culture.
I love coming here for the design and crafts sections! There is always something I'm ooo-ing and aaah-ing about here. Man, I wish I could read Japanese. Even so, the books have great photos and diagrams so you can find some great ideas. There are also books and gifts written in English. I've picked up some cute notecards and gift books here too.
I like the kinokuniya here and in NYC.
I wish it could be even bigger, maybe multiple floors so that I am able to find more interesting stuff. I did not find a lot of stuff that I am willing to buy, only one novel book.
i love you, lady with the gas mask.
i love you, lanky cute young asian guy with haircut from downstairs.
i love you gothy white kids searching for something more.
i love you english word craft section.
i love you japanese word craft section even more.
i love you japanese fashion magazine with free gifts.
i grit my teeth with obsessive delight when i flip through the cute pet clothes ideas books.
my husband loves you, traditional japanese art section.
i love you japanese people who i freak out.
i hate you, downstairs manga section people who act like dumbasses.
i love you lady with the gas mask.
Mainly went here for some Copic markers, of which they have a limited selection. They carry both Sketch (rectangular) (pretty decent selection) and Sketch (square) (more limited selection). They have some nice Deleter manga paper and some other pens and stuff, but overall a small section for artists.
The mange part downstairs has a huge selection but they package everything in shrink wrap (I saw them do this themselves behind the counter) so it sucks unless you know what you are looking for (can't look inside of practically anything).
The regular bookstore part upstairs has a huge selection of books and magazines and surprisingly quite a lot of books in English relating to japan. The most interesting to me were all the design books, largely about homes and other small Japanese spaces. They also have a lot of martial arts and art books.
The staff was friendly and they all speak Japanese as well as English. All in all it's a very cool store with a ridiculously large selection of reading materials.
My favorite part of this store is definitely the bottom floor with all the manga and magazines. It is an absolute heaven for any final fantasy fan or manga addict. They have a wide variety of products to browse through, and I'm pretty sure anyone would be able to find something interesting they'd want to buy here.
Warning - if you want to save money steer clear of this awesome store... you're going to want to buy something. :)
It's intimidating to walk into a bookstore where everything is written in a language you can't read. One of my BFF wanted to look quickly for plastic food display items (like the ones in front of Japanese restaurants) even 'tho I told her she probably has to fly to Japan to find them or special order them. Why didn't she just ask at the restaurants where they buy them from?
They do have lots of Japan-made products as well as volumes of books, magazines, cards, etc. At that moment, I wished I knew how to read Japanese. I thought for many years this was the ONLY Kinokuniya Bookstore around since it's been a fixture in J-Town for so long. Turns out, there are 8 of them spread all over the US: San Jose, Seattle, Portland, Los Angeles, Costa Mesa, New York and Palisades Center (NY). Wow. I had no idea.
Huge fan of this store. I head straight here for the little toy pigs I've been collecting recently. First there was the one with the G, who goes by the name of Gilbert and then I got the one that looks like a ram who goes by the name of Rammy. A couple days ago, I bought another one and since you don't know which one you are getting, I got a duplicate and Gilbert got an identical twin named Google.
One star deduction for this place not letting me return Google to get a different one. Just seal that box back up and let me have another go at it, will ya?
San Francisco's Kinokuniya is a must-stop-and-see if you want to embrace the heart of Japantown. Manga? Check. Quirky stationary? Check. Awesome Japanese fashion magazines? Check, check, and check. Even if you don't know a single word of Japanese (reading or speaking), this is a great place to browse, peruse, and soak in some Japanese pop culture.
As a designer, I have a major fetish for Kinokuniya's stationary/paper section. Plenty of affordable, quirky pop-culture souvenirs your friends will appreciate here that beats the cheesy "I HEART SAN FRANCISCO" mug you were thinking of getting them from Fisherman's Wharf.
2x as big as the Kinokuniya in SJ but definitely not as large as the one in NYC. And you know what they say... bigger IS better.
Surprisingly, this store had about the same stuff as the SJ one... didn't really notice anything missing that I usually purchase... maybe it's just spread out more? They do have lots of toys here (plushies, domo-kun stuff) and less CDs/DVDs than the SJ store.
Actually. Perhaps it was the magazines. There seemed to be more selection in Japanese magazines. Yes, that has to be it. However, after discovering this nifty site -- http://community.livej... -- I have decided I'm never going to buy Japanese magazines in America again. It's just too expensive... but if you're against downloading then come here for your JMag fix!
Great place to browse (and for gifts). The stationery section isn't included in this store but is across the way on the second floor in the plaza.
Aaahh I love Kinokuniya!
LOOOOOVE cookbooks from Japan... and crafty books. I've been totally "hooked" on crochering amigurumi the last year and they have plenty of cute ami books here. (For those who don't know what amigurumi is, please refer to the lovely Georgette picture in my profile!)
Review #884
Huge selection of books, manga and magazies.
Only spot I know to get your Puro Resu magazines.
On Saturdays, 75% off back issues
whoohoo for upgrades!
I am so glad that this little shop was able to expand for an upstairs selection of Manga and Anime collection. Too bad that everything is so expensive. There is everything from cartoons that I have enjoyed since I was little until the current cortoons that I enjoy on my Cartoon Networks. Their price is reasonable for the novelties that are available in the area. There is no place else I turn to for anime plush, tshirts, books, WHATEVER! I can always count on Kinokuniya to have and to hold all of my cartoon wonders. I remember walking into the current downstairs and take about an hour and a half-walking around the isles and now with the upgrades, now I take about 3 hours in the store just window shopping and I usually leave the store with an awesome collection of my Sailor Moon!
5 stars because, in terms of what they do, there is no other game in town. Admittedly, you could get what they sell here cheaper online, but that's honestly true of Amazon against any other bookstore out there, so it's not fair.
I'm always drawn to the music selection when I come in, although it has shrunk a bit (in my opinion) since they did the remodeling of the Kinokuniya. Nonetheless, they have a good selection of the latest stuff which makes a visit worthwhile if you're a fan of Japanese music. DVD selection could use a bit more help, but again, where else are you going to find (legitimate) copies of Japanese imports?
While they have a great selection of books with a Japanese interest in English, they definitely shine in the Japanese language selection, which is quite huge. Obviously it's limited to those who can read Japanese (or pretend to, like me) but it's an excellent resource. For those who are more visual, there's also the magazine selection, which I know I've spend hours just reading off the shelf right there (a la Japanese convenience stores).
And while I've closed that chapter on my life, the anime and manga selection downstairs cannot be beat anywhere in the city I believe. Anime and manga are still what people come to Kinokuniya for and I'm glad they embraced it with such a huge selection. I know if I wanted a certain manga from Japan, I could find it here.
While part of me misses the old Kinokuniya, I love the place ever since its remodel, it's just so much more open and brighter.
I forgot how much I love this book store. I don't make too many trips to japan town, only like once or twice a year really. Yes I know it is a shame. I really should be here more often.
The selection of art and culture books they have here astounds me. I literally spent hours browsing and making audible "oohs" and "aahs" at every new find. The books I picked up are all books that amazon had suggested to me and I was wishing I could look inside them before I just throw down $30- $80. Borders never has them but Kinokuniya did!!!
Aside from the specific genre I am interested in there were plenty of interesting books on hand that I would love to own in both foreign languages and English.
A definite must go if you in Japan town!!
I walked by here one day and found those lil hats that look like they are from some anime. I picked up a black one that looks like.....
erm...
picture a black domo-kun like cap.
Too bad I lost that.
But what you'll find me looking for at any given time here are the tattoo books and magazines. Compared to their branch down here in SJ they practically have a mini-library - which I have bought a handful of already. They have books rocking art ranging from old school japanese ink work to modern art fusions. It's great.....and seeing that I still have some bare skin left to fill - I'll still be heading back for inspiration.
;D
Oh.My.God.
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I got the Valentine's Day edition secret Sonny Angel. It's all pink and has a tail. I feel superior! Thanks to my friend Marilyn T. for picking out the right one!
Final Verdict: Though folks may think I'm weird for collecting these dolls, they are so cute, I want them all! I come here for their toys and not their books, who cares if bookworms give me mean looks?!
I love this place even more now that they carry Tofu Robots!!!!! Today, I went and I almost let out… Read more »
Haven't been here for a while now.
I used to be fascinated with the comic books when I was about 9 years old, but now that I've grew older, I don't go here anymore.
But my excitement waiting to go here in my childhood wasn't a waste, cause they supplied with what I was looking for.
What DON'T they have? I could spend hours in here easily, & drop hundreds of dollars on things I can easily justify needing:
dictionaries (electric & bound, because let's face it; the electric ones are fast & convenient, but you can't beat the weight of a nice hardcover dictionary in your hands),
Japanese language study guides,
novels in Japanese,
Japanese novels in translation,
Japanese fashion magazines (I don't read English fashion magazines, but there's something about the Japanese ones....),
movies,
stationary (well, okay, that's across the plaza, but still),
anime...
What more could you ask for? It's like being in a hon-ya in Japan.
Why can't I read Japanese? If I had three wishes from a genie, a working command of Japanese would be one of them. Then I wouldn't feel retarded buying Japanese fashion mags here.
They have a little English section for Gai-jin which makes me feel less sore-thumbish. good times. Get a crepe next door and learn all about sock styles in harajuku.
I am willing to rate this store from the unbiased standpoint even though I am someone who thinks manga is one of the stupidest art/literary forms in existence. I know I am not true to my asian roots for hating their cartoonish eyes and the overpriced nature of those tiny books, but I am willing to look past that when rating this store.
I am willing to give this place 4 stars for their selection alone and sheer volume of stuff inside the space. They mostly have manga and literature to fulfill that obsession that so many people seem to have, but it also provides a great selection of books on Japan or Japanese language books. It's a great place for me to purchase gifts for my ogichan and for second cousins whose parents are better than mine and actually want their children to learn the language. So i go and buy them children's books in Japanese and buy my grandfather books he would like, and everyone is happy.
And yes, I have to pass by high school students in the manga section who think Japantown is "super kawaii!" but whatever. I'm in, I'm out, customer service is fast, and I usually don't have to talk to people.
But prices are expensive. I guess that's just to be expected from a place that's basically an import bookstore.
The other night, I was wandering around the J-town center thinking I got ditched for being late. I went by where I thought I was supposed to be but it was closed for a private party. When I peaked inside I knew it was not a party anyone I knew would be at. For some reason, that made me go into Kinokuniya.
They have a nice selection of design and art books, as well as magazines, that I could look through for hours. Pretty bars around the world? Check. Textlie designs? Check. Interior design ideas? Check. Tattoo inspirations up the wazoo? Check. I know they have manga and a large selection of books in Japanese but really, what am I going to do with those?
So after I got no responses to texts (I prefer texting to talking sometimes), I made a call. Turned out I was not ditched but that someone sent a text to a number that I've more or less disconnected. What a relief.
Kinokuniya, thanks for feeding my need for Vivi magazines and Japanese craft books. You see, we moved to Austin and, well, they don't have that stuff there.
To the douchebag in the baseball cap that asked me to *translate* a magazine for you: I hope you're still crying after I ripped you a new one.
I love Japantown. I've been coming to the Kinokuniya bookstore since i was a kid. Walk around Japantown, end up at the Kinokuniya bookstore and browse for a couple of hours, and finish off at Sophie's Crepes for an ice cream crepe. That was the ritual. Maybe I should stop browsing and finally buy something for once...
Ridiculously Amazing.
You can get lost in this bookstore for hooouurrrrrsssssss and never get bored. The only thing missing in this Kinokuniya is the little eatery area that they have in NYC.
Aside from that, they have better piano piece selections at SF than in NYC (they were all sold out of the good ones. dang yankees. Lol). I bought a piano piece book with songs from Amuro Namie, Utada Hikaru, Dreams Come True, Kuraki Mai, Matusda Seiko, etc., and it cost about $30. There were other piano books around $10-$15 price range, also.
They also sell music at the SF store, although not as extensive as the NYC store. And of course, there are plenty of Japan-related books and magazines in both Japanese and English here. (Haha..well, no kuso!)
This store is one of the places in the mall that stays open longer than the rest. Definitely a plus when getting lost for houurrrrssss...
Date & Time: Tuesday July 2, 2008 @ 12:15pm
Company: Michael
Crowd: Young Asians & Tourists
Must-Haves: Anna Sui magazine that came w/ a Kawaii Circular Tin Keychain that you doubles as a Coin Purse & Tin Rectangular Case.
Steady Magazine w/ Cute Stila make-up bag w/ Cherries on it, Ray magazine w/ Pastel Multi-Color Coach kerchief, Glitter magazine w/ a small clear tote w/ lime green girley design:)
Total: $65.39
I couldn't choose a Domokun shirt but I love the magazines. I should have stuck with those Japanese classes. The anime/manga collection is quite large. They sell furoshiki and tofu plushies too. You can also find BAPE catalogs here.
Today's ROTD (http://www.yelp.com/bi...) and Nobu-san's review (http://www.yelp.com/bi...) inspired me to write my own. Especially regarding "yaoi".
My first exposure to yaoi manga was in Japan. I bought a couple books by one of my favorite mangaka from kinokuniya in japan, without knowing what the content was. It was sealed, so I couldn't take a peek inside. But since I know the author/artist's style, I was expecting another light-hearted, boy-meets-girl kind of story.
Boy, was I wrong. It was more like boy-ON-boy-ON-boy (yes, three of them) kind of story.
Within the first few pages, all I could think about was "What The F*ck!" (or in Nobu-san's words "what the FXXX!"). Flipped through more pages..... He's putting whatwhat in the WHAT?! I was too young to be reading that stuff, honestly. I guess in japan they don't check IDs for purchasing mature/adult stuff? *shrug* It's rather embarrassing, really, I had to hide the books from my brothers. I didn't want them to think that their sister is a freaky pervert (even if I am one..).
Anyway, fast forward to present time. I am now mature enough to look at boy-on-boy stuff without blushing. Especially now that I live in the wonderfully gay bay area, I feel that the yaoi sub-culture is more acceptable now. I love that there's a special yaoi section at kino. A few years ago, they didn't even carry ANY yaoi stuff. Good job, kino!
Aside from yaoi, kino is a great source for all sorts of japaneezy stuff in english and japanese. Such as cook books (more than just sushi!), origami books (more than just cranes!), Domo-kun t-shirts (makes a great gift!), etc. I also love the fashion and hair magazines. The hair magazines are a great source for asian hairstyle ideas. I always buy a couple before planning to get a haircut.
Worth noting: Kino's employees are SUPER polite! Love the japanese hospitality minus the screeching "IRASSHAIMASEEE!".
p.s. don't pick up a yaoi comic thinking it's an accurate representation of gay people. It's not. They're written by STRAIGHT females with overly active imagination.
p.p.s. I am NOT an otaku.
p.p.p.s. Nobu-san, I can lend you a yaoi comic if you're still curious.
I used to visit this bookstore when I was really into Madonna (yes, in the 80's). Somehow, they always had the best music magazines with pictures and such that I could get here. Top it off with one of my best friends working here during the summer - I've spent many an hour browsing.
Fast forward to the present - my love of knitting and sewing brought me back. They have a fantastic variety of magazines and books with creative works that I can only imagine making one day. I find my favorite projects and then beg all my Japanese friends to help me translate!
Neighborhood: Pacific Heights
Category: Cards & Stationery
Neighborhood: Pacific Heights
Category: Antiques
Neighborhood: Pacific Heights
Category: Videos and Video Game Rental
Neighborhood: Pacific Heights
Category: Arts & Entertainment
Neighborhood: Pacific Heights
Category: Cards & Stationery
the all encompasing list of stuff (except food,…
i've just moved two blocks away, so here is all my…
Increase your Asian-IQ and street cred if you: are…
My local dry cleaner, watering hole, deli, cafe,…
Free museums first Tuesday of every month, parks,…
Where I get my clothing, shoes, hair, and most…
Growing up in Honolulu, you can't help but fall in…
Be good to your inner-bibliophile:…
Loading...
