Anything interesting in Japan?

pgeorge

Hi there!

I have used the search and I havent seen anything recently in the forum.

Soon I have a small holiday period in Japan. Anyone may know if there is any interesting second-hand shop in Tokio or anywhere or regional set that is only available in the area?

I have seen a legoland in Nagoya, and a Discovery Center in Osaka. The first one is outside my route, but maybe I can do a detour to Osaka and see what's there.

Thnks!

stevenzhang

Maybe try toyrus japan for this year’s bricktober sets! 

I am not aware there are any exclusive in Japan in terms of lego. But definitely worth a visit to any Pokemon centre as there are exclusives in every store~ 

Jenni

If you're going to catch the shinkansen to Osaka from Tokyo you will pass through Nagoya. Both Legoland in Nagoya and the discovery center in Osaka are a decent train ride from the station. 

Do you have young children? If not, I don't think you will be able to enter the Osaka Discovery Center. Unaccompanied adults are generally excluded.

I haven't been to Tokyo so don't know of any stores. The PAB wall at the Nagoya store is a hundred times better than the one in Osaka-umeda.

If you're near a TRU it would be worth checking but all of the Bricktober sets sold out at my closest one.

You should be able to get Legoland exclusive sets at Legoland and in the LDC, and they generally let you in the store even if you can't enter the play/display area. 

If you go to the LDC and aren't allowed in there's a great aquarium right next door so it doesn't need to be a wasted trip.

If you are going to stop in Nagoya and are a Studio Ghibli fan there is an amazing recreation of the house from My Neighbor Totoro just outside town.

Let me know if you have any questions, but nothing too complicated, I've only been here three months :)

stlux

Bit late to give input, but possible useful for others: Legoland Nagoya has #3850071 Ollie. Didn't see this Pick a Model yet in either Legoland Billund or Gunzburg.

Echoing @Jenni that there's not much interesting in the Osaka Certified Lego Store. The highlight is this Duplo build:

However there's some nice diorama's in a corridor just outside the store, like this one:

Legoland Nagoya is rather small, but the Miniland and the large builds around the park are amazing.

Paperballpark

I'm going to Japan in April - Osaka, Kyoto and Tokyo. Are there any other Lego Certified Stores, and if so what are their PAB walls like? Do they even have them?

pgeorge

I did not manage to go to Legoland Nagoya in the end.

But i visited the Lego Discovery Center in Osaka and in Tokyo (also, totally recommended to go to that area, Odaiba at least have nice spots to visit or walk around).

In the LDC in Tokyo, I managed to get some keychains i have never seen in Europe neither in the online shop. The one in Osaka had only the female keychain, so i got the male in Tokyo. I did not pay attention too much to the PAB walls, sorry.

I spotted second-hand legos in one of the Mandarake shop, but I think was not in the ones in Tokyo.

Jenni

@Paperballpark here's the list of LEGO certified stores

http://clickbrick.info/sp/shop/

They have PAB walls, the stores are almost identical to official stores. I've only been to two, Osaka-umeda was terrible, Nagoya was generally pretty good and once they got to know me they'd go hunt in the back for interesting things. Apparently they have no say in what they get sent so I may have caught Osaka right before a shipment. I don't think you'll find anything there that you couldn't in the UK.

However PAB prices are crazy ¥3,000 for large and ¥2,000 for small. The prices for PAB were 5% less at LEGOland Nagoya and it was a decent selection.

SumoLego

$18.00 for a small PAB cup is very heavy...

Maybe if it came with some smoked bonito flakes, I'd consider it.

Jenni

@SumoLego It didn't. I'd like to tell you the prices slowed me down but we all know that's not how addiction works.

SumoLego

This is true.  I find that relative shipping costs don't slow me down - and they should!