Sooo I'll be visiting the NYC area in the next week or so & am pondering whether it's worth my time (and my sister's time, and our kids' time, since they probably won't be too interested...) to get to Bookoff.

Yes, I buy manga in Japanese. No, I can't read (much) Japanese, but I'm working on it. I've heard that Bookoff also has used J-pop cds, which are also of great interest to me.

Opinions, anyone?? Will it be totally boring for those who aren't interested in manga & J-pop, or is there enough interesting stuff to keep an adult, two 13-year-olds, and a 9-year-old entertained long enough for me to look around for a while?

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Bookoff is a great store. It's as clean as a Borders/B&N, with really inexpensive yet great quality items. And no, I don't work for them. There's a branch here in San Diego that I frequent as often as I can just to get stuff. They also carry an excellent selection of english manga. Other goodies such as figures and once-upon-a-time limited collectors editions can occasionally be found too.

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Sounds very cool, I'll have to see what I can do to persuade my sis~

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"[English] not only borrows words from other languages; it has on occasion chased other languages down dark alley-ways, clubbed them unconscious and rifled their pockets for new vocabulary."
-James Nicoll, can.general, March 21, 1992

Definitely a good place. Not sure what the prices are now. Last time I went, years ago, it was $3 per tankobon. No plastic covers like in Kinokuniya and Asahiya (gone) but all books are in good to near mint condition. They also sold used CDs. Don't know/remember if they have DVDs.

It's on 14 East 41st street, near to the NY Public Library, so you have a good excuse to make the detour. Just be sure to look it up on google maps before hand. It is easy to miss. I used to pass the place by constantly without ever realizing it.

edit: Don't know if it is the best place for little kids. I don't know if they have a specific section for hentai titles but I'd keep an eye on the tykes to make sure they don't pick up something you may not agree with (i.e.- hentai, loli, guro, etc.) I'd suggest trying to dump them in the library while you check out bookoff if they ain't interested. Ten minutes should be all you need to decide whether or not you want anything anyway.

Last edited by drunkguy at 12:30 am, Aug 19 2009

Yes, it is worth it...+___+

I used to live very near a Book-Off in the city, used to spent most of my weekends there. My allowance was spent on all those goodies...<.<;;

Anyway, I do believe that even those who aren't into manga will enjoy themselves. Last time I visited the store I dragged my mother and my younger cousins as well, and they loved it. I only know of 2 Book-Offs in the city and they are similar in merchandise and order so I'll base my descriptions on those, assuming you'll hopefully be going to one of them. O_O;;

The bookstore has three different levels: The basement is where all the Japanese used books are. First floor consists of Japanese CDs, (oh, how I loved those cds <3) DVDs, video games, and English used books. Right between the first and second floor is a section for English books on Japanese culture, and some novels. Then there's the second floor, a smaller section where they have manga, magazines, artbooks, toys and a small children section. This section is where I see most younger kids at. I know my younger cousins enjoyed it.

So yeah, there are lots of things to keep the kids interested. Yes, they have J-pop cds, great and cheap too. My only piece of advice to you is to not go in with high expectations. First time I visited the store I did and even made a list of mangas I had hope to find, to my disappoint they didn't have much, but really I found other great reads and items so it was all worth it.

Crap..too long. ;-;


This is the one I'm referring to. And as drunkguy stated it is really hard to miss. Got lost the first time because I didn't see it. Lol. xD And ya, prices are still cheap. $3-4 on Japanese manga and even less on the English ones. +_+ And all were in great condition, looked new to me~

Last edited by BaeSooky at 12:36 am, Aug 19 2009

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I honestly don't remember there being hentai there...but then again I wasn't looking for any. Definitely no loli. And I didn't see no guro-ish covers. So basically, it's a kid-safe zone. I really doubt they have hentai there, I mean there's no age limit and there is a children section. ._.

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Oh, it's definitely worth a stop. Their Japanese manga selection is awe-inspiring in its size and cheapness. There are piles and piles of great manga for only a dollar each... and they're all in great condition.

Their CD section is also great from what I've seen of it, although I've never bought a CD from them.

It's a pretty fine place for kids in terms of content. There is certainly hentai and yaoi, and they don't have their own section, but since the manga is organized by publisher they're fairly easy to avoid. There's also a small separate children's book section where you can get some great kodomo novels and hardcover manga. My only gripe about that is that it's directly opposite the rows of magazines, of which the ones of display are usually yaoi or 2D cheesecake. (The covers of those are usually PG, though.) I don't suggest you bring the kids if they tend to be rowdy, though, as the place is aggressively quiet most of the time and the people there don't take well to noisiness.

Perhaps you could try bribery. There's a tasty Japanese ice cream place next door.

You could also try the nearby Kinokuniya or Asahiya if you want newer stuff.

Oh, and while we're giving suggestions if you want to go to a good Japanese restaurant in a touristy part of town try Kodomo. There's a good chance of seeing a stage celebrity there at certain times.

St. Mark's Place in the East Village is great for really authentic Japanese food like takoyaki and ramen.

Last edited by akari_mizunashi at 11:15 am, Aug 19 2009

Cooooool, thanks for all the info!

Don't know how much time we'll have to do Japan/manga-related stuff, or how patient the kids will be (they're 9, 13, & 13, so not *little* kids) but it sounds like there's a lot of fun stuff to do.

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"[English] not only borrows words from other languages; it has on occasion chased other languages down dark alley-ways, clubbed them unconscious and rifled their pockets for new vocabulary."
-James Nicoll, can.general, March 21, 1992

Just as a note, Asahiya is also one of those relatively tough to find places. On Google maps the place is even blocked by a damned UPS truck. All you can see are the letters asa and a partially hidden h from a tiny sign to give you a clue that it is there.

I originally thought that they closed down years ago but apparently they simply moved to a smaller location. While I'm happy it is still opened, I'm not sure if it is as worthwhile to visit anymore, especially if you're on a schedule.

Bookoff has the cheapest old stuff, Asahiya is (was) the roomiest/most comfortable with open magazines you can read and Kinokuniya was the busiest with everything tightly shrink wrapped. If you are most interested in new stuff, Kinokuniya or Asahiya are your best bets. If you want to buy entire series, look to bookoff.

I went to Book Off so many times when I went to Kyoto. I was right near our hotel so I could easily get there myself (I sill remember how to get there XD). ^^; Anyways, based off of a Book Off in Japan, it's totally worth a visit. They've got so much stuff that I think anyone would enjoy going (even if they aren't into manga).

My mom and I are planning on going to New York soon too. Going to Book Off is one of the main reasons we want to go to New York. ^^; We're also planning on going to Kinokuniya.

So what's Asahiya? Is that store still there? I thought I saw someone post that it disappeared...

That was my mistake. I thought it was gone but apparently they just moved to a slightly harder to find location. Asahiya is the main rival to Kinokuniya. They are pretty much Barnes and Noble style book stores that deal only with Japanese related literature. Bookoff of course is a used bookstore specializing also in said media.

The selection at Asahiya is smaller but the magazines weren't sealed off with shrink wrap the way everything at Kinokuniya's stuff is. That was my experience from a long time ago though so things may have changed for all three stores. The prices can be pretty steep at Asahiya and Kinokuniya.

As a side note, you may also want to check out Strand Book stores on 828 Broadway near Union Square. It's a used bookstore dealing with a massive amount of different books. It's been remodeled significantly so it doesn't have the nice dusty old feel anymore but the selection is still top notch. Because it is so well known though, the prices aren't always that great for a used book store.

Asahiya is still extant. Its manga section is the most pleasant to visit of the three, especially if you're at all claustrophobic. It's my personal favorite for picking up things like the latest Yotsuba To. Their selection of josei and seinen leaves much to be desired, but they have things like manga histories of Japan in their massive children's books section (next to the manga section). They have a teensy section in English, mostly devoted to Japanese learning materials.

Beware: Asahiya is not located on Madison Ave! It took me the longest time to find it because clueless me was thinking that an address of 360 Madison Ave. means that the actual entrance is on that street. Silly me. It's actually on the side of the building about half a block down. (The address is correct, however.)

Kinokuniya moved a couple of years ago and now overlooks Bryant Park. There is a cute little cafe on the top floor. If it's not too crowded (though it probably will be), it's a good place to park the family while looking through the manga section, which occupies most of the rest of the floor. The josei and weird publisher shoujo titles are on that last shelf that's closest to the cafe. Aside from that, Kinokuniya carries some classic seinen and big name new releases.

The top floor also houses the music and anime sections as well as the art and graphic design books.

Kinokuniya's manga section is set up to cater to English-speaking fans. They have a lot of art books and manga in translation, and the Japanese titles they carry are usually whatever recent blockbuster series are popular with fans here. If you're looking for anything old or weird, it's a bad place to shop. If you want to pick up a copy of something you're also reading in English, it's great.

In fact, around the time they moved, Kinokuniya totally revamped their strategy and stock to cater much more to English speakers with an interest in Asia in general. The ground floor has a simply fantastic selection of books on Middle Eastern culture, Japanese art history, sexuality in Ancient China, etc. They carry a lot of things I wouldn't expect to see outside of a course syllabus.

Bookoff is a used bookstore, so it has whatever people have chosen to get rid of. This means it has a lot of weird things like manga guides to kabuki plays, out of print smut, ancient sports manga, etc. Those are mostly in the $1 section. Popular Shounen Jump titles are mostly in the $3 section. There is also a small section with higher prices.

They have a section of English-language manga, but I suggest you leave anyone who isn't interested in manga downstairs where there's more room and it isn't like 400 degrees all the time. The ground floor has cheap CDs (many of them not by Japanese artists, though they do have a bunch of jpop too), new books in English on Japan and various other topics, and a section of used romance novels and old sf/f doorstops.


Asahiya, Kinokuniya, and Bookoff are all within easy walking distance of each other.

Personally, I hate The Strand and consider going there during peak hours absolute torture. (The aisles are narrow and claustrophobic, and I don't personally find the selection very impressive.)

Last edited by iyakuko at 7:21 am, Aug 20 2009

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Just a sidenote to what was said earlier in regards to Asahiya, but didn't the "Asahiya" chain change their name to Sanseido? I'm pretty sure it did for us here in Southern California, since I shop often at Sanseido in the Mitsuwa Market at Torrance and San Diego.



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It still says 'Asahiya' on the NYC store. Are you sure the chain changed its name? (Or did someone else just buy out the locations?)

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