Tokyo isn’t the only place known for its hustling shopping centers with robust city life. Kyoto is another well-known place for its shopping amenities in the country.
Like Tokyo, Kyoto hosts anime and manga culture, and one of the most notable anime references about the city is in Jujutsu Kaisen. One of the characters in the manga and show, Nobara Kugisaki has praised Kyoto as one of her favorite destinations in Japan to shop in. One of those fine destinations in Kyoto is called the Aeon Mall. If you are an anime/manga fan, this should be on your list whenever you travel to the second-largest shopping city in Japan.
Aeon Mall in Kyoto hosts three floors of shops, including arcades with claw machines and capsules, and a grocery store. The second floor has collectible LEGO sets, action figures and many other toys and amenities to enjoy. In the arcade, you can play a variety of video games like Mario Kart and Jurassic Park. In the claw machines, you can try to snatch yourself a plushie of Stitch from Disney’s “Lilo & Stitch.” And if you want to pump on the brakes for shopping, you can head to the arcade next to the action figures. Not only does the second floor host an arcade, but it does has a McDonald’s there.
On the third floor, this will get all of the pop culture fantatics to go crazy when they see this. The third floor has capsules from Capcom. Up there, you can collect a favorite figurine for just 200 yen (about USD $1.35). You can get Ryu from Street Fighter or Leon Kennedy from the Resident Evil franchise.
There is a notable shop on the third floor called Village Vanguard. This store is anime central; they have fan favorite manga such as Attack on Titan and Naruto for around 3,000 yen (about USD $20.40). The store also sells plushies and collectible bags from many anime shows. If you were hoping to find some figures or figurines to collect, there is another arcade to visit called Plaza Capcom.
In this arcade, there are multiple rows of claw machines, each of which costs 100 yen (about USD $0.68) per usage. In these claw machines, you can grab unique figurines of Goku, Vegeta, Manjin Buu, Kid Buu and All Might. These figures are highly detailed with a selection of them in unique poses. These figures are made by a well-known toy manufacturer in Japan called Bandai. This is definitely all worth the hype going in there. This floor also has a food court with a variety of Japanese cuisines. From ramen, to bento boxes, these meals can cost from 1,000 yen (about USD $6.80) to 3,000 yen (about USD $20.43).
Last but not least, we have the first floor of the mall if you are on the hunt for physical copies of episodes of your favorite shows. There is a DVD store that has shows like My Hero Academia, One Piece, Mashal and many others.
When you plan on going to Aeon Mall in Kyoto, what do you hope to find?
About The Author
