is a

shopping mall A shopping mall (or simply mall) is a North American term for a large indoor shopping center, usually anchored by department stores. The term "mall" originally meant a pedestrian promenade with shops along it (that is, the term was used to refe ...

in Nakano,

Tokyo Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and List of cities in Japan, largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, ...

, Japan. Founded in 1966 as a luxury shopping complex, it has subsequently become a popular destination for goods aimed at ''

otaku is a Japanese word that describes people with consuming interests, particularly in anime, manga, video games, or computers. Its contemporary use originated with a 1983 essay by Akio Nakamori in '' Manga Burikko''. may be used as a pejorat ...

'' (hobbyists and enthusiasts, particularly those of

anime is hand-drawn and computer-generated animation originating from Japan. Outside of Japan and in English, ''anime'' refers specifically to animation produced in Japan. However, in Japan and in Japanese, (a term derived from a shortening of ...

and manga).

History

Nakano Broadway was developed in the context of the

Japanese economic miracle The Japanese economic miracle refers to Japan's record period of economic growth between the post-World War II era and the end of the Cold War. During the economic boom, Japan rapidly became the world's second-largest economy (after the Unit ...

, wherein as Japan rebuilt in the aftermath of the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...

, multiple

megastructures ''Megastructures'' is a documentary television series appearing on the National Geographic Channel in the United States and the United Kingdom, Channel 5 in the United Kingdom, France 5 in France, and 7mate in Australia. Each episode is an ed ...

were constructed. Among these were Nakano Broadway and nearby

Nakano Sun Plaza , formerly Nakano Sun Plaza, is a hotel in Nakano, Tokyo. The hotel includes a concert hall, the Nakano Sunplaza Hall (formerly Nakano Sun Plaza Hall). Built in 1973,

, which were designed to be self-contained living and entertainment complexes. The mall opened in 1966 as a shopping and apartment complex housing shops, restaurants, apartments, and a rooftop terrace with a swimming pool and garden. While not a

metabolist was a post-war Japanese architectural movement that fused ideas about architectural megastructures with those of organic biological growth. It had its first international exposure during CIAM's 1959 meeting and its ideas were tentatively teste ...

building, Nakano Broadway is noted as being influenced by metabolist architecture. By the 1980s, Nakano had been eclipsed by

Shibuya Shibuya (wikt:渋谷, 渋谷wikt:区, 区 ''Shibuya-ku'') is a Special wards of Tokyo, special ward in Tokyo, Japan. As a major commercial and finance center, it houses two of the busiest railway stations in the world, Shinjuku Station (southern ...

and Roppongi as districts that catered to luxury commerce, and Nakano Broadway had declined in popularity. As shops in Nakano Broadway are owned by individual retailers and not leased by a central mall administration, young entrepreneurs were able to acquire space in the mall with relatively small amounts of capital.

Mandarake is a Japanese retail corporation that operates a chain of used good stores. Founded as a used bookstore specializing in manga in 1980, Mandarake incorporated in 1987 and presently operates 11 retail locations and one fulfillment center. The c ...

, a secondhand manga store, opened in the mall in 1980; Nakano Broadway subsequently shifted to being a destination for ''

''-related goods, as stores catering to this demographic opened in the mall following Mandarake's success. Today, Nakano Broadway remains a major destination for both domestic ''otaku'' and ''otaku'' tourists in Japan, catering to a niche clientele relative to mainstream ''otaku'' destinations in Akihabara and Ikebukuro. The physical design of the mall remains largely unchanged from its original 1966 construction and is often cited as an example of

Shōwa era The was the period of Japanese history corresponding to the reign of Emperor Shōwa (Hirohito) from December 25, 1926, until his death on January 7, 1989. It was preceded by the Taishō era. The pre-1945 and post-war Shōwa periods are almos ...

architecture. The mall was designated an at-risk building for earthquakes of a

magnitude Magnitude may refer to: Mathematics *Euclidean vector, a quantity defined by both its magnitude and its direction *Magnitude (mathematics), the relative size of an object *Norm (mathematics), a term for the size or length of a vector *Order of ...

of 6.0 or greater by the

Tokyo Metropolitan Government The is the government of the Tokyo Metropolis. One of the 56 prefectures of Japan, the government consists of a popularly elected governor and assembly. The headquarters building is located in the ward of Shinjuku. The metropolitan governme ...

in March 2018, as the building was constructed prior to the implementation of contemporary seismic standards in 1981 and has not subsequently been retrofitted to be earthquake-resistant.

Features

Nakano Broadway contains 3 basement levels and 10 above-ground levels. The first basement to fourth floors of Nakano Broadway contain retail establishments: the basement level contains grocery stores, the ground level contains stores primarily selling clothing and secondhand goods, and the second, third, and fourth floors contain stores selling goods aimed at ''otaku'', including manga,

goods, figurines,

idol Idol or Idols may refer to: Religion and philosophy * Cult image, a neutral term for a man-made object that is worshipped or venerated for the deity, spirit or demon that it embodies or represents * Murti, a point of focus for devotion or medit ...

merchandise,

video game Video games, also known as computer games, are electronic games that involves interaction with a user interface or input device such as a joystick, controller, keyboard, or motion sensing device to generate visual feedback. This fee ...

s, CDs, and

collectable A collectable (collectible or collector's item) is any object regarded as being of value or interest to a collector. Collectable items are not necessarily monetarily valuable or uncommon. There are numerous types of collectables and terms ...

s. The remaining above-ground floors of Nakano Broadway contain apartments;

Kenji Sawada is a Japanese singer, composer, lyricist and actor, best known for being the vocalist for the Japanese rock band The Tigers. Nicknamed because of his self-professed adoration of Julie Andrews, he was born in Tsunoi, Iwami (now part of Totto ...

and

Yukio Aoshima was a Japanese politician who served as Governor of Tokyo from 1995 to 1999. He is also well known as a TV actor, novelist, film director, screenwriter and songwriter. Early life and artistic career Yukio was born in Nihonbashi ward of Tok ...

are among the notable residents who once lived in Nakano Broadway.

has operated continuously out of Nakano Broadway since 1980, with twenty-seven individual shops (also known as annexes or ''kan'') at the mall operating under the Mandarake brand; the mall also houses the company's corporate offices. Each annex focuses on a single category of item, such as cosplay costumes or ''

doujinshi , also romanized as ', is the Japanese term for self-published print works, such as magazines, manga, and novels. Part of a wider category of ''doujin'' (self-published) works, ''doujinshi'' are often derivative of existing works and created by ...

'', with several annexes once being independent stores that were acquired by the company. Artist

Takashi Murakami is a Japanese contemporary artist. He works in fine arts media (such as painting and sculpture) as well as commercial (such as fashion, merchandise, and animation) and is known for blurring the line between high and low arts as well as co ae ...

operates several stores in Nakano Broadway, including the gallery Hidari Zingaro, the café Bar Zingaro, and the souvenir store Tonari No Zingaro. Other notable stores at Nakano Broadway include a branch of the used CD and DVD chain Fujiya Avic, and Taco Ché, an independent

alternative manga Alternative manga or underground manga is a Western term for Japanese comics that are published outside the more commercial manga market, or which have different art styles, themes, and narratives to those found in the more popular manga magazin ...

store. The mall is surrounded by a sprawl of pedestrian side streets that house numerous

low-rise A low-rise is a building that is only a few stories tall or any building that is shorter than a high-rise, though others include the classification of mid-rise. Definition Emporis defines a low-rise as "an enclosed structure below 35 metres 15 ...

shops, boutiques, and ''

izakaya An () is a type of informal Japanese bar that serves alcoholic drinks and snacks. are casual places for after-work drinking, similar to a pub, a Spanish tapas bar, or an American saloon or tavern. Etymology The word entered the English l ...

s''. Sun Mall, a glass-covered

shōtengai A shōtengai () is a style of Japanese commercial district, typically in the form of a local market street that is closed to car traffic. Local shōtengai cater to the needs of nearby residents with a diverse mix of small specialty shops and few ...

, connects the mall to Nakano Station.

Transportation access

Nakano Broadway is served by Nakano Station, which connects to the JR Chūō (Rapid) and Chūō-Sōbu lines, and the

Tokyo Metro The is a major rapid transit system in Tokyo, Japan, operated by the Tokyo Metro Co. With an average daily ridership of 6.84 million passengers, the Tokyo Metro is the larger of the two subway operators in the city; the other being the Toe ...

Tōzai Line.

Gallery

File:Nakano Broadway - 中野ブロードウェイ - panoramio.jpg, Interior of Nakano Broadway. File:中野ブロードウェイ変や 2014 (11866337495).jpg, One of 27

stores in Nakano Broadway. File:中野TRF 2015 (22530124169).jpg, An

arcade Arcade most often refers to: * Arcade game, a coin-operated game machine ** Arcade cabinet, housing which holds an arcade game's hardware ** Arcade system board, a standardized printed circuit board * Amusement arcade, a place with arcade games * ...

in Nakano Broadway. File:Broadway Arcade Nakano Tokyo.jpg, Sun Mall, a glass-covered

shopping arcade A shopping center (American English) or shopping centre (Commonwealth English), also called a shopping complex, shopping arcade, shopping plaza or galleria, is a group of shops built together, sometimes under one roof. The first known collec ...

, connects Nakano Broadway and Nakano Station.

References

;Bibliography *

External links

Official website
{{in lang, ja Nakano, Tokyo Buildings and structures in Tokyo Tourist attractions in Tokyo Shopping malls established in 1966 1966 establishments in Japan Shopping centres in Japan