Japanese retailer Animate recently announced that its main Ikebukuro store will be getting an expansion that will make it the “world’s biggest anime shop”. The new store will have a celebratory reopening in spring 2023, coinciding with Animate’s 40th anniversary.
The expansion will be built at the site of the old Ikebukuro Public Health Center and will be connected to the current shop. Animate Ikebukuro serves as the retailer’s flagship store, having first opened near Ikebukuro Sunshine City in March 1983. The current main store was reopened in November 2012.
Animate is a popular destination for anime fans, carrying a variety of anime goods often revolving around currently airing titles. The shop carries anything from Blu-rays and CDs, to figures, and various character goods like art books, key chains, plushies, apparel, and more.
The Ikebukuro branch is a nine-floor building that’s a five-minute walk away from Ikebukuro Station. It is one of 15 Animate stores located in the Tokyo metropolitan area, with other notable stores located in Akihabara, Shibuya, and Shinjuku.
There are currently 117 Animate stores in Japan, with the Ikebukuro location standing as the biggest in the country. The anime goods retailer has branched out into the international market as well. There are four stores in mainland China (Beijing, Nanjing, Shanghai, and Chengdu), one in Hong Kong, one in South Korea (Seoul), two in Taiwan (Taichung and Taipei), and one in Thailand (Bangkok). There used to be an American location in Los Angeles, but it closed in 2003.
Animate has two online stores customers can visit. The animate Online Shop has been active since 2005 and has an American counterpart, but the main site is in Japanese. The Animate International site is more aimed towards international consumers; though the prices are listed in Yen.
Source: Soranews24