Japan - Shinkansen toy trains

Hello - have been lurking but it's about time to pop up with a question.

I will be heading to Japan again this year, this time with my sister. (and perhaps earlier than that if there are Smap concerts)

My nephew (her son) has become really fixated with Shinkansen trains - anyone know a good place in Japan to get a toy Shinkansen train? Not the collector kind, but the 'ready to be played with by a 6 year old' kind, or Shinkansen related stuff?

Does anyone know if JR has a sideline in this kind of thing?

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Our "go-to" toy store in Tokyo is called Kiddyland, located in Harajuku. The last time we visited, it was in temporary space while awaiting its new premises to be completed nearby. They could be moved into their new location by now for all I know.

Both toy stores that I have visited in Japan have left me a bit underwhelmed (the other is Hakuhinkan in Ginza). And they are nothing like, say, a Toys R Us in the U.S., with their unlimited selection. That said, their inventory does consist of uniquely Japanese products that are by and large unavailable in the West.

However, if your nephew is anything like my son, he probably has everything he wants already (!) so I would visit him first, check out his existing inventory, then go out shopping and make a purchase.

Thanks mbloes - he has no inventory of shinkansen stuff so we are OK there ;)

I will check out Kiddyland - if I can find it now that it has moved :)

Is it specifically Shinkansen, or would any kind of Japanese train appeal to him?

I've seen a few shinkansen toys in the toy store at KIX. I would imagine that would be popular at NRT shops as well.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plarail This is a Japanese institution!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plarail This is a Japanese institution!

I got those for my kids when they were younger! They hold up well to 6 year olds.

The Yodobashi Camera Shinjuku Nishi-guchi has a floor devoted to train stuff in their toy department (separate building) -- both model and playthings. I haven't been there since last March, but I think they'll have what you're looking for. They have the alarm clocks too.

Toys 'r' Us has th entire Plarail/Tomica line. Everythng shinkansen under the sun. Odaiba branch of the store is great.

I've been to a shop solely dedicated to shinkansen mockups. All I can remember is that its in Akihabara. And on the 3rd floor of a building, give or take 400sq ft !. Sorry this is of no help whatsoever, unfortunately.

I've been to a shop solely dedicated to shinkansen mockups. All I can remember is that its in Akihabara. And on the 3rd floor of a building, give or take 400sq ft !. Sorry this is of no help whatsoever, unfortunately.

This one perhaps:

http://akiba.kakaku.com/en/shopinfo/en_popon.php

The toys should be ubiquitous in many stores like yodobashi or Don Quixote. Tomy plarail is the jaggernaut but other toy companies also have offerings.

The hard core rail modeling crowd's de facto standard is N gauge. It's well stocked at the popo store or f models http://www.fmodels.jp/ . The latter i have been to and quite overwhelming.

Kiddyland is not a good store for this.

I bought one that came with some track in a convenience store at a train station in Osaka 7-8 years ago, which would be perfect for a 6 year old.

Toys r Us has a major presence in Japan. But stores are in more suburban locations. I think the best bet for a tourist is Odaiba, as mentioned above.

http://www2.toysrus.co.jp/store/en/kanto2.html#tokyo

I shopped for toys at Donki last week and can't say that I saw anything like this. I probably would have purchased one.

How about the gift shop at the JR rail museum? You have to go to Omiya to get to it and you have to buy a museum admission to get to the gift shop, but in return you do get to visit the museum. If a child or adult is into trains, it can be a lot of fun,

I like the train driving simulators, going on a non-holiday weekday, you hardly have to wait to try them.

Thank you so much everyone for all this wonderful advice! You'll make a 6 year old VERY happy!

I think the plarail may be our best bet. Will try Yodobashii and Toys r us Odaiba. Anyone know if the Akihabara Yodobashii also has a selection of toys? Or is Nishi-Shinjuku a better choice.

This trip will just be my sister and I - we won't have my nephew with us. But I will make a note of Omiya's JR museum for when we do eventually get him there!

Thank you so much everyone for all this wonderful advice! You'll make a 6 year old VERY happy!

I think the plarail may be our best bet. Will try Yodobashii and Toys r us Odaiba. Anyone know if the Akihabara Yodobashii also has a selection of toys? Or is Nishi-Shinjuku a better choice.

If it's just the Plarail, then you can get that from Amazon without even going to Japan!

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_c_1_7?url=search-alias%3Dtoys-and-games&field-keywords=plarail&sprefix=plarail%2Caps%2C528

If it's just the Plarail, then you can get that from Amazon without even going to Japan!

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_c_1_7?url=search-alias%3Dtoys-and-games&field-keywords=plarail&sprefix=plarail%2Caps%2C528

Good find but that is not even remotely close to the selection in Japan. It is really mid-boggling in its scope.

When I was a kid, I had a Belgian uncle who used to bring me some Meccano when he visited England. I can't really fathom why. It seems Meccano was originally a British brand and there was a factory in Calais, France. I imagine the stuff was readily available in British toy stores. Whatever ... I loved those Meccano kits.

I think the plarail may be our best bet. Will try Yodobashii and Toys r us Odaiba. Anyone know if the Akihabara Yodobashii also has a selection of toys? Or is Nishi-Shinjuku a better choice.

You know, I would be willing to bet that they would have it. If they don't, there's bound to be at least one other shop in the area that has it. It is アキバ after all.

Good find but that is not even remotely close to the selection in Japan. It is really mid-boggling in its scope.

True, but to find out whether it's something that the nephew would actually enjoy, it's much simpler to get one of these (http://www.amazon.com/Tomica-Hypercity-Skyliner-Shinkansen-70523/dp/B005TYUOYY/ref=sr_1_5?s=toys-and-games&ie=UTF8&qid=1330910830&sr=1-5) first than to haul a bunch of stuff back in your luggage and hope for the best.

True, but to find out whether it's something that the nephew would actually enjoy, it's much simpler to get one of these (http://www.amazon.com/Tomica-Hypercity-Skyliner-Shinkansen-70523/dp/B005TYUOYY/ref=sr_1_5?s=toys-and-games&ie=UTF8&qid=1330910830&sr=1-5) first than to haul a bunch of stuff back in your luggage and hope for the best.

Simpler as they are staying in a hotel is likely going to Toys 'r' Us. This is a bit of a bit of a xanadu for parents. If Amazon is the preferred method, local Amazon is a better choice too. Amazon JP PlaRail choice (http://www.amazon.co.jp/%E3%82%BF%E3%82%AB%E3%83%A9%E3%83%88%E3%83%9F%E3%8 3%BC-%E3%83%97%E3%83%A9%E3%83%AC%E3%83%BC%E3%83%AB-S%EF%BC%8D01-%E3%83%A9%E3%82%A4%E3%83%88%E3%81%A4%E3%81%8D700%E 7%B3%BB%E6%96%B0%E5%B9%B9%E7%B7%9A/dp/B000MXEERA/ref=sr_1_36?ie=UTF8&qid=1330924596&sr=8-36).

Simpler as they are staying in a hotel is likely going to Toys 'r' Us. This is a bit of a bit of a xanadu for parents. If Amazon is the preferred method, local Amazon is a better choice too. Amazon JP PlaRail choice (http://www.amazon.co.jp/%E3%82%BF%E3%82%AB%E3%83%A9%E3%83%88%E3%83%9F%E3%8 3%BC-%E3%83%97%E3%83%A9%E3%83%AC%E3%83%BC%E3%83%AB-S%EF%BC%8D01-%E3%83%A9%E3%82%A4%E3%83%88%E3%81%A4%E3%81%8D700%E 7%B3%BB%E6%96%B0%E5%B9%B9%E7%B7%9A/dp/B000MXEERA/ref=sr_1_36?ie=UTF8&qid=1330924596&sr=8-36).

"Shipping: We're sorry; this item can not be shipped outside Japan"

Which kind of defeats the purpose of having the item before the OP goes to Japan to load up on such merchandise in case that it is not what the OP's nephew desires.

"Shipping: We're sorry; this item can not be shipped outside Japan"

Which kind of defeats the purpose of having the item before the OP goes to Japan to load up on such merchandise in case that it is not what the OP's nephew desires.

Fair enough if the goal is to ascertain in advance of a child enjoys toys. I am guessing based of a lot of my own direct experience that that is a no brainer though. You don't get a lot of kids turning down toys. ;)

The link was provided to allow purchase of a Shinkansen as opposed to a Skyliner or locomotive. The assumption was that purchasing through Amazon.jp and shipping to the hotel they are staying at here would be an option vs. going o the Toys 'r' Us.

In any case, I am sure there is enough material for the OP to pick through already. Maybe let it drop.
:)

OP here - thanks for the additional helpful advice. We're going to be moving around a lot on our trip, though we are hoping the last leg of the journey will be spent in Tokyo. At that stage, I think going to the Odaiba ToysRUs may be best so we can see what we can get that we can cram into the suitcase :)

I picked this up from Kyoto station along with some Dr. Yellow socks:
http://compare.ebay.com/like/200713957423?var=lrgimg&sort=BestMatch

It is very simple and doesn't connect with any cars as far as I could tell, but my toddler has had some fun with it.

There is a Plarail shop (http://www.tokyoeki-1bangai.co.jp/shop/shopinfo.php?shopcode=S0183&kubun=1) right next to Tokyo Station (http://www.takaratomy.co.jp/products/plarailshop/shop/tokyo/map.htm), which would probably be the most convenient for the OP.

Anyone know if the Akihabara Yodobashii also has a selection of toys?

Yes Yodobashi-Akiba has a floor for toys also, I bought a plarail train set there back in 2010 for a 7 yr old.

There is a Plarail shop (http://www.tokyoeki-1bangai.co.jp/shop/shopinfo.php?shopcode=S0183&kubun=1) right next to Tokyo Station (http://www.takaratomy.co.jp/products/plarailshop/shop/tokyo/map.htm), which would probably be the most convenient for the OP.

There are a ton of shops down there with stuff that would appeal to youngsters. Rilakkuma (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rilakkuma) FTW! ;)

Thanks everyone! When I was last there, the whole shopping area within/along Tokyo Station was being renovated/constructed so didn't know about the plarail shop! That will likely be a top stop for us then.

You might want to try Jusco/Aeon supermarkets. They're everywhere throughout Japan. It's a supermarket on the ground floor. On the floor(s) above, there's a toy section where you should find a nice selection of assorted, inexpensive metal shinkansen models. I've bought model shinkansen trains there for myself and for my nephew. It's in Japanese, but here's the link: http://www.aeonretail.jp/shop/aeonlist.html#reg-kanto
I'm not sure whether or not you can read kanji. In Tokyo there are ten Jusco/Aeon stores. I hope this helps.

There is a JR Toy Train shop in Shinjuku station. It's near the Odakyu department store on the same underground level (IIRC) as the JR station but outside the turnstiles. On the west side of the station. Probably in "Odakyu Ace", which is one of several shopping malls in the station. It's on one of the levels below where taxis pick up/drop off. Near the escalators.

My sons have toys as you describe (working doors, lights and sounds) as well as a Shinkansen umbrella (the folded up umbrella resembles a Shinkansen) that all came from there.

It's not a very big toy store - really just a counter - but has all sorts of "official" JR train toys and models. On days when "new" Shinkansen toys are released there can be a line to purchase!

If I can find a receipt, I'll post the address and phone number here.

Beware, Shinjuku is one of the largest train stations in the world so be sure to ask one of the information booths or an official if you have trouble finding the shop.

Also, here is a list of model shops in various places in Tokyo: http://users.skynet.be/bk338048/modelshopstokyo.htm

Thanks Tokyokid and mw362, and EVERYONE who has replied - this is wonderful because I now have a range of places that we can check out depending on where our sightseeing takes us.

I am loving the idea of a Shinkansen umbrella - his mom wants to get him a train, but as the auntie, I want to send him something too ;) that sounds like a wonderful idea!

I've been in and through Shinjuku station a number of times and have gotten myself lost in there too so I will ask.
what is toy store in Japanese ？- おもちゃや？

Shameless plug for my business, but you can always order it and we can send to your hotel in Japan or even to the US afterwards.

Here is a link to a bunch of auctions for them:
http://rink.me/u6

:)

toy store: 玩具店

toy store: 玩具店

I cannot recall ever seen that written out in kanji in the wild...

I cannot recall ever seen that written out in kanji in the wild...
You need to go to darkest Chofu (http://photozou.jp/photo/show/3008/25152469) to see it.