Thank you, Kinokuniya! I just finished doing my taxes, I'm a 1099 employee and I get to use forms 1040, 1, 2, C and SE, plus form V because I pay by check. Lots of forms! Plus it's easier for me to print out two of everything and fill them out, keeping one set for my records, so you can see why I value a good pen. This year (2023) they decided to make the print on all the forms SMALLER for some reason. A month or two ago, I was in Kinokuniya and thought, "If nothing else, I should buy a pen that writes really well to do my tax forms with". I picked out a nice Uni "Power Tank" 0.5, made in Japan by the Mitsubishi Pencil Co. Ltd., and it does just the trick! My forms would be very difficult to read if I used my usual budget Bic, but with this pen I was able to write both small and clearly. And yeah, the pen was under $5. I've been going here for years and they have a TON of manga in Japanese and a large section in English too. Plus children's educational materials in Japanese and Japanese/English. They have Japanese language learning books, books by Japanese authors in both languages, Japanese cookbooks and books on flower-arranging, and tons of niche magazines. And the pens! Fountain pens, collectible pens, calligraphy pens, you-name-it pens. Plus tons of other things. They have *some* Ghibli DVDs but not enough for my taste, can there ever be enough for my taste, though? So here's the deal: Go here. If you've already been here, go again. Have some ramen at Santouka, go in here and you won't be able to leave without at least some neat little thing, then get your shopping on in Mitsuwa Market.

I feel uncomfortable shopping here as a black man. Everytime I enter I have the cashiers turn their full attention to me. I try to ignore it but it is so obvious. Usually I am buying gifts to send back to my friends in FL. But I try to think about what I want to get them before I enter so I don't have to be in an uncomfortable position for long. The only time I endure it is if I want to get something for myself and I really want to learn more about it. But to be honest I rather buy the stuff on Amazon bc of my experience. And I actually have done this for the Sakura Densya (Plus it was cheaper). I like supporting local businesses, bit not when I'm watched like a criminal just for walking in the store. (Probably the realest review you will ever read. Fight hate of all kinds. Promote equality.)

Next to book off in level of dangerousness for Manga fans, Kinokuniya is one of the very few portals we have into jp LN/Manga imports in the US. Pricing wise is MSRP, so its no different than what you would find in Barnes and Noble (so expect LNs to be around 13 to 14 USD, jp Manga 7-9$ depending on publisher). I wish we had these stores more toward the valley. It's a two hour drive from where I'm at to get to this store and I'll gladly make the drive. Why am i finally writing a review? Yesterday I asked if they had a jp series vol 1-12 via email. They responded that they actually had 1-13 and asked if I wanted it held. . . . . . . welp, time to make a 2 hr drive! lol

My only regret is that I do not know how to read Japanese characters. This bookstore has two levels and the top floor tickled my fancy the most. The selection of origami books veers from the typical stuff you find at franchised locations and has a lot of origami books in Japanese. The origami paper selection is...*yawn*. I loved the variety products and all the different trinkets. This store also sells Momiji dolls cheaper than you can purchase them on the actual Momiji website. I could have spent a whole day in Kinokuniya, as well as a lot of money. For you Oregon folks, this is the LARGE version of the same bookstore located within the Uwajimaya store in Beaverton.

More than half of the store appeared to be filled with adorable stationery and goods, but I was thrilled to find the mangas I'd been wanting to read! It was as quiet as a library when I went due to the minimal number of staff members and few customers, which was pretty nice and relaxing. They are only open for about 5 hrs in the afternoon now in response to the pandemic, so please do not visit unless you KNOW what you're buying/picking up.

The selection and prices are not bad, but it is truly the staff that stand out at this location. The employees are kind and helpful, despite some management issues. The store manager is visibly harsh to her employees, but they still provide great service despite her negative attitude. Their commitment and pleasant nature, along with an interesting selection of books and stationery, is what keeps this location a 5 star rating.

My beloved spot to browse for stationery. They had neat and simple notebooks with many variations to select from. I also enjoyed trying put the cool color pens and picked the favorites. They also had great selections of manga and many in bilingual editions. Also, I was looking for some Gudetama gifts and they were right at the front with many forms and shapes to choose. It was a nice experience coming here.

This bookstore has a lot of imported goods such as charms, manga in English and Japanese, and so much more. I visited this place with a few friends and we were really impressed with what they had. There was even a small Studio Ghibi section which was really cool! If you're in the area, it's worth checking out along with the market next door and a curry restaurant on the side of the market.

One of my favorite places in all of South Bay. As a stationery nerd, I love their fountain pen, ball pen, wooden and mechanical pencil and paper options. The store is significantly skewed to the Manga loving audience but the stationery niche is something I just love visiting every few weeks. Some of the stuff you get here is truly special and well worth your time and money.

Lots of very innovative and high quality stationary! I really appreciate the stores attention to cleanliness and the very kind and helpful staff! I am not fluent in Japanese, therefore, I typically find myself asking questions to the staff about the Japanese description of the product and they are always willing to translate it for me! 5 star quality shops for sure! :D

A large variety of magazines, books, manga, etc. They also have lots of fun stationary, including cute characters like Gudetama. They seem to do well in keeping the prices lower though many of their items are imported. I didn't find exactly what I was looking for this time, I wanted more stickers and decorative stationary pieces, but it was still fun to look around.

Great Kinokuniya store, however, most of them are little pricy, apart from that, they have great amount of manga/anime merchandise, this store looks very organized and clean too. I was expecting if this store size could be any bigger. Pro: Tons of manga selections Organized & clean Includes other like maganize, items, etc. Con: Most of them are expensive Small store

I've been to the Seattle location and finally the San Jose location. Store was clean and organized. The cashier was amazing, we bought $60, and accidentally handed over $100. She called us down and returned the money to us before we walk away. I will always be loyal to this store. Manga selection is big enough, and I loved all the Japanese language books!

I love this place! Everyone is so friendly and eager to help and they have the cutest seating arrangements, with nooks and crannies to hide in. Great WiFi and honestly an excellent spot to hang out, get some work done or study. Highly recommend picking up a snack from their bakery; i love their chair and scones! Perfect afternoon snack.

The store is located inside Mitsuwa Japanese grocery store. They offer variety of Japanese books, stationary, anime products, Ghibli and more. If you're a frequent customer, look into their rewards program! Great for Japanese/English Manga, fashion magazine, and gifts. They can also hold onto your monthly magazine/manga for you, too!

I love visiting, I could be in this store all day, unfortunately my family puts me on a time limit. It has tons of stationary. A few fountain pen brands like sailor, platinum, kaweco, and lamy. They also have stamps, stickers, planner supplies,ink, travelers notebook co supplies, and various ball point or gel pens. Too much to list.

The bookshop was super cute, and sold a lot of manga. The store itself is a bit small, and is separated 50/50 between a books section and a stationary + everything else. I didn’t find everything I wanted and I think it’s better to find it online but overall it was super good and reminded me of the authentic bookstore shops in Asia.

My old favorite bookstore I used to go to as a kid because they have many uniquely Japanese stationary, magazines, and books. They also have a few stuffed animals (though pricey) and figurines. Occasionally you can find items on sale. I hope this place never goes away. Also a heads up they do not accept cash. Credit card only.

Went there for Japanese language exam text book, they have all the major publishers, tho we’re missing a few books. They do help you order it upon request. Pricing was fair, some cheaper than on Amazon. The market next to it is very busy, so is the plaza, especially near lunch time, since plenty of Japanese goodies are there.

Good selection, better than anything else I've been able to find in the area. Fair pricing, also considering the area. Has a lot of popular series and a pretty good of not-so-common titles. Compare selection to store size to that of the one if SF, this one has a lot of selection relative to the size of the store.

Really cool place had a lot of manga as well as magazines and books. They have a gift shop and also have a side for just pens paper origami. Everyone was nice. Even found some books I couldn’t find anywhere else. It’s so cool it next to a super market. Got some candy and authentic drinks to go with my manga.

A very large and comprehensive Japanese book store with a huge selection of Japanese manga and magazine. They also sell some manga in English translation, though these days those are easy to come by in Borders and Barnes and Nobles. You'll also be able to find some of the latest art book there which is nice.

Staff is always so friendly. Even with a slight language barrier. I picked up a pilot fountain pen here and tested out a bunch with their help found the best one. Later found out that the pen isnt available outside of Japan at any other retailers. Super lucked out!! It was the pilot custom 74 in soft fine.

Amazing!!! Everything is so cute. Lots of manga in english and japanese. They also have lots of stationary, studio ghibli, some plushies, anime art books, etc. Currently there is a 10 person capacity and people are allowed to browse for up to ten minutes. It sounds rushed but its plenty of time.

My go to store for nerdy anime reads and nice stationary/ pens. Typical kinokuniya store, the staff are quite helpful in finding good condition light novels but suggestion wise dont expect too much. bit pricey for some items but general light novels are pretty fair.

I love their selection books and stationary products. The prices are pretty high though but that's probably to cover import fees. It only has one entrance in and out and it's very small. It's hard to social distance going in and out. Parking is pretty bad as well.

Excellent variety of mangas, friendly staff, accessible parking area around the shop. I was impressed by the number of good titles in this place. If you admire Japanese content, I highly recommend you to go! I even got a present for my nephew, who loves Pokémon!

Treasure trove of stationery, toys, comics, manga and wonderful japanese trinkets. Inside Mitsuwa so great to grab a bite at Santouka, do your grocery shopping and check out what's new at the store. Personable cashiers and a wonderful vibe inside the store.

Best place in the bay area to buy Japanese stationary and kawaii stuff. Love the planners , notebooks, pens, stickers They also have a row of Japan related English books. Staff is very friendly. They help me find rate to find refills for Japanese ballpens.

Love coming here, the membership is worth it if you’re a weeb or fluent in Japanese. They made an odd decision to make the side entrance an emergency exit, which is strange because they also have it blocked off, and I don’t think that’s legal.

Japanese book store. Have both Japanese and English mangas, novels and magazines. Just like a bookstore you will run into in Japan (which means, unfortunately the mangas are sealed by plastic covers and you cannot peak into before purchase).

This is a Japanese book and arts shop. Lots of books for all ages and includes comics+manga, magazines, cookbooks, travel, movies etc. Lots of plush toys. On the expensive side though. I was looking for certain Japanese books and the lady

Great Japanese book store. Huge selection of books, pens, pencils, and other novelty items. Plus it is part of the supermarket with restaurants to choose from. Located in a little shopping center with plenty of Japanese food choices.

Kinokuniya carries books in Japanese and English, stationery and gift items. Also carries Studio Ghibli items and movies. Smaller than other Kinokuniya stores. If you can't find something they maybe able to order it for you.

A smaller Kinokuniya than the one in San Francisco. Half of this store is books. One side of the books is English and the other Japanese. They have a variety of Japanese goods. I recommend if you have time check it out.

EXCELLENT weeb store. However, I have complaints. There weren't enough body pillows or cat people, I couldn't fond Cory in the House anywhere, and all the anime characters spoke Latin or something. Great store overall!

My daughter loved this place. We loved it as well. Great books and stationary supplies. Once done you can go into the market place. Where they have great food and other merchants. You can also grocery shopping.

A favorite stationery / art supply shop, this place always has the best pens and small gifts, and this recent trip, we got to see a young friend pick out her summer (manga) reading with all pleasure.

A bookstore with a great selection of gifts including cute plushies, Ghibli merchandise, tenugui cloths, English books and manga, and a wide selection of Japanese books and manga and magazines.

A bit on the small side, making it hard to find things. Still have good selection of both English and Japanese materials. You probably have to go to SF branch for language learning materials.

A fun Japanese bookstore with a robust manga section in both English and Japanese. They also have a stationery section, anime and manga merch, and carry the Maidō monthly box.

Large selection of manga and light novels. You can always ask for them to hold on some books for you if they are not in the store. A lot of foreign stationery items as well.

It’s like a very awesome place to look at some new books by English & Japanese are really amazing to like everything I could even buy books every where in the United States.

Pretty good selection of manga, and lots of other merch! The location of this kinokuniya is nice, since it’s in the market and there’s a daiso across the street as well.

Friendly atmosphere... The staff are very helpful. Great place for someone who likes to splurge on stationaries, Japanese books, manga, movies... And a whole lot more.

A bit small n less selection for Japanese books compare to other branchs. But still way easier to access then the branch in San Francisco if u live in SF Bay Area.

Amazing stationary and book shop! Loved seeing all the products offered. They also have many options in Japanese if you are looking for something in the language.

Went here to buy Japanese-made pens. Two whole rows of pens and pencils with a variety of choices and prices. Be aware that parking in the plaza can be difficult.

I love coming here and exploring what they have. Last time I was here I saw this nice reusable bag with a nice Shiba Inu design on it... I bought it obviously.

Extremely cool place. Lots of Japanese stationery and trinkets, perfect for browsing while waiting for Santouka ramen. You will never find parking, do not try.

With Covid restrictions they have a 10 minute browsing limit. That rushes the customer and you lose out on more sales. Nice shop. Just wish had more time.

Japanese stationary, manga, trinkets, and collectables adjacent to the market. Very cozy spot. Just make sure you respect their no food policy on entry.

I always like Kinokuniya. This location is small but it has a lot of cool things. Great place to go to get gifts, stationery, and many Japanese items.

Great selection of books. Awesome service. ( The lady at the front was speaking Japanese with me and we both had a great conversation about our pets )

Not really a book store - just a small corner of the supermarket with some books and magazines. Also note that most of the books were not in English.

Great place to go for Japanese language books and periodicals, as well as English translations. Also, a good selection of art supplies and ink pens.

Ever since I’ve come here, I’ve been obsessed! My whole bookshelf is filled with manga and plushies I got from here, I would definitely recommend!

cute store and awesome stationary, anime merchandise ( Studio Ghibli) and more cool items like star wars metal build able toys and banners.

Essential location for your favorite manga, in English and Japanese, as well as many more books, popular gifts, and cute little goodies.

Definitely my go-to place for buying manga. They have a very large variety and the employees at the checkout are generally very nice.

It's a small Kinokuniya for san jose location. Tried to find some ghibli they didn't have much at all......but it's still cute store.

Great place for manga, supplies and other Japanese related items. The staff is great and friendly and has a great store presentation.

Small selection of english translated books. But the market it self is pretty amazing! Im sad I couldnt find any yaoi or BL manga.

Cute Japanese bookstore with lots of cute stuff to see/buy...but quite small and only about a third of the store are actual books.

White woman here. I love this place, currently studying Japanese. I understand enough to read a Japanese knitting pattern.

Love this place! I buy Manga, gifts, another awesome things. They are always up to date and the staff is expentional. 10/10

Nice Japanese books and magazines store. Nice section of original and english versions of anime and manga novels and books.

Great selection of books despite how small it is, located next to the food court, my only complaint is that it's hot

Love this place, such a cute little bookshop. Definitely worth a stop if you're at the connected grocery store.

Smaller than Kinokuniya in SF. You can get here manga, Japanese books, and high quality stationary from Japan.

same as in SF, great selection (not as big due to physical size) but always has exactly what im looking for.

Always nice to check this shop out whenever in the area. Good amount of Japanese crafts, collectibles, etc.

Love this wonderful store great Japanese food items. We are truly blessed to have this store so close by.

Great selection of Japanese books and some can be had in English too. Also lots of fun little nick nacks.

Good place I love it. It has all type of things ranging from stationary to books. And good quality too.

Decent amount of selection; price is a bit on the high side but these are imported stuff, expect it.

Great little manga store with a solid selection of English and Japanese manga and friendly staff

Very pricey, but has a wide selection of stationery, manga, and just about anything Japanese.

Amazing selection of manga and other stuff, it has Japanese and English Copies of manga too.

I miss living near one of these so when I am I go. Loved it! So many options to choose from!

Good place to buy expensive Japanese stationery items. Also Japanese language publications.

Clean and a calm place to enjoy books and stationeries. Always find something interesting.

Well stocked. Ready for Covid shopping. Hand sanitizer available at entry. Shop in safety

Excellent chooses of Japanese stationary, as well as Japanese books, magazine and manga.

The place to get specialty food and products. Bought sparkling sake which was delicious.

Magazines, books some office or school supplies and some Japanese movies made in Japan

you always don't want to leave for everytime visit. ( no food or drink inside)

Much smaller than the one in SF, but they have a good stock of popular books!

Best selection of Japanese books, super helpful staff and convenient location

Daughter loves this store.. lots of anime books and figurines to choose from

Helpful staff, great selection of manga as well as bookstore items. Love it!

Super fun to peruse items and test pens... just expensive for stationery.

Great selection of manga and magazines not normally sounds in stores

Just as expensive here in the States as it is in Japan. Why is that?

Nice selection of pens and notebooks in addition to Japanese books.

Love this store. I always find really cute and interesting books!

Expensive but good selection of Japanese, video game, anime goods

Selection is bland . Very outdated. Customer service was pleasant

I love that they have a Variety of pens and pencils and books

Great place felt like I am in Tokyo great product great food