Hobby/Model Shops in Nagoya

[ED75-775]

Thanks to @paolo we are pretty lucky to know where most, if not all the model train stores are in Akihabara, Yokohama and Osaka. One place that hasn't been given as much love though is Nagoya where I'm currently staying. And today's afternoon exercise involved finding most, if not all of the more easily accessible locations from central Nagoya. No pretty video because I haven't got that skill set, but I can provide some photos for you.

 

Hobby Land Pochi Nagoyaten

Address:

Kawashima Building, 2階, 2 Chome-45-10 Meieki, Nakamura Ward, Nagoya, Aichi 450-0002

 

 

 

This one is pretty convenient to Nagoya Station, in fact it's just across the road from the eastern side of the station! Mostly trains, although there was a couple of Gundam kits on the shelf there too. Moderately good selection of N scale trains, not as much track from memory and definitely not as many buildings. Look out for the building with the Joysound karaoke parlour on the street corner, and the door to the lift/stairway is just on the right past the shop with the blue sign.

Edited July 15, 2023 by ED75-775

[ED75-775]

Greenmax Cross Point

Address:

〒460-0011 Aichi, Nagoya, Naka Ward, Osu, 3 Chome−5−6 矢場町サンコービル 2階

 

  

 

This is a Greenmax store, so if you've ever been to the Akihabara one you'll know what to expect. Unlike Akihabara though, this one has a decent-sized Meitetsu-themed layout in the front window! And they don't mind you taking photos of it either. Stock wise there's plenty of GM parts and some completed models, not a lot of stock from other manufacturers unless you like Tomytec buses.

 

 

Edited June 9, 2023 by ED75-775

[ED75-775]

Popondetta Nagoyaosuten

Address:

〒460-0011 Aichi, Nagoya, Naka Ward, Osu, 3 Chome−5−6 矢場町サンコービル 3階

 

  

 

This one's in the same building as Greenmax, it's actually on the floor above. Plenty of new and even more secondhand N scale stock, plus lots of secondhand H0 mostly of European origins and one or two bits of 00 scale stock. There's a standard rental layout off to one side as well. Mind the step down just inside the door.

 

Easiest access to these two would be to take a JR train from Nagoya to Kanayama, then transfer to the Nagoya Subway Meijo Line to Yabachō Station. From there it would be about a five minute walk to these two shops.

[ED75-775]

Honourable Mentions Category

Mandarake Nagoya

Address:

3 Chome-18-21 Osu, Naka Ward, Nagoya, Aichi 460-0011

 

 

This one only squeaks into the Honourable Mentions category because it's A) not a dedicated train shop and B) what trains it does have are housed in just two cabinets on the second floor. What this store does also have though is a paltry selection of railroadiana. In 2019 I brought a pair of JNR ticket clippers here for 4,000JPY; this time around, they had four Seiko railway pocket watches for between 15,000 and 20,000JPY. It's worth a browse, simply for the fact you may also find something else nostalgic while you're there.

 

This one's about between 5 and 10 minutes south from Greenmax and Popondetta depending on your walking speed.

[ED75-775]

Honourable Mentions Category

Karamatsu Train Nagoya-ten

(FORMER) Address:

4 Chome-11-5 Osu, Naka Ward, Nagoya, Aichi 460-0011

 

 

Another entrant to the Honourable Mentions category, Karamatsu makes it only because it does have a selection of model trains for sale across Japanese N and H0 scales, plus a little bit of foreign H0/N too. What this shop specializes in, however, is general railwayana from old tickets up to old uniforms and locomotive parts. If that's the sort of thing you're interested in, or you just want something more appropriate to wear while you're operating your trains, Karamatsu would be a good place to go.

 

It was on the ninth floor of the Z's Building, near the Banshoji Temple and Shintenchi Street shopping arcade, again an easy five to ten minutes walk from Mandarake.

 

UPDATE: Karamatsu moved to a new location in Nagoya between my 2023 and 2024 trips. They're now based at 4-3-25 Kosakae, Minato-ku, Nagoya-shi, Aichi 455-0015. This location is significantly out of the way, requiring a subway ride to Tsukiji station on the Meiko Line subway, though there are a number of tourist-type attractions further south so possibly this could be squeezed in if you were in the area already. Link to the store's website here.

Edited November 28 by ED75-775
Update - location moved.

[paolo]

Good finds! I went last week to Nagoya, but it was raining cats and dogs, so I didn't feel like taking videos unfortunately.

One place you didn't mention is Joshin SuperKids. It's not as big as the one in Nipponbashi, but it's worth visiting it. And it is one of the very few shops where I found DCC KATO decoders (I bought all their stock, sorry!).

It's in the same area as Popondetta and Mandarake.

[Das Steinkopf]

On 6/10/2023 at 1:19 PM, paolo said:

Good finds! I went last week to Nagoya, but it was raining cats and dogs, so I didn't feel like taking videos unfortunately.

One place you didn't mention is Joshin SuperKids. It's not as big as the one in Nipponbashi, but it's worth visiting it. And it is one of the very few shops where I found DCC KATO decoders (I bought all their stock, sorry!).

It's in the same area as Popondetta and Mandarake.

 

I have to agree the Joshin store is pretty good, I went there back in 2017 and they had an awesome range of Hogaraka Dou containers and Kobaru detailing parts, their selection was better than any of the big stores in Akihabara when it came to that stuff.

Edited June 11, 2023 by Das Steinkopf

[ED75-775]

Paolo's Top Pick: Joshin Super Kids Land Nagoya Osu

Address:

〒460-0011 愛知県名古屋市中区大須４丁目２−４８

 

 

As voted by members of the Forum, Joshin Super Kids Land holds the best selection of stock across any store in the Nagoya area. Their trains are located on the fourth floor which they share with a moderately-sized airsoft assortment; to get to it, you'll need to either take the elevator or find the stairs behind the counter on the third floor. I initially didn't see those stairs and started doubting whether or not there were trains even with the Kato and Tomix signs in the ground-floor stairwell! But I found them in the end, and the selection is sublime with plenty of items in H0 and N scales plus some Rokuhan Z scale to round it out.

 

Joshin's prices are very reasonable with a standard 10% off all sales over the ¥5,000 mark for international visitors with a valid passport, and a further 5% discount for those paying with a Visa card. Sorry, Mastercard holders!

 

Being a major hobby retailer, Joshin has a large range of typical hobby stuffs on its lower floors; figurines, model kits, vehicles and even video games on the ground floor. This one's also five minutes from Popondetta/Greenmax.

 

Worth Mentioning?

Volks Nagoya Showroom

Address:

〒460-0011 愛知県名古屋市中区大須４丁目１−７１ 矢場町中駒ビル 2F

 

About a block up the street from Joshin, Volks Nagoya only barely makes this list because of their one cabinet holding a small and very lonely collection of Zoukei Mura H0 scale models, all of which are kept in their boxes and not on display. This store specializes heavily in dolls, robot and Gundam kits, and diorama construction so there's a moderately decent range of scenic materials that could be repurposed for model railway use. But otherwise, this one's not really worth looking at.

[Nick_Burman]

On 6/9/2023 at 5:53 PM, ED75-775 said:

This one is pretty convenient to Nagoya Station, in fact it's just across the road from the eastern side of the station!

 Bugger! That defo went under the radar when I was there!

 

Cheers NB