Japan Day 19: A Quiet Temple and Unexpected Finds at Nakano Broadway

After switching our plans around because of the rain forecast, we had one more day in Tokyo before our final shopping day.

Originally, Ueno was on the itinerary. But kid 1 suggested that instead, we should visit a temple. We had planned to see more temples while we were in Kyoto, but the rain had changed quite a few of those plans. Since Ueno wasn’t particularly high on our must-see list, replacing it was an easy decision.

I found a Buddhist temple near Nakano that we could visit before walking to Nakano Broadway: Araiyakushi Baishōin.

A Buddhist Temple… Now What Do We Do?

One thing we quickly realized once we arrived at the temple: we didn’t really know what we were supposed to do.

We didn’t know much about the rituals. When do you bow? Where do you put the money? What are you supposed to do with the incense? There was definitely a bit of looking around and trying to figure things out as we went.

Araiyakushi Baishōin is known for its connection to healing, particularly eye ailments. That wasn’t why I chose it—I picked it because it was conveniently located near Nakano Broadway—but it was interesting to discover.

We explored for a while and ended up buying some omamori and little charms before leaving.

Walking Through a Different Side of Tokyo

From the temple, we walked toward Nakano Broadway.

The area felt completely different from many of the places we had visited in Tokyo. There didn’t seem to be many tourists at all. The streets were quiet, and for a little while, it felt like we were simply walking through an ordinary Tokyo neighborhood rather than going from one attraction to another.

Then we reached Nakano Broadway.

We started exploring, wandering around and checking out a few stores along the way. After looking around for a while, we happened to walk into a bookstore.

The Random Bookstore That Trapped Us

We weren’t looking for anything in particular and didn’t expect much.

Big mistake.

Or excellent decision, depending on how you look at it.

OMG.

There was stationery. Stickers. Magazines. Books. Cute things everywhere.

We started browsing… and kept browsing.

I know we spent at least 30 minutes in there. It may actually have been closer to an hour.

Everyone found something, and I found a Sumikkogurashi origami book.

I’ve been making origami since I was a kid, so really, what was I supposed to do?

A book showing me how to make Sumikkogurashi characters out of paper?

Obviously, that was coming home with me.

Exploring Nakano Broadway

We eventually managed to escape the bookstore and explored more of Nakano Broadway.

Of course, we also went to Mandarake, which is one of the places Nakano Broadway is famous for. Kid 2 bought something there, although neither of us can remember exactly what anymore.

We also explored the basement, where we found some surprisingly interesting little boutiques.

Kid 1 spotted a vintage bag covered completely in beads. It wasn’t particularly cheap, but it looked luxurious and unusual enough that she decided to get it.

Kid 2, meanwhile, managed to find even more kawaii things.

Of course she did.

Apparently, there is always room for just one more cute thing in a suitcase.

Sometimes the Unplanned Stops Are the Best Ones

Nakano Broadway is well known for manga, anime and collectibles, but strangely enough, those aren’t the things I remember most.

The random bookstore was probably the biggest surprise of the day. We hadn’t planned on spending so much time there—or finding so many things we liked.

And the whole day felt different from some of our busier Tokyo days. We had traded Ueno for a temple we hadn’t originally planned to visit, walked through a quiet neighborhood and discovered places at Nakano Broadway that weren’t really on our itinerary.

I think the replacement plan worked out pretty well.

Coming Next

One last full day in Japan.

We thought we knew exactly what our final shopping day would look like.

One store surprised us.

Another made us want to escape.