Hello! Pro shopping guide for Tokyo

[EternalW]

Thanks for all the infos.

I plan to go to Japan next year (or maybe early 2009), this is gonna help me a lot 

[huggumwuggums]

Damn. I knew this thread existed but didn't bother to look for it. I went crazy looking for shops that sell H!P merchandise in Akihabara

(I think it was the 3rd or 4th but can't remember correctly I only know that 7 and 8 were Japan AV floors   )

Well next time I'll know where to go first

[jogasa]

Hi everyone. If you wanna buy some HP dvd concerts you could go to a Geo Rental DVD shop. There I got some concerts for les than 1000 yens.

[Shumatsu Samurai]

I was in the one in Ueno today and was rather disappointed by it's size and collection.
They have like 10-15 Maki items left and when I asked at the counter (because I wanted a certain set from G-Emotion 2) the answer was quick and harsh: "Unrucky! Goto has left Hello Project. You can buy only the ones we have here"...

Are the other shops like that as well?
Or should I just give up on the official shops and go to Harajuku directly?

[nachdenki]

I was in the one in Ueno today and was rather disappointed by it's size and collection.
They have like 10-15 Maki items left and when I asked at the counter (because I wanted a certain set from G-Emotion 2) the answer was quick and harsh: "Unrucky! Goto has left Hello Project. You can buy only the ones we have here"...

Are the other shops like that as well?
Or should I just give up on the official shops and go to Harajuku directly?

The collections are almost the same in all shops in Tokyo. Even the availability of items is somewhat similar, but there is always a chance that something isn't sold out at other shops. It's worth a try. But since Maki left H!P, chances to find a certain set are relatively low.
Unofficial shops like TRIO2 have some cards, but it can be difficult to find a complete set there.
Anyway, good luck

[Shumatsu Samurai]

OK, I've been to all the official shops now and some of the others as well. With your maps and explanations it was really easy. Thanks again.
The Ueno one still has a TV near the entrance of the building but it advertises all the shops there and H!P is only one (short) segment of it (I think I heard Reina speaking the comment).
So I wouldn't try to find the store just by looking for some TV that plays MM.

I like the one in Harajuku the most. The area has lots of other things to offer (like the mentioned unofficial shops) and the shop is the closest one to the station (with the Ueno one probably being the most hidden, half way between Ueno and Okachimachi Stations).
And they actually have a store window that they put to good use:

Last week:   Today:

Plus, if you feel like it, you can actually walk down to the one in Shibuya.
But after being to all shops on the same day four times now (and on different weekdays too), I must say that the Shibuya one always had the most "sold out" or "currently unavailable" tags. Maybe it was just a coincidence, maybe not...

[emifebruary]

yeah MKB OUTFITS 

[BLoNDDyKe]

Waaaaaaaaaaaah!    thx love , imajine walking there & then u see H!P walkin' beside u?  wat would u do?

[Yuna]

Oh god, I'm going out of Japan tomorrow morning ... I wish I had seen this thread before.
But hey, great work!!! I do hope to get back here someday, this time I'll be sure to check these stores.

[writerserenyty]

Thank you!

I'm studying the language, and I hope to either study abroad there or teach English in Japan at some point. So, this'll come in handy!!

[SayuForever]

wHOO THX IM GOING TO SE THE SUMMER COCNERT OF HELO PROJECT 2011. ILL SO VISIIT THAT STORE SOMETIME!!!!

[shirenuファクトリー]

Some updates??

Shibuya official store: It's much easier to find the right building if you look for Men's 109. The 109-2 part's dropped from the name. I didn't know it was Men's 109 so I spent 2 hours looking for a building that was RIGHT IN FRONT OF THE STATION. Most useless waste of time ever. It baffles me why they still call it 109-2 in the official maps (I got a handout from the concert), since that's not the name anymore.
It's on BF2 floor so you need to take the escalator 2 floors down. It's also named Hello! Project Petit Museum or sth, but it's really a shop with just a few outfits standing in the corner.

Nakano Broadway unofficial store: They have moved selling H!P official pictures to the 2nd floor of Nakano Broadway, but there they have quite a few pictures. Sorry I can't write a more detailed advice on where it is, but just walk around the 2nd floor and you'll find an idol goods store. On the 3rd floor store they still have huge H!P posters (and PBs?), so check both 3rd and 2nd floor idol goods for a full shopping experience o/

LET'S SHAKE HANDS WITH H!P MEMBERS!
If you go to the Shinjuku station, I *WARMLY* recommend checking FUKUYA store at the Subnade Mall (underground mall)! It's a book store where H!P frequently holds PB release events including a handshake opportunity. (That's where I got to shake hands with 6 H!P members for Hello! Channel.) Finding the Subnade itself can be tricky, but Fukuya is at one of its corners so just walk around until you find a book/magazine store Luckily the place is quite rectangle-shaped.

There's a list of upcoming events outside the store. There is no English info so you do need to be able to read some Japanese to find out what's coming up (say, katakana and the kanji in the names of H!P members whose PBs are being released, or PB titles, anything that can help you spot an event you'd like to attend).

To attend you must pay the price of the PB/magazine they are advertising to receive a ticket. You then line up according to your ticket number, starting like an hour before the event. Mine was like 1052 so I had to go way to the back, but eh it doesn't really matter if you're first or last, you get the same thing. The ticket selling starts at 9am the day of the event (at least did for the event I went to) so if you want to get in early, ...get the ticket early. When it's your turn, they hand you the PB and you shake hands with whoever's event it is. Then you go to heaven.

THAT'S MY H!P SHOPPING EXPERIENCE!! LOL

[SomethingWild]

Might as well cross-post my experiences!

Official Hello! Project Store - Shibuya



Despite knowing where it was, it still took me quite a while to find it. I could not find the down escalator, lol.
It's near the sparkly Hello Kitty shop. You have to go down two floors and it's you'll find the H!P Store on the far side of the building.

Differences with the Official AKB48 Shop:
1. H!P shop was about 8x the size of the Official SKE48 Store in Shibuya.
2. H!P shop focuses on photos a lot, whereas the AKB48 shop has anything from clear files, food, clothes, keychains and other stuff.
3. The system. At the AKB48 shop you can grab a sealed five pic set and take it to the counter. At the H!P shop you have to fill in the numbers of the pics you want. You hand in the form, pay and wait while the staff finds your order together. The upside of this you can get single pics, unlike AKB48 where everything comes in five pic sets. The downside is that is takes a very long time. The people before me had long orders and I had to wait ages to get my small order of three pics . You have to write your name on the order form and they call you when your order is completed.

Trio - K-Books - Akihabara

In Akihabara there is a large K-Books building, which consists of four floors, filled with various idol goodness. On the third floor you'll find a store called Trio (ask for "Torio" if you can't find it). They have a substantial section of H!P goods; posters, photobooks, uchiwas, DVDs, CDs and whatnot. They also have a picture section where you can freely browse and buy single pics sorted by member. Prices vary massively depending on member and rarity. In some cases the official H!P Store may be cheaper, so use your brain.


Events

Shinjuku - Fukuya Store in the Subnade Mall: When I was here there weren't any events. I'm not sure if it was poor timing or perhaps they moved the events to somewhere else. It's a pretty cool area, both above ground and the underground mall, so you might want to check it out anyway. The store had some signed photobooks at very good prices, so that's cool if you're into that.

Shibuya - Tower Records: Look for this sign near one the entrances:



Daily events for various artists, ranging from mini-lives, handshakes and signings. The details for each event differ, so be sure to ask the staff for further information. Read the full details of the Morning Musume event here.

Akihabara - Softmap: Go to the idol section on the first floor and look for the event schedule:



There is also a guy in front of the store who promoted the particular event they have that day.
These events are less high end than the ones at the Tower Records in Shibuya, but the upside is that they are a lot easier to access.
Location: Take the Electric Town Exit in Akihabara (Yamanote line), walk towards the AKB48 Cafe, take a left passed the McDonald's and giant Itano Tomomi sign and you'll see Softmap across the street on the right. It's pretty hard to miss.

[hwangmagic]

Well this information is bound to be helpful at some point, right now though I don't think my income can afford to book a flight to Tokyo...not to mention once I get there, manage to survive a shopping spree lol

[nimrod]

■■■　If you have a plan to come to Japan, Please take care!■■■
■ Hello! shop Shiubya which started in 2001 move to the sub culture town Akihabara!
Hello! shop Tokyo Akihabara will start on 30th March.
That's why Hello!shop Shibuya will close on 24th March at 21:00.(sun)

New place:
Sakai SueHiro Bill 6th floor
Soto kanda 6-14-2 Chiyodaku Tokyo
ＪＲ Akihabara Denki gai : walking five minutes.
Above of Ginza line SueHiro Cho

(http://www.helloproject.com/officialshop/news/news_20130301_11160.html )
See map:


via FB
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=610463358968044&set=a.436091429738572.121154.253277044686679&type=1

[xepher416]

I plan to go to Japan this summer. Hopefully I'll get to visit some of these stores and hopefully Ill be able to go to a concert too.

[fc2]

Notice of Hello Project shop transfer (Harosho Shibuya):
http://www.helloproject.com/officialshop/news/news_20130307_11160.html
---We may need to view this in a translated version as it is in Japanese---

[darknessfool]

Awesome!

Thanks for the info! This will totally be handy when I go to Tokyo next month! 

[apol]

I hope someday to come to Japan (tokyo, kyoto...). But the shops I will not do it, that's for sure. Walk, stare, eat, breathe and enjoy the other world. and shopping - it's, IMHO, empty.