if tokyo has their akihabara, hong kong has their Mongkok area, HK's toy district ^^
got this article from a local filipino toy collecting group, Pinoy Toy Kolektor (http://ptk.14.forumer.com/)
Anyway, in Hong Kong island itself, there are 2-3 main areas to shop, all streets can be located from the free tourist maps you get from the airport, BUT if you have to ask a local in English, be prepared for some blank stares. The police are pretty obliging though, if you can spot one in the crowded streets.
VERY IMPORTANT: The shops don't open early. Shops on HK island open around 11~12pm. Shops in Mongkok open around 2~4pm. You can set out early to locate the shops first, but you'll have to wait till afternoon before you can open your wallet. Ask for the price politely, and DON'T BARGAIN unless you're serious about buying the toy. Rule of thumb: You see the price tag and can afford it, ask for a better price and don't haggle too much. You see no price tag? It's gonna cost you at least HK$1500 and up. It doesn't help if you're recognizably non-local... so stick to toys with price tags unless you're seriously gonna splurge.
WANCHAI AREA
1. Tai Yuen St, just opposite the road from the exit of Wanchai MTR station. At least 3~4 shops selling mostly current toys, including most Bandai, Yamato etc releases. Look overhead for the signboards, ignore the unappealing store fronts and go right INSIDE for the goodies.
2. Wanchai Rd, there are 2 to 3 dept stores with toy shops inside as you walk along towards the direction of Causeway Bay. Look out for In-Zone building on the right side of the street, store on 2nd floor, and later, "Dong Fong 188" building on the left. You may not recognize the characters for "Dong Fong" but you can't miss the "188". Beware of staggering amount of porn vendors amidst the toy shops!
3. Right after Dong Fong 188 as you approach the junction, turn left towards Hennesy Road and you'll find the building numbered 302-308. There's a fantastic shop inside with loads of vintage toys, but little current stuff.
CAUSEWAY BAY
1. After Wanchai, head towards Causeway Bay (CWB) on foot, 'coz you'll be halfway between either nearest MTR stations anyway. At CWB, don't miss out SOGO, Mitsukoshi and Seibu dept stores - they might have some old stuff not carried by the usual toy sellers.
2. Kanto Hobby, Causeway Bay branch. This great discount store is located behind SOGO on Lockhart Rd. I don't have the exact address, but all you have to do is lookout for a signboard with a Gundam head on it, The entrance is a dimly lit stairway, but the store has plenty to offer the bargain seeker. Their main store in Mongkok, Kowloon is another great place to shop. Credit cards accepted.
3. Toyzone HK, 16th Floor Causeway Bay Commercial Building, Sugar St (or "Tong Kai" in Cantonese). If you love vintage Japanese toys, you MUST NOT MISS this shop... They are stacked to the ceiling with old toys... I went there 3 times in 6 days and found great buys each time. Friendly people too. Highly recommended!
Now for KOWLOON... specifically, MONGKOK. If you're strapped for time, all you need to do is concentrate on Mongkok, specifically, the area bordered by Sai Yeung Choi Rd South, Dundas St, Soy St and Nathan Rd. This one square block of shops has enough toys inside to sate your every appetite.
1. On the side facing Nathan Rd, lookout for SINO CENTRE(Important note here!! As there are more than 9 MRT Exits from this station ---Take MRT "Exit E2"). On the ground floor is the store front for Kanto Hobby. Lots of bargains for current toys (like US$90 for a 1/48 Yamato). but the bigger surprise is when you take the lift to the 12th floor where they have a bigger room with more goodies on show. Unfortunately, the M&M reissues are not at very good prices... HK$1400 a pair. Almost everything else is a bargain. Don't wipeout your budget at one go!
2. After SINO, at the junction of Dundas St is TRENDY ZONE. The stores upstairs is a mish mash of fashions and collectibles, but the basement is where all the cool toys are. I got a VF-1S Super Valk reissue for only HK$300 there...
3. Turn the bend towards Sai Yeong Choi Rd South and you'll find CTMA CENTRE. Another treasure trove of toy shops, too many to single out. About 4 floors up and 2 floors below. This place is fantastic, but the shops open from 4pm onwards. Some don't open till 8 or 9!
4. Across CTMA, there's a manga/magazine shop. Above it is a toy shop called ANIMATE. Some bargains to be found, but not terribly fantastic.
5. Just round the bend from CTMA on Soy St, before the Subway entrance (not an MTR entrance), is a colorfully neon'd out building called CHIC something-or-other. Go in and look around, some cool things are to be found, but not much of a bargain place.
6. If you still have strength in your legs, haul yourself down along Dundas St past the stinkingly bad smells of the fermented toufu eateries on the left. After a while you'll notice an amazing amount of airsoft toy gun replicas on display. There are also lots of model kit shops in an alleyway along Dundas St. I bought a Kyosho r/c Gunwalker for HK$600... cool fun for that price!
7. After Dundas, you'll hit Kwong Wah St. Yet another street with r/c and model kit shops on both sides of the road, all the way till the end. Some vintage kits (not much), and a sprinkling of toys amidst the plethora of HG/MG/PG/Bandai/Tamiya etc.
That's it... there's actually a couple more places in Mongkok, along Argyle St, but you might have trouble finding them. Also remember, you need a STRONG BLADDER to shop around in Hong Kong. There aren't many public toilets, not even in hotels or shopping centers (except the really big, brightly lit ones, with no toys inside). Your best bet is a KFC, McDonalds or any other fastfood place if you need a toilet break.
While in Mong Kok, there's a couple more shops to look out for. Walk along ARGYLE ST towards SAI YEE ST. Keep to the left side of the main road.
1. First you'll encounter SING TAT Building, just after the junction for Tung Cho St. SING TAT's ground floor is full of mobile phone stalls and accessories dealers. Proceed to the 3rd floor for a couple of toy shops. WARNING: The 2nd and 3rd floors are also filled with porno dealers. Not good if you're with kids or squemish companions.
2. Continue down Argyle St and just before the junction of Sai Yee St, look up and see a HUGE signboard that says "111". You might miss it during the day because it isn't lit up and the signs are all so crazy. But "111" is a great place not to be missed!
Nothing on the 1st floor, but the 2nd floor has quite a few great shops with plenty of old and new toys. Don't forget to check out the BASEMENT of "111" either. It's a warren of toyshops down there!
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In Summary, if you're in a hurry or with other family members while traveling, just make a beeline for Sino Center and CTMA at Mongkok.... CTMA has "Superman Toys" toystore at the top floor. Contrary to the name, it does not sell any DC related items but rather it boasts an INCREDIBLE store display of Astroboy, Kamen Rider, ULtraman, SOul of Chogokin from the owner's own collection. It's a proverbial Toy Museum!! From Lifesize statues to busts, Japan action figures, boxed and loose.... the works!!! I guarantee you'll get stuck there staring at it for at least 30 minutes!Smile
I've heard stories of shops(entire buildings rather ) in Japan's Akihabara district(the techno-geeks dream heaven dito!) that have much much much more to offer in terms of display.... scary.
Other sources of information
- Hotel Yellow pages.. it has a 5- page directory listing of toyshops... have fun trying to call them up one by one and then try to get them to describe how to get to their shop...hehe... I didn't have the time to try this while I was there.
- Hongkong Local Toy Magazines. These are availble at NEwstands but sell out rapidly. They often contain advertisements by HK toyshops as to where one can find them. If the text in the ad is in Mandarin, have the Hotel reception Staff write a translation for you the address.
There are 2 types of mags, one is Hyper Model, containing only coverage of Model kits such as Gundams, Resin kits of Anime characters etc---- easy to find. The second Mag is the one to hunt down. Sells out really fast but has coverage of mostly everything involving Japanese toys. Gashas, Bots, busts, lifesize anime porn love dolls(no joke!)... each mag sells at 120 HK$ ... roughly 840 Php... but has lots of pics and custom jobs
WANCHAI AREA
1. Tai Yuen St, just opposite the road from the exit of Wanchai MTR station. At least 3~4 shops selling mostly current toys, including most Bandai, Yamato etc releases. Look overhead for the signboards, ignore the unappealing store fronts and go right INSIDE for the goodies.
2. Wanchai Rd, there are 2 to 3 dept stores with toy shops inside as you walk along towards the direction of Causeway Bay. Look out for In-Zone building on the right side of the street, store on 2nd floor, and later, "Dong Fong 188" building on the left. You may not recognize the characters for "Dong Fong" but you can't miss the "188". Beware of staggering amount of porn vendors amidst the toy shops!
3. Right after Dong Fong 188 as you approach the junction, turn left towards Hennesy Road and you'll find the building numbered 302-308. There's a fantastic shop inside with loads of vintage toys, but little current stuff.
CAUSEWAY BAY
1. After Wanchai, head towards Causeway Bay (CWB) on foot, 'coz you'll be halfway between either nearest MTR stations anyway. At CWB, don't miss out SOGO, Mitsukoshi and Seibu dept stores - they might have some old stuff not carried by the usual toy sellers.
2. Kanto Hobby, Their main store in Mongkok, Kowloon is another great place to shop. Credit cards accepted.
3. Toyzone HK, 16th Floor Causeway Bay Commercial Building, Sugar St (or "Tong Kai" in Cantonese). If you love vintage Japanese toys, you MUST NOT MISS this shop... They are stacked to the ceiling with old toys... I went there 3 times in 6 days and found great buys each time. Friendly people too. Highly recommended!
4. Kahilera ng street where TOYZONE HK (Causeway Bay Commercial Building, Sugar St) is Causeway Bay Shopping Center. Sa basement floor nun, you will find ANIMATE and some other shops. There are some toy and comic shops sa second and third floor.
Now for KOWLOON... specifically, MONGKOK. If you're strapped for time, all you need to do is concentrate on Mongkok, specifically, the area bordered by Sai Yeung Choi Rd South, Dundas St, Soy St and Nathan Rd. This one square block of shops has enough toys inside to sate your every appetite.
1. On the side facing Nathan Rd, lookout for SINO CENTRE(Important note here!! As there are more than 9 MRT Exits from this station ---Take MRT "Exit E2"). On the ground floor is the store front for Kanto Hobby. Lots of bargains for current toys (like US$90 for a 1/48 Yamato). but the bigger surprise is when you take the lift to the 12th floor where they have a bigger room with more goodies on show. Unfortunately, the M&M reissues are not at very good prices... HK$1400 a pair. Almost everything else is a bargain. Don't wipeout your budget at one go!
2. After SINO, at the junction of Dundas St is TRENDY ZONE. The stores upstairs is a mish mash of fashions and collectibles, but the basement is where all the cool toys are. I got a VF-1S Super Valk reissue for only HK$300 there...
3. Turn the bend towards Sai Yeong Choi Rd South and you'll find CTMA CENTRE. Another treasure trove of toy shops, too many to single out. About 4 floors up and 2 floors below. This place is fantastic, but the shops open from 4pm onwards. Some don't open till 8 or 9!
4. Across CTMA, there's a manga/magazine shop. Above it is a toy shop called ANIMATE. Some bargains to be found, but not terribly fantastic.
5. Just round the bend from CTMA on Soy St, before the Subway entrance (not an MTR entrance), is a colorfully neon'd out building called CHIC something-or-other. Go in and look around, some cool things are to be found, but not much of a bargain place.
6. If you still have strength in your legs, haul yourself down along Dundas St past the stinkingly bad smells of the fermented toufu eateries on the left. After a while you'll notice an amazing amount of airsoft toy gun replicas on display. There are also lots of model kit shops in an alleyway along Dundas St. I bought a Kyosho r/c Gunwalker for HK$600... cool fun for that price!
7. After Dundas, you'll hit Kwong Wah St. Yet another street with r/c and model kit shops on both sides of the road, all the way till the end. Some vintage kits (not much), and a sprinkling of toys amidst the plethora of HG/MG/PG/Bandai/Tamiya etc.
8. ComixBox 2 is also located at the unit 5 basement of China Minmetals tower, 79 chatham road south, tsimshatsui, Kowloon - there's a lot of DC Direct stuff there.
That's it... there's actually a couple more places in Mongkok, along Argyle St, but you might have trouble finding them. Also remember, you need a STRONG BLADDER to shop around in Hong Kong. There aren't many public toilets, not even in hotels or shopping centers (except the really big, brightly lit ones, with no toys inside). Your best bet is a KFC, McDonalds or any other fastfood place if you need a toilet break.
While in Mong Kok, there's a couple more shops to look out for. Walk along ARGYLE ST towards SAI YEE ST. Keep to the left side of the main road.
1. First you'll encounter SING TAT Building, just after the junction for Tung Cho St. SING TAT's ground floor is full of mobile phone stalls and accessories dealers. Proceed to the 3rd floor for a couple of toy shops. WARNING: The 2nd and 3rd floors are also filled with porno dealers. Not good if you're with kids or squemish companions.
2. Continue down Argyle St and just before the junction of Sai Yee St, look up and see a HUGE signboard that says "111". You might miss it during the day because it isn't lit up and the signs are all so crazy. But "111" is a great place not to be missed!
Nothing on the 1st floor, but the 2nd floor has quite a few great shops with plenty of old and new toys. Don't forget to check out the BASEMENT of "111" either. It's a warren of toyshops down there!
-------
In Summary, if you're in a hurry or with other family members while traveling, just make a beeline for Sino Center and CTMA at Mongkok.... CTMA has "Superman Toys" toystore at the top floor. Contrary to the name, it does not sell any DC related items but rather it boasts an INCREDIBLE store display of Astroboy, Kamen Rider, ULtraman, SOul of Chogokin from the owner's own collection. It's a proverbial Toy Museum!! From Lifesize statues to busts, Japan action figures, boxed and loose.... the works!!! I guarantee you'll get stuck there staring at it for at least 30 minutes!
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here are some toy shopping hot spots courtesy of V2 of Mechapinoy (http://www.mechapinoy.net)
Toy shopping spots in Hong Kong:
Causeway Bay:
http://www.afhub.com/toy-shopping-in-hong-kong-causeway-bay/
Wanchai:
http://www.afhub.com/toy-shopping-in-hong-kong-wanchai/
Mongkok:
http://www.afhub.com/toy-shopping-in-hong-kong-mongkok/
Sham Shui Po:
http://www.afhub.com/toy-shopping-in-hong-kong-sham-shui-po/
hope this helps ^^
