What is Toranoana?

Toranoana is a manga store headquartered in Akihabara. We asked them about the appeal of "dōjinshi" (self-published works), in which they specialize, and their path as a company.

Exterior view of Toranoana Akihabara Store A and Store BOriginal Source: Photo by Yuka Ikenoya(YUKAI)

Toranoana is a store that mainly carries "dōjinshi", self-published works created by individual manga artists.
Physical stores are located in major cities across Japan. Its headquarters is in Akihabara, a district devoted to otaku culture.

Portrait of Sales Division Director Takeru Mitsuoka of Toranoana Inc.Original Source: Photo by Yuka Ikenoya(YUKAI)

“Toranoana started out as a place to sell dōjinshi to customers who stop by Akihabara on their way home from the Comic Market. We offer dōjinshi and commercial manga, novels, anime, and game-related products that customers who like dōjinshi also like,” says Takeru Mitsuoka, the sales division director of Toranoana Inc. The majority of customers at the Akihabara stores are male.

Among all the districts in Japan’s capital city of Tokyo, Akihabara stands out as Japan’s leading epicenter of otaku culture. Stores specializing in manga, anime, and games are scattered throughout the “Electric Town” area, which has become a hub for fans. Due in part to its proximity to Tokyo Station, it attracts many fans from within Japan as well as from abroad.

Since its founding, Toranoana has promoted otaku culture and created spaces for customers to encounter dōjinshi.We spoke with them about the appeal of dōjinshi, the changing times, and new initiatives in the area.(July 2020 Interview).

Toranoana Store A’s dōjinshi sectionOriginal Source: Photo by Yuka Ikenoya(YUKAI)

Dōjinshi’s appeal lies in the identification with an individual’s “likes”
“Dōjinshi’ is appealing because it sums up an individual’s ‘likes.’ There is a sense of joy in identifying with an artist’s choices, thinking, ‘This is how this artist sees their work and characters.’

At our store, we want to play a role in promoting artists and their works in order to support artists in creating books.”

View of a special exhibition of a creator’s works, held for a limited timeOriginal Source: Photo by Yuka Ikenoya(YUKAI)

Holding exhibitions of works to promote recognition of their creators
In each store, there is a section introducing the creators that displays commercial items created by dōjinshi artists. At the main store in Akihabara, special exhibitions to display artists’ works are held regularly. These events are aimed at the most discerning dōjinshi fans.
“We want to help to raise artists who create dōjinshi. At Toranoana, we say, ‘Let’s become like family to the creators.’ We want to be a place the artists can rely on without hesitation.”

The Akihabara streetscapeOriginal Source: Photo by Yuka Ikenoya(YUKAI)

The open-mindedness of Akihabara, the epicenter of otaku culture
Akihabara, the district where the Electric Town and otaku culture coexist, is highly tolerant of change.
“Akihabara gives you the ability to do what you want."

"In 2009, we stocked female-oriented dōjinshi, which were rare at the time, to discover the needs of our female customer base. At the scale of our business, we thought it was better to place stores in places frequented by customers rather than to try to cultivate a culture in this district ourselves. "

"The number of tourists and businessmen have increased over the past five years, but we want to continue to value the realness of this space as a store rooted in the area.”

A corner of Toranoana Store B’s dōjinshi sectionOriginal Source: Photo by Yuka Ikenoya(YUKAI)

International customers visit the store seeking “authenticity”
Akihabara also attracts many customers from abroad. The stores in Akihabara include Store A, which is oriented toward male customers, and Store B, which is oriented toward female customers. Currently, Store B is being developed as a “space for trying out interesting things.” “At Store B, we sell Sanrio merchandise on the first floor and female-oriented dōjinshi on the upper floors. International customers make up 20 percent of the people who visit Store B. They come in search of ‘authentic’ things written in Japanese. The male-to-female ratio of international visitors is 3:7, but looking at the amount they spend on purchases, it’s evenly split between the genders.”

A corner of Toranoana Store B’s dōjinshi sectionOriginal Source: Photo by Yuka Ikenoya(YUKAI)

Future initiatives and challenges during the COVID-19 pandemic
Although a large number of customers frequent Toranoana, the store is not free of challenges. “Attracting the younger generation. Right now they turn to various forms of entertainment centered around their smartphones and it’s hard to get them interested in high-priced dōjinshi.”
The impact of COVID-19 is also significant. “Dōjinshi sales events were cancelled, creators lost a real space for presenting their works, and they are refraining from creating new issues. Our company grew into what it is because of the creators, so we want to support their creative activities, including through mail-order sales.”

Interior view of Toranoana Store A’s first floorOriginal Source: Photo by Yuka Ikenoya(YUKAI)

Toranoana is committed to working side-by-side with its users, linking creators to their fans. Akihabara is filled with the spirit of enterprise, and it is also where otaku culture was born.

The challenge Toranoana faces in coming up with new projects to attract users in Akihabara, which has also been developing as a business district in recent years, seems to overlap with the circumstances of the Akihabara district itself.

Credits: Story

Cooperation: Toranoana Inc.

Interview: Yumiko Watanabe
Photo: Yuka Ikenoya(YUKAI)
Edit: Yuka Miyazaki(BIJUTSU SHUPPAN-SHA CO., LTD.)
Supervisor: Hirohito Miyamoto(Meiji University)
Production: BIJUTSU SHUPPAN-SHA CO., LTD.
Written in 2020

Credits: All media
The story featured may in some cases have been created by an independent third party and may not always represent the views of the institutions, listed below, who have supplied the content.
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