SprueVia Japan

INDEPENDENT SHOPPING GUIDE

Plan your model-kit shopping in Japan.

Free guides and tools for Gunpla and model-kit shoppers. Visiting Japan? Compare shops and plan how to carry your kit home. Ordering from abroad? Check the exact kit, shipping and full delivered cost.

Visiting Japan: compare shops Compare store vs delivered cost
Editorial illustration of an original robot model, sprues and an imaginary hobby shop
AI-created illustration · Not a photograph of a real shop or product.

No account needed

Make your next build a good find

Find hobby shops, choose a first build or check a secondhand box.

START WITH YOUR SITUATION

Build a shopping day that fits

Choose by the time you have, the box you can carry or the hobby you came for.

Time

Only four hours in Akihabara?

Adapt the illustrative 11:00–15:00 plan, with a kit shortlist, optional tools stop and return buffer.

See the four-hour example Prepare my in-store kit checks
Luggage

Thinking about a large kit?

Compare the actual closed box plus protection with the usable space in your luggage before paying.

Make a box-and-luggage plan Allow for kit and packing costs
Your hobby

Looking beyond Gunpla?

Start with the scale-model guide, or take the separate Mini 4WD shopping path for that hobby.

Find a scale-model starting point Explore Mini 4WD shops
Illustrative model kit box with sprue frames, instructions and hobby tools
AI-created illustration · Not a photograph of a real shop or product.

ONE QUESTION TO SETTLE

Read the stock label for the right GUNDAM BASE branch and plan a fallback.

Check stock signals

FREE PLANNING TOOL

Give your next build a budget

Allow for the kit, the extra journey and packing. See what fits before you shop.

Try the calculator

BEFORE THE DETOUR

Check the kit, the box and the journey

Deciding whether a kit is worth a special stop? Match the edition and contents, then allow for travel, packing and luggage space before choosing your budget.

See the method and worked example →
Recheck branch and entry signals →

CHECK THE EVIDENCE

Read the branch and date behind a claim

The Research Log records what each source supports and when it was checked. A product listing does not reserve a kit. Source checks are separate from firsthand visits.

Read our editorial standards →

Planning method updated . Source checks retain their own dates.

Affiliate disclosure: SprueVia Japan may earn a commission if you buy through the CDJapan link below, at no extra cost to you.

Browse online model-kit options

Use the retailer page to compare the exact model, release status, shipping options and complete delivered cost. A listing is not a stock or delivery guarantee.

Browse plastic model kits at CDJapan

A REAL-WORLD LOOK

At the shop entrance

Entrance to THE GUNDAM BASE TOKYO, photographed in March 2023
THE GUNDAM BASE TOKYO entrance · March 12, 2023. Photo: Syced / Wikimedia Commons, CC0 1.0. Resized and converted to WebP for display; no compositional edits. Historical photograph, not a current stock or layout check. Not photographed by our team.

Plan a THE GUNDAM BASE TOKYO visit →

TAKE IT TO THE SHOP

Model-kit shopping fieldbook

Compare two options, show Japanese questions and keep a personal checklist.

Open your fieldbook →