When I lived in Japan, I accumulated quite a tower of secondhand yuri manga. I wanted to improve my reading speed for the JLPT, and I felt determined to do it in a way that was enjoyable (read: sapphic) and friendly to both the environment and my bank account.
Familiar with the yuri sections of my local used bookstores. Whenever I visited, I imagined all the queer women in Nagoya passing the same few volumes of manga around to each other. It was like an unspoken lending library happening on the hilariously tiny gay shelf of every Book-Off in town. Every book had a history before me and a future after me, hopefully having a positive influence on everyone it touched.
But no matter what genre floats your boat, I want that feeling of community reuse for you too. So how do you get started buying secondhand Japanese books? Luckily, it's not too tough. In this article, I'll offer my recommendations on where to buy secondhand Japanese books and manga, both in Japan and overseas. But first, I'll wax lyrical about the wonders of secondhand book buying and teach you some helpful Japanese words for the process. I hope that after reading, you feel more comfortable throwing down some yen at your local secondhand bookstore!
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Of course, there are tons of good reasons to buy Japanese books and manga. Maybe you want to level up your Japanese reading comprehension with some extensive reading, or 多読 (tadoku). Or perhaps you're just an otaku looking for some manga translated into your native language. But why go out of your way to buy them secondhand?
The answer is pretty simple: cheapness, baby. Used manga is notoriously inexpensive in Japan — we're talking less than 100 yen per volume sometimes. And used books are not that far behind, with some great finds priced at less than 1, 000 yen. Plus, it's often impossible to tell the difference between a new book and a secondhand one in Japan. Personally, I never noticed any flaws significant enough to hinder my reading experience among the used books I bought there.
On top of that, you're doing the environment a favor by reusing a pre-owned item, so you'll get some self-congratulatory feelings out of the deal. It also feels great to pass on a story or collection of thoughts that affected you to someone else in your community through secondhand resale, or 買い取り (
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). Before I left Japan, I resold all but one of my sixty-six volumes of LGBTQ+ manga, partially because I thought they'd do more good being read by someone else than on my shelf collecting dust. (And partially because I was out of luggage space.)
By buying their work full-price, I totally understand. I like to do that too! But otherwise, consider this a friendly invitation to at least check whether the books you want are available secondhand. And you know what would be a great way to start looking?
…That's right, learning some vocabulary! If you're only looking for translated books, you probably won't need much Japanese. But if you're in Japan, buying books written in Japanese, or using Japanese sites, you'll need to be hip to some common terms. First, here are a few general words for buying anything secondhand in Japanese.
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Got those phrases down? Well done, my fellow cheapskate. Now, here are some more specific words for all your secondhand (and regular) book-buying needs.
And that's it! Pretty easy compared to buying secondhand clothes. Next up — where do you find those musty old tomes anyway?
Fortunately, Japan has no shortage of secondhand booksellers, from global chains to local shops to online marketplaces. So where should you start? Well, it depends on where you live and what kind of book or manga you're looking for.
Manga Section Of A Local Used Book Store
If you don't live in Japan, you may be in for a rough time. Option #2 can be wallet-bustingly expensive, so I highly recommend going with #1 whenever possible. Seriously, it's the import fees that'll getcha! But if you must import, try ordering things in bulk to save on international shipping. Or you can always buy e-books in Japanese, eliminating shipping costs entirely. (Can you tell this is my preferred strategy after leaving Japan?)
On the other hand, are you looking for secondhand books that are translated into English or another language? Good news — that tends to be easier, assuming you don't live in Japan. All you need to do is buy from sellers within your country or Japanese retailers with an international presence.
International websites with overseas shipping. These are great places to look for both translated and untranslated books/manga. Then, I'll get into some Japan-only merchants that sell primarily untranslated works. Reference whichever sections are most useful to you, depending on where you hang your hat. Darn you, size of the world!
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Outside of Japan, it can be pretty easy to find new, translated manga. Even untranslated books and manga aren't hard to track down if you're lucky enough to live near a Kinokuniya or Book-Off. However, buying Japanese books/manga that are both secondhand
It's not impossible, though! You'll just have to boot up the good old internet, which is why I've focused on online stores here. For research purposes, I went as far as the shipping screen at each merchant to compare international shipping costs. (Look forward to the juicy exposé in the following sections.) I put them in order from the ones I'm most familiar with to least familiar with, but they're all worth perusing.
Rest assured, all of these stores offer ways to buy from within Japan and internationally. So no matter where you live, check out these accessible retailers for all your secondhand book/manga needs!
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If there's a one-stop shop for secondhand Japanese books and manga, in my opinion, it's Suruga-ya. Most of my leaning tower of secondhand manga in Japan came from me and my wallet letting loose on their online store. Like a lot of secondhand books/manga in Japan, one volume is often only 100-200 yen. Suruga-ya also has the cheapest shipping prices I've seen within Japan: less than 500 yen for orders under 1500 yen, and free for orders 1500 yen or more. This low threshold for free shipping makes it dangerously easy to just keep crawling back for more.
The shipping fees on their international site are quite a bit steeper though. My pretend purchase of one 160 yen book would've cost me over 2, 000 yen to ship, and four books would've run me about 4500 yen in shipping fees. Additionally, you only get shipping discounts if you spend 10, 000 yen or more, and they're pretty measly (500 yen off for spending 10, 000 yen; 1, 000 yen off for spending 20, 000 yen). Thus, I'd really only recommend Suruga-ya if you can get domestic shipping within Japan or are desperate for certain untranslated titles and willing to shell out for international shipping.
But uniquely, Suruga-ya also sells secondhand games, merchandise, toys, CDs, DVDs, electronics, and more that also tend to be pretty cheap. So if you want to throw any of that into your cart while you're at it, Suruga-ya might be handy for you! It's certainly my top choice for secondhand manga.
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Speaking of my greatest loves in this cruel universe, yes, I am once again shilling for Mercari. For the uninitiated, Mercari is a Japanese e-commerce app/website where ordinary people buy and sell their used goods. If you've never heard of it before, check out our general article on secondhand shopping for more detailed advice on using the platform effectively.
If you're not picky about what you read in Japanese, this might be an interesting way to roll the dice on your reading material.
When it comes to specifically finding secondhand books and manga on Mercari, your luck will vary. On the international English version of Mercari, most translated titles I search for are available, thanks to some Joe Schmo out there looking to get rid of it. Similarly, on the Japanese version of Mercari (メルカリ), almost any untranslated title I've searched for is available for purchase from some Joe Schmorimoto out there. Makes sense, since the languages match the versions of the app.
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Match the version of the app; that is, when you're looking to buy untranslated works overseas or translated works in Japan. There
, book), or any other relevant Japanese word and whatever's available at the time will come up. You may not be able to find exactly what you're looking for, but if you're not picky about what you read in Japanese, this might be an interesting way to roll the dice on your reading material. By the same token, there are English versions of Japanese books/manga on Japanese Mercari sometimes.
In both of these cases, the saved search function of Mercari might help you keep an eye out for when that specific book you want becomes available. In their bios, some sellers even offer to take requests to buy certain titles you're looking for, although it might cost you a little extra.
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Assuming you can find something you want, it'll probably
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