Super cute store! I haven't visited one in awhile, but this one in Torrance, though small, is packed with lots of unique Japanese goodies. There's houseware, beauty products of all kinds and collectibles like blind boxes and kawaii plushies. Everything is a bit pricey, but considering the quality and unique imported items, it's expected. Online ordering for pick-up was a cinch; they got a specialty manga shipped within days and held it for me for over a week (just make sure you call in if you can't pick up in 7 days just in case). The website isn't the best, but it's usable if you know what you're looking for. Would come back if I wanted to order a specific item or wanted some unique gifts or beauty products. On busy days, it can get cramped fast in that little store, so be prepared. read more

This is the main Kinokuniya I go to, and it's where I usually special‑order all my Japanese books--Hobby Japan mooks like *Gundam Weapons*, *Gundam Forward*, HJ Mechanics, plus Hyper Rev and *Option* car magazines. I don't really browse much anymore; I just bring them the ISBN and they take care of everything. They're super fast, they email and call when the order comes in, and the books always show up in perfect condition. Since each Kinokuniya is basically its own franchise, every store has a different vibe. This one leans more toward stationery and gifts than a huge selection of Japanese books or magazines. It's a great date spot, but not really the place to dig for rare anime or manga collectibles. The space is smaller than some of the other LA locations, and with Animate nearby, they don't carry every item you might expect. If you want something specific, just order ahead and use their buying service--it's the move. read more

I came here for the Sonny Angel!! Yesterday on Friday 1/16/2025, I am treating myself to buy one Sonny Angel happy birthday for myself as my early bday present. This bookstore is fun and cool you can find lot of japanese or kawaii item that you will not see anywhere else. They have an amazing selection on amines, plushies, books, blind boxes, stationery, and many mores cool items, and the staff were very nice. Super organized, and the inside is so cute and cozy. I can't wait for my next visit to shopping!! read more

Kinokuniya - I got star balloon birthday bear - Bookstores Near Me - Torrance, California

See all

This Kinokuniya bookstore is small in scale, carrying limited manga books and magazines, although plenty choices of animation merchandises. I found it's convenient to visit, as it's located near the entrance of the Mitsuwa grocery store. read more

See all

This location carries more than items than the other store, and the isles are roomier as well. The staff are very friendly and helpful. Some stuff are a lot pricey than others. read more

See all

This particular Kinokuniya location is more of a gift shop/ stationery shop focused than an actual bookstore. It had some of the new Japanese novels for the season and majority was English translated mangas. I liked how they had many of the Japanese children's books including the 百万回生きた猫. I loved how they got all the ぐりとぐら series and other very useful Japanese recipe books. I ended up getting some bookmarks and walked away with two horror novels for the summer. It's a classic summertime ritual to read horror novels to enjoy the chills and goosebumps during the hotter months. The customer service was friendly and I wouldn't mind swinging by again in the future. read more

I came here for the Sonny Angel restock!! After stalking the official Kinokuniya USA Instagram, I was able to see when they were in stock with Sonny Angels and Smiskis. They had the Sonny Angel Kiss Kiss Series that was released on January 21, 2025, and I was able to snag some on February 2, 2025. They had plenty of them in stock, and there was a three figures per series limit. The employee had told me that if I had bought three of the Sonny Angel Kiss Kiss Series, I would receive a free gift! I got a Sonny Angel Beagle Key Chain. I noticed some Sonny Angel Flower Series and Sonny Angel Animal Series Version 3 behind the counter, and the employee told me it was one per person for either the Flower Series or Animal Series Version 3. I was able to snag two Sonny Angel Flower Series because I had another person with me. The Sonny Angel Kiss Kiss Series was $16.95, the Sonny Angel Flower Series was $15.99, and I got a Smiski Dressing Series for $14.95. The employees are always very kind, and they're always very helpful for any questions I may have. I never see employees around the store unless they're restocking. They are mostly behind the counter. The bookstore is always very organized, nice, and clean. There's no food or drinks allowed in the store. The store has plenty of room to walk in, and there's tons of stationary, collectibles, anime merchandise, plush toys, manga, magazines, Japanese books, etc. I would definitely come back here! The employees are always kind, there's fun things you could find in store, and there's tons of Sonny Angels and Smiskis when they restock. I would recommend Sonny Angel and Smiski collectors to come here! read more

See all

TL;DR - i was so impressed after coming here they have so many tote bags, blindboxes, plushies, books, stationary!!! - staff is very knowledgeable & helpful if you can't find a product! - and omg the inside is so cute and cozy super duper organized with so many cute japanese products, the price is pretty good compared to other bookstores! read more

See all

As far as Kinokuniya's go, this is a fairly decent location within the Mitsuwa market complex next to the mall. It's a definitely a bit smaller and cramped than the other locations and may not be as packed with anime goods and such, but I feel like that is offset and compensated by the fact that there's the presence of so many other Japanese businesses and anime goods shops within the shopping mall. There's more stationery here as well as gifts and trinkets (as there's no Maido here, unclear if there is one in the immediate area) and things for kids. Worth a quick stop, especially if you're a fan of the franchise or are comparing prices to the other shops within the mall. read more

Kinokuniya - Bookstores Near Me - Torrance, California

See all

This is a US branch of a popular and long-standing Japanese bookstore chain. Ever since the Los Angeles branch moved to a temporary location, it's harder to get Japanese-language items in Southern California so I appreciate this store (and the Santa Monica branch). For book inventory, they have both a Japanese-language manga (which is cheaper and released before the English translation, but in Japanese) section and an English manga section. If I want a manga that isn't popular, I like to order the manga online and pick it up in-store (even though it may take a while), because they have a much larger selection online from their warehouse. Also related, is their art books for different anime series and Ghibli films. Every so often, they have exclusive items to promote certain manga and you get it for free if you buy it. There is a small section of Japanese print magazines on various topics like fashion, cooking, interior design, lifestyle, etc. I also like the travel books and magazines (Casa or Hanako) with pictures of cafes to visit in certain cities. You don't have to know Japanese to enjoy them (although it really helps), and they are good for travel planning. In the back, I appreciate that they have Japanese-language learning textbooks for English speakers, along with language learning workbook and Kanji workbooks. The children's section has a nice selection. On other shelves, there are more advance Japanese books, I cannot comment too much only that they do have them. The stationery section is pretty cute and I can get my Traveler's Notebook inserts in person. Sometimes they have the Traveler's Times from the Traveler's Company for free, and I get it every year around the time the yearly planner is released. The washi tape section is pretty unique. What I like is I can test out some of their pens and they have a pretty diverse selection. Their sticker section is very tempting, so protect your wallet. The gifts section has Rolife miniature-making kits, which are very cute but are very involved. It does take a while to build, but the results are worth it. Trust the process. Other gifts like Ghibli merchandise, anime merch, Japan souvenirs, other trinkets and cute stuff are available here as well. A of blind boxes but I would say they have a variety of things. Smiski and Sonny Angel seem to be popular items. read more

Love their selection of Japanese writing pens & cute accessories. Very friendly workers!

This bookstore is fun and you can find a lot of kawaii items that you will not see anywhere else. They have a great selection on Hello Kitty items and anime books. There is a whole wall dedicated to the most popular animes like Jujutsu Kaisen, One Piece, My Hero Academia, and many more. They also have lots of stationary for all the planners and anyone who has a bujo. The store is located in the Mitsuwa store so upon arrival, you will need to exit the market and go to the back. It is kinda small so take your time browsing the store. You may miss some pretty cool trinkets so I suggest slowly browsing. Staff here are pretty nice and will let you know what is new to the store and what is upcoming. We got some info about a couple books that we had our eyes on. Since this isn't too far from us, we will definitely be back especially because my son loved it here. Happy shopping my kawaii friends! read more

I am OBSESSED with this store!!! I've been to the Los Angeles location and this one is so much bigger. This store is full of super cute and super fun gift items. I can literally walk around and be mesmerized by all the fun variety of gifts they offer. First off, they have Tokidoki. We love Tokidoki!!! Every little thing is fun and unique, that's what's makes this store so special. There were two cute older Asian women tending to the store and they couldn't be sweeter. Made me nervous when one of them had to climb a ladder to grab one of the plush animals from the top for us. But she's a rockstar! One of the coolest things we found and I got for my daughter's birthday gift is the little miniature houses, rooms DIY. We were so fascinated by how tiny everything was. These are pricey but if you see it, you'll know exactly why. Totally made my daughter happy and she can't wait to put it together! The prices are a tad higher here but that's the price you pay for coming to a cute boutique style shop like this. I wish they had cute spots like this in South Florida. But while I'm in town, I will take it all in. read more

See all

I was a frequent shopper at this store. I would visit and make purchases at least 3-4 times a week. Today I had a very poor experience in the store. An older female employee took items out of my hands and yelled at me while I was shopping. All of the employees just watched her carry out this behavior as if it was an appropriate way to treat a returning customer. The staff member is extremely Rude and has very poor customers service and communication skills. When I called back to verify the name of the employee that mistreated me the employees refused to give me her name. read more

I really like the products this store offers. But the service today was pretty poor. In general, none of the workers are ever paying attention to the customers and always seem to be stocking even if there's 3-4 people working. Typically I have to hunt down a worker to pay for my item, or they just stare at me from behind the counter until I ask if I can check out. And the items...are really overpriced. Some of them are up to 3x their value and I know that it's being imported from Japan....but that's a really steep upcharge. With the combined lack of service and the high prices I just can't see myself returning. read more

The good: This is a really cute book store for Japanese books and gifts. They have so many kawaii things! I really love Japanese gifts and how things are so dainty and adorable. Enter all things shiba-inu related! They have cute things like diffusers, bookmarks, pens, pencils, manga, plushies, water bottles, clothes, bags, notebooks, cards, and more. The bad: The aisles are a bit small so it may be hard with toddlers or strollers. Everything is pretty expensive (almost $30 for a reed diffuser). The interesting: They have other locations in other Mitsuwa markets too. They also have locations in Japan according to my Japanese au pair. They're located by the foodcourt in the supermarket. read more

Place is overpriced but willing to support the business. The lady yelling " we are closing."" Rudeness is my perception of this lady. Could've been more professional the way she could've say it! Telling everyone to get out of you are not buying anything because they are closing in five minutes. Totally rude. Lots of complain about service in yelp. Need to educate ur workers pls. to treat customers with respect. I don't argue and waste my time on these people. If you want your business to prosper, encourage these young people to be more professional and be educated. read more

i absolutely love stationery. this is my all time favorite stationery store! it's location inside a shopping center, so there's a lot of restaurants indoors as well! read more

See all

Racially profiled customers and do not give welcoming environment when shopping, employees are terrible at being discreet when they're following you and they automatically blame you with no evidence. we went up to the cashier to let them know of the two Japanese ladies, awful experience. read more

The worker with bangs had a really bad attitude. After purchasing over 100 dollars worth of manga/books, asked to purchase a paper handle bag due to the weight and needing to shop further. The cashier gave me a really judgmental look and said "sorry we don't do that service". One of my other friends purchased a plushie and was given a paper handle bag. So it was a bit weird that they were unable to accommodate giving a handle bag with my heavy purchase. Make sure to train the girl with bangs with a little more customer service or giving a better attitude to clients. read more

Kawaii Kinokuniya! Kinokuniya Bookstore just opened up at the new Mitsuwa marketplace at Del Amo Fashion center and it's super kawaii. For Sanrio fans like myself; there was Hello Kitty origami paper, Gudetama books, plushes and more. I instantly became a fan when I walked in and saw all the goodies. The cuteness doesn't stop with Sanrio gifts though because there's so many cool things in this store! They've got a great variety of Japanese pens that are great for writing. They've got beautiful cards and notecards. There's novelty gifts such as a lucky cat bobblehead, moving wooden clocks and collectible pins. There's also a cool play area for kids. Here they can play with stuffed toys, read some books and just enjoy the cool atmosphere. I definitely see myself returning here in the future. read more

See all

So we were out shopping for some books in Torrance and decided to check out this store! The bookstore is inside the Japanese marketplace Mitsuwa and it was very clean and organized inside. We went to the manga section and all the books were organized alphabetically and most of them were sealed so they were all in pristine condition. The employee helping me was also very friendly and I would definitely recommend this spot if you are searching for Manga! read more

See all

Date of visit: 8/7/2020 Used to be Maido. Now it's being extended and I guess purchased by Kinokuniya book store to include not only Japanese cute stuff, but also books. My kind of store and my kids' favorite stationary store. The price is not the cheapest but they definitely carry one of a kind! If you like cute stuff, check this store out! read more

See all

Nice little shop located in the Mitsuwa supermarket and has decent selection of pens and pencils here and plenty of color options. I like thin 0.38 or 0.4mm pens, which are rarely found outside of Asian stationery stores. This is a specialty store and things are priced like it. Honestly, I barely do any writing by hand these days, but at least when I do, it will be with a quality instrument. Can't speak to the rest of the store, but always see people milling around. Seems like they sell a lot of magazines and anime books. read more

came here for the first time. its quite a bit smaller than the kinokuniya LA location but has a pretty good selection of english and jpn manga and artbooks as well as stationery, plushes, jpn anime md, etc. kind and polite workers also from what i could tell, the jpn selection slightly leans towards whats in demand/most popular and the most recent release (?). for example, i was looking for natsume yuujinchou and gintama series and although they had copies of the most recent volume, they didnt seem to have the first or other volumes on the shelves. there isnt any bl books here either haha. however series in the eng selection did seem near complete and very well stocked on the shelves. compared to the LA location, this one has better parking, more plushies, md and misc things to choose from. the manga selection is really good but you might not find all obscure or as popular titles here. read more

See all

Great bookstore that offer books in Japanese and English, stationary items, fun anime or science fiction characters shirts, pens, calendars, and many other types of fun gift ideas. Family love the selection of Japanese authors available here. In addition, the learn Japanese language books are in a variety of choices. The staff is friendly and glad to help out when needed. COVID ready by signage posted, must wear face coverings, count people coming in, and offer hand sanitizer. Thank you for the great experience and will be back soon. read more

The selection of random trinkets was so awesome and I bought a new pen there that's now my favorite it even has some manga in the back though it's not a wide selection it looks amazing read more

Why FOUR? Why NOT FIVE? Come on. It's totally worth FIVE! Give it FIVE STARS. Yeah. I LOVE all Kinokuniya locations. If I see one, I'm going in. I'm spoiled by the DTLA Kinokuniya store. I'm gonna break down the 4 for you. Yeah - you're right. Totally should get 5 stars for what it has to work with, but I still work with the old rating system: 4 = I AM A FAN. 5 = IT IS PERFECT. Parking Awesome. If you've ever been to the mall, you know there's plenty of parking inside and outside. If you want to park immediately outside the market in the sun, you're no more than 20m from going inside. Location - bleh. If you know the mall, you know the secret back stairwell from the mall to the grocery store, or passing through the parking lot, or even around the outside of Vegas Seafood (or whatever will take its place). Ultimately, you're always going to have to LEAVE THE LARGER MALL PROPER, enter the grocery area, walk to the back, then find the Kinokuniya. Not the easiest to find the first time if you're just visiting the mall. It's a hidden space, and a very difficult space to maneuver especially if you use crutches or wheelchair. No waiting/seating area outside (except food area) Much smaller than Los Angeles and smaller than Santa Monica. BUT On the plus side, there are plenty of food vendors to visit on your way back to get your favorite book, toy, stationery supply, or fun gift for a friend. This ISN'T a tourist location like DTLA's store. It's the place where you get the latest volume of the series you're reading, or some Japanese fun items for friends. Staff / Service +++++ FIVE STAR RATING +++++ 1 - They know all of the obscure books you're looking for 2 - They know all of the strange little festival objects you're trying to find 3 - Store is clean and check out is quick (even with the long line today) Stock They have plenty of the things (of the limited inventory that they keep in stock). There isn't as much as you'll find 40min up the freeway in Little Tokyo - especially if you're looking for drawing books and custom pens. (They do have some) THIS IS A GREAT PLACE TO COME GET THE THING THAT YOU ALWAYS GET HERE. You'll probably pick up something fun if you visit (I got a couple of toys, cute tenugui, and a keychain) (gone before photos) read more

i mean there really isn't anything to say about this place you seriously need to go yourself to see that it speaks for itself you can literally spend an hour in here just looking for things and finding little treasures that you didn't know you needed . it's a book store but they have a bunch of small items that are very interesting it's a fun store to go to just to look around and find gifts for people. they have lots of arts supplies too . i recommend you checking this place out read more

See all

My favorite spot to splurge on stationery and other knickknacks. I also like coming here to buy gifts for friends and family. A little on the pricy side, but all their items are of great quality. read more

This store has lots of cute stuffs BUT when I got home and digging for a receipt because one of the pen wasn't working and needed to get exchanged. I realized lady charged me for 3 items when I only bought two. Pay attention to what they ring up versus what you pay here ! read more

Excellent selection of books and stationary. In Japanese and in English. Pens and art supplies as well.

Absolutely tremendous selection of books, toys, stationary, etc. This is like Disneyland to my kids and me, we all love too much about Japanese culture. We read the various books, watch Studio Ghibli films, etc. There's something for everyone. We miss travelling to Japan so being able to get a little taste of it is such a treat. read more

I love kinokuniya stores specially the ones in Tokyo. This store is small but have a decent amount of goodies. I took two stars because the times We have been there I notice the staff attitude is not the best. During the paying time the women behind the cashier didn't say anything at all. Even that at the end my husband told her thank you in Japanese. Can wait to go back to Japan stores with the great welcoming attitude read more

They are super nice! I was buying art books and one of them I mistook for being in English instead of Japanese (cause it's a game encyclopedia) and they were able to quickly handle a refund no hassle. Easily a place I'll make monthly visits to read more

New Kinokuniya inside the Mitsuwa market next to Vegas Seafood. There are so many things, from stationary, books, magazines, comic books, kids work books, pens, markers, pencils, stuffed animals, toys, birthday cards, Gudetama, Ghibi, Hello Kitty, Toki Doki, Pusheen, kids reading area to cute gifts. read more

Great Selection of Manga and everything Japanese, everything organized and clean, really like how they bag the manga I purchased, and the staff are really nice. Would definitely come again when I'm around in Torrance read more