I've been to Hong Kong a few times, usually on vacation with family. These were usually commercial endeavors (i.e. shop, shop, and then shop some more). In recent trips, I've been lucky enough to see more scenic areas, and I hope to see much more.
However that's not what this post is about.
This post is about shopping. Specifically, about toy shopping in Hong Kong. Action figures, gashapon, model kits, replicas, marvel, dc, sideshow, star wars, mcfarlane, kotobukiya, revoltech, etc. etc. etc. Collectively 'toys'. I know there are those of you who look down on people (or rather specifically adults) who collect 'toys', if you are such a person then perhaps you should skip this post and move on to more 'interesting' things. However there's a lot more to toys than just what you see in your regular Toys 'R Us. And the people who collect them, aren't simply trying to live a second childhood. Although I guess in some cases there may be a great bit of nostalgia involved.
In any case toy collecting can be a fun hobby, and it's something that you could share with your family and friends. Even if they're not interested in actually owning toys, that doesn't stop them from being fascinated by something that shows that great thought was put into it's creation, or some figure from a show they remember in their childhood (nostalgia factor!), or something more current (Lord of the Rings, Pirates of the Caribbean, and what have you), or simply something that looks wicked cool. How many people can say that they walked past a display of Lord of the Rings figures/statues/busts (which also falls under 'toys', or more specifically collectible toys) and did not slow down just a little bit to get a closer look?
Toys are interesting, and it's even more fun if you've got your own to fiddle with.
On a previous trip to Hong Kong, I'd decided (on behalf of J) to find out just how big the toy (selling) community is over there. J and I had been to the local Toys 'R Us on a previous trip. It was entertaining looking through what they had, but few things truly piqued our interest.
I set out to find the little shops, not ones owned by the big corporations, but the little ones hidden away in clusters in buildings, usually run by people who were toy collectors themselves. And was pleasantly blown away by the sheer amount of little shops there were. So was J, when he got to see them himself.
Learning about these shops took quite a bit of research. And even then, many of the sites I turned up were written in Chinese, which I don't speak. To translate these addresses I pulled up google translate. And with a little elbow grease, and a lot of guesswork, I had a few potential locations. I also eventually found an english site, which contributed to the information I'd gathered. Even then, it was not a sure thing that there would be anything at these addresses. The turnover rate for shops in Hong Kong can be pretty high, and a shop that was there on your last trip, could be gone on the next.
I'm posting the shops I know about now, so that perhaps it might reach someone out there who is in the same predicament as I was in. Someone interested in toys, wanting to seek out shops in Hong Kong, but unable to do so for lack of knowledge of where the shops are at. I had a great time with J visiting these places, and I hope you will too.
Toyshops (arranged by area/proximity to certain subway stops) Note: These pictures were all taken from Centamap. With boxes around where the addresses should go. A bit primitive, but it should do.
I don't recommend relying simply on these pictures. To get around, you really need a good map, and then mark on the map the location of where you want to go. Or you could print pages from centamap and paste them all together. If you're insane.
Another note: I should tell you now that our interests were primarily in DC/Marvel/Mcfarlane Action Figures, Godzilla paraphernalia, Transformers, Star Wars, gashapon and the like. And while I'm sure that if you have other interests you'll be able to find them in many of these shops, I can't promise detailed information about the whereabouts of such items.
Another important note: Toyshops don't always open at the same time, but they do usually open in the afternoon. Time ranges from 1pm to 3pm. I'm told this is because in the mornings the toyshop owners go to the airport to collect new shipments. Closing times also vary. Some shops open until late, some don't. In the meantime, you could do some shopping in regular shops (they usually open by 10pm) and have some good dimsum for breakfast. (har gau, char xiu bao, mmm...).
Causeway Bay
Causeway Bay Centre 15-23 Sugar Street, Hong Kong There's a few shops in the basement, one of these is an Animate shop (it's a franchise, I think). There's also a few shops in the various floors higher up. In one of these shops we managed to pick up an MP-03 for about 45o HK$. (Usually goes for 110US$)
If you're interested in 'American Comics' (DC, Marvel, etc.) then you shouldn't miss Clark's Comics & Novelties on the 2Flr, Shop 202, 205, 207. (Note that the little shops in Hong Kong are denoted by a shop number in which the first number usually correlates with the floor. Usually.) Clark's is composed of three different shops in the same area. If the lights are on in the shop you're interested in, but the doors are locked, then check the other shops first. Usually, the shop owner (Clark?) is in the shop where the comics can be found and locks up the other shops for security. But if you ask him, he'll gladly open up the other shops for you so you can take a look. (Which is rather amusing at times, as he runs back and forth amongst his three shops, opening and closing shops when various people come around curious about different things.) Clark's seems to be the primary source for American comics, although it's possible to occasionally find U.S. action figures in various other shops.
Causeway Bay Commercial Building 1-5 Sugar Street, Hong Kong There's actually only one shop here (to my knowledge) but it must not be missed. (EDIT: It's actually two shops on that same floor, considering that they have different prices on some identical items. - J) It's Toyzone on the 16F Room 1601. It's a bit of an 'outlet' area in which many older toys are stocked, warehouse-style, and you can freely go browsing amongst the shelves. Lots of entertaining and just plain odd things to be found. We managed to get an MP-01 (More than meets teh eye!) for around 550 HK$. A great deal considering how these figures are often not so easily available, and when they are, they cost a lot more.
Windsor House 311 Gloucester Rd, Hong Kong Toys 'R US 3F The In Square +852 2881 1728 Daily : 11am - 10pm Not the biggest one. (The biggest one is at Harbour City, Kowloon side) but perhaps the one that we visited the most. Largely because it was usually nearest to where we would stay.
There are also a number of small shops that sell toys in the floors beneath the Toys 'R Us. The shops here are well-lit, spacious and fun to browse through. I have not really bought much from here though, perhaps just a few small packs of gashapon as gifts for friends. (You should mention that room devoted entirely to gashapon! And that the UML on the ground floor is always more expensive than the Toys 'R Us, always check TRU first. -J)
Causeway Place 2-10 Great George Street We've never actually been here. Purportedly there is a Red Magic shop here. Shop 252, 2F Tel: 852-2504-3488. Red magic actually sells some pretty interesting things. If you're interested in Stikfas, or Qee figures, you might find these pretty darned cool. They also make really amusing parodies of Star Wars, various robots (Optimus Prime, Mazinger Z, etc.) Jumbo Sogo 555 Hennessy Road Sun-Th 10:00 to 22:00, Fr Sat 10:00 to 22:30 (852)2833 8338 This is actually a really large department store, there's a whole foor devoted to 'kid's stuff'. If you're into miniatures (Re-ment), this is one place you can buy whole boxes of them. It's not as cheap as if you'd get them in other stores, although sometimes they have good deals. For example if you buy a whole box, then you get another box free. We often go here to buy batmobiles (from Corgi) since these are relatively harder to find in other shops.
Hong Kong: Wan Chai
Oriental 188 188 Wanchai Road There are a lot of stores in the Oriental 188. Mostly selling consoles (NDS, Wii, PSP, PS3, etc.), accessories, and lots of games. We bought a "Wü" as a gift for someone who has a Wii. It's attachments for the Wiimote (the controller) that look like a golf club, tennis racket, and baseball bat. More for amusement really. A Wiimote there costs about 250HK$. And a Wii controller (the joypad) about 160HK$. An NDS game costs anywhere from 120HK$ to about 250HK$. Longer games can reach 300HK$. All original, no worries there. There are some toyshops here as well. (Beware though, the whole place looks and feels like a giant haggling area but the shop keepers react very harshly at any attempt of driving the price down! -J) (Noteworthy: Star Wars store on the 2nd floor. Large assortment and the lady who owns it gave me a great deal on a Darth Vader action figure. -J)
C.C. Wu Building 302-308 Hennessy Road Again a place that purportedly has toy shops, but we were unable to visit/find this building so I can't confirm that.
Kowloon: Mongkok/Yau Ma Tei
The Kowloon the Mongkok/Yau Ma Tei area along Nathan Road is a good place to go toyhunting as there are several buildings that lie within walking distance from one another. One of the buildings with a solid collection of toyshops and also electronic shops is In's point. If you get off at the subway station Yau Ma Tei, In's point shouldn't be very far away.
In's Point 530-538 Nathan Road, Kowloon More potential (unconfirmed) shops are at:
Cheung Hing Building 540 Nathan Road, Kowloon. It's a Cheersees.
5 Tung Fong St. Ground Floor
I have to admit that my memory of these stores is pretty much a blur. I can only recall being totally overwhelmed by how much there was to see. Unfortunately that doesn't really help me much with describing these stores. Suffice it to say that these are must-sees for toy collectors of any kind.
Sino Centre 592-582 Nathan Road There are several shops from 1-3F. Also possibly shops on the 9-12 Floors.
CTMA Centre 1N-1X Sai Yeung Choi Street Be sure to check the basement floors to the second floor. And after that, take the elevator to the 16th floor because there are more shops there.
579 Nathan Road Universal Models Ltd. Shop 4 27711930 (You might know it as UML! -J) Also a potentially interesting shop to visit if you have time. Just a single shop, a little pricier than other shops. Also marked on the map above is the Trendy zone (580A Nathan Road, Kowloon). It's interesting for clothes, stuffed toys, bags, shoes, and other things but it's not really the best place for toyshopping.
Unverified:
Chau Tai Fook Centre 580F-A Nathan Rd, Kowloon (Another Cheersees)
Grandcastle Commercial Centre 2T Sai Yeung Choi St., Kowloon (Animate shop)
Mansun House 163-173 Portland Street Unfortunately I was not able to visit this shop. There's supposedly about three floors of toyshops.
Richmond Commercial Centre 107-111 Argyle St./101-105 Sai Yee St. There are several floors of toyshops in Richmond Commercial Centre. It's another really good place to go looking for toys. If I had to choose which places to go to in Kowloon, I'd say primarly CTMA, Sino Centre, In's Point, and Richmond Commercial Centre.
Unverified Places:
105 Argyle Street
Kin Wong Mansion (39-41 Fife St./123-127 Sai Yee St.)
Mong Kok Building (93-99 Mong Kok Rd./135A-135B Sai Yee St.)
Other notes: Forms of Payment: Cash. Many toyshops are of the smaller kind, and they won't usually accept credit cards and whatnot. If you're going to change money, look for the shops that say that they don't have any commission. And have a reasonable rate. On Hong Kong Island most of the money changers found near hotels, major malls, etc. have not so good rates. Around 7.3 to a dollar, minus commission. (At the time I was there). There was one who sold for 7.6 with no commission. Unfortunately I haven't marked him on my map, so I can't tell you where he is exactly. He's near Time's Square at Causeway Bay though. The shops in the more distant areas of Kowloon offer better rates. Try to find shops that look decent and respectable.
Getting around: Hong Kong has a very good subway system. I would advise getting one of those reloadable Octopus cards when you come in from the airport. You could also use these cards to buy things from some stores. There is a 50 HK$ deposit, but you get it upon return of the card.
There's various other options you could go for, like a card for unlimited rides on all transportation for 2 or 3 days, but that option is best if you're going sightseeing. If you're out to toyhunt, or shop, most of your travelling will be on foot. So be sure to pack a pair of very good shoes, or your feet will reach new levels of pain. If your shoes aren't well padded, you could go to any of the numerous drugstores or groceries and get lining pads for your shoes. Perhaps some band-aids would be a good idea for blister coverage.
Other useful things to bring: Backpack: Easier to carry and better for your spine. Be sure to secure your valuables. A backpack may not be enough to carry all of your purchases though, especially if you buy large packages. Extra bags: These will be useful for carrying around your purchases. Definitely much easier than carrying many little plastic bags. Go for something light, like a big cloth/plastic/paper bag. Water: It would be useful to have a bottle of water in your bag. It's easy to get dehydrated from all of the walking. Although it's easy to purchase water, it's a good idea to have some on hand. Snacks: In case you get hungry. Although there are many places to buy food from, it's best to be prepared. Other notes: It's not easy to find a restroom, many of the public ones are pay. I usually just sneak into a McDonalds, if I'm lucky enough that there's one nearby.
Taxi? At some point your feet may hurt enough and your bags heavy enough that you just want to take a taxi. If you take a taxi that is based in Kowloon (KL on the plate) and you want to go somewhere in Hong Kong, then you will have to pay for the toll heading into Hong Kong, plus the toll for the Taxi to be able to return to Kowloon. And vice versa. There are actually places in Kowloon and Hong Kong where you can get a taxi that's on a return trip. (i.e. A Kowloon taxi in Hong Kong), in which case you only have to pay for toll once.
This post is dedicated to J. without whom I'd have never finished this post.
Useful Links: Centamap If you've an address that you want to locate, this is a good source. (There is an English option). I would advise that you procure a good map, search for the address on this online one, and then mark it on your own map. I have the Inisght Fleximap. It's fairly complete for most of Hong Kong Island and Kowloon.
Hong Kong Toys & Games Fair Hong Kong has an annual toy fair. I've never been able to go, unfortunately, but it should be an awesome place to go for those who can.
Toysdaily This would probably be much more useful if you could read chinese. It's where I searched up many of the stores we visited. I don't speak Chinese. It took google translate and an insane amout of guesswork to figure out the addresses.
A Post on the Mail Archive Useful, more detailed descriptions, in English! Focusing more on gundam models though, so this might be useful for people who are looking for model kits.
This is quite late, and completely out of season, but I stumbled upon the pictures just now and thought that the time and effort put into this project made it deserve to be shared. Many thanks goes to Franky's Attic, from which many patterns and recipes were taken. If you've ever wanted to make your own gingerbread house(s) for Christmas, then this is the place to start.
