I really regret having to say this, but apparently the NY branch of the Japanese bookstore Asahiya is seeing its final days. Located on 45th St in Manhattan between Madison and 5th Ave, Asahiya for many years provided a smaller, yet less expensive alternative to Kinokuniya for buying new Japanese manga and books (Book Off is of course still the king for used material). When I came back from Japan, I used Asahiya to continue purchasing issues of Monthly Afternoon and buying volumes of Genshiken, and just recently I used it to purchase Tonari no 801-chan Volume 4. While Kinokuniya will still be around, I’m really sad to see Asahiya go.

They’ll be having a sale between October 1st and October 31st, so if you get the chance, I suggest stopping by before it’s all gone for good.