Kinokuniya Book Stores

Little bit pricey, but always good to stop by for some fun stuffs.
The cashiers were so nice, very polite.
Hope they carry more Japanese Magazines.

I’m really torn on my rating because though this store has a wide variety of fun stuff, I’m not exactly sure if it’s all appropriate, repeated, or over priced.
Let me explain.
The stationary section is ample but from what I can tell, it’s a lot of the same stuff but with different colors. There’s a pen you can buy and it comes in over 100 colors, and next to the pens are the refills so that looks like an impressive display with several items but it’s essentially all the same thing. Same with the notebooks and other little nicknacks.
The magazines are also seemingly repetitive. Different names but same stuff. Now, the same can be said for any bookstore’s magazine section so I’ll leave it alone.
The comic books are… uhm…varied. I understand that some stuff that we westerners might consider as inappropriate are seen as normal everyday reading in Japan, but there are children in this store and at their eye level are displays of boy-​boy comics, hyper sexual drawings, and the like. I’m fine with the material, but maybe consider putting it on a higher shelf?
Staff are surprisingly lackadaisical. I expect more attentiveness when in a Japanese business but I suppose times change and with it, people as well.
The books along the back wall are in English and some of the titles are confusing while others are amazing. Most of the books on Japanese culture and food and fashion and whatnot are by white people, which doesn’t surprise me. It’s more fetish reading than anything else. An outsider’s interpretation (like mine) of a centuries old culture being summed up in a 120 page booklet with mostly photographs and catchy captions.
All that being said, I like this store. I never buy anything and I only come in when I’m with someone who wants to go inside, but I’m not against wandering through the aisles and entertaining myself with the funny, questionable, inapprorpiate, and confusing images.
Have fun now.

This is a very nice Japanese bookstore, aside from the Japanese books & magazines they have a huge selection of pens, refills, ink from old fashion to modern …& high quality German made pens as well. Did I make myself clear that they have A LOT of pens here… moving on
In the back wall there are a whole bunch of books in English, cookbooks, travel, story books …
They used to have Tshirts with design of famous authors such as Hemingway, «For whom the bell toll», «The sun also rises»…& many more. I bought 2 of those Shirts mentioned.
Well, it’s an interesting shop to look around that’s for sure. Love this place!

This is a really cute bookstore! Too bad I don’t read or speak Japanese… but I did enjoy my time roaming around aimlessly at the bookstore and seeing all the pretty book covers. My cousin was really attempted to buy a book but I’m like you don’t event read or speak Japanese haha. But anyways, it’s really nice and quiet escape from reality and you can kill so much time by looking around and finding something amusing. It’s inside Mitsuwa so parking can be somewhat of a hassle during rush hours. Everything is so pretty :^)

Since I live in Las Vegas, I ordered a couple of Japanese novels for my mother-​in-​law over the phone. I received them the next day. Unbelievable!!! Key was very patient and helpful in assisting me over the phone. We always stop at the Kinokuniya Book Store in Costa Mesa when in SoCal. The store is always clean and organized, and the employees are very helpful and courteous.

To say I’m in heaven is an understatement. I’ve been searching for a store like this in oc. I absolutely love the pens from Japan. And this store had them in leaps and bounds. From stationery, bags to every type of kawaii pen you could think of! I will definitely be back… The only negative about the store is that it’s pricey! You can find most these items online for much less. But if your like me and want to actually see and touch what your buying instead of shopping online this place is for you! I wish there were more kawaii stationery stores in Orange County but for now this store will definitely do!

Kinokuniya is my favorite bookstore chain. Where else can one purchase Japanese instructional sewing books and cookbooks? They also carry hobby magazines and super cute stationery.
This particular location is located inside a Mitsuwa so it it on the small side. Even with the smaller selection, I am still able to find a multitude of books that I am interested in. I do not know how to read Japanese. Instead, I use my Google translate app.
They offer membership for a yearly fee. It gets you a certain percentage off and allows you to accumulate points for free gifts cards. It is more worth it if you buy foreign books, which are more expensive elsewhere. If you are looking to by English books, you are better off getting a deal online (like on Amazon).

It’s the bookstore inside the Mitsuwa in Costa Mesa. They have a lot of books from Japan and some U.S. books as well. They also carry a large selection of magazines from Japan with free things inside. There sure are a lot of Yo-​Kai Watch magazines.
My animé freak tourist insisted we came here. It is very quiet inside. The staff is very nice. There was no line so we got the transaction conducted quickly.
We just bought a few minor items. They have some items in a bargain bin outside that are usually priced at 50% off list price. I sometimes buy those because they’re on sale.

I love Manga books and Kinokuniya is the best place to go. I came into the shop looking for a specific Manga book and their manga section was organized and clean. So while I was looking, I found a great art book on my boyfriend’s favorite movie. It was a bit pricey, but It was worth it. I asked the manager if they had the Manga I was looking for, and she said that they didn’t in that store, but that she would check the other stores inventory to see if they had it. Sure enough, their store in Portland, Oregon had one last copy and they offered to ship it to me because I was on business in Costa Mesa. The manager had great customer service and did not hesitate to help me. When I am back in Costa Mesa, I will definitely come back.
(Also, the book they shipped me came in 3 days after I got back from my business trip.)

Great place and great variety, but rather expensive.
I love the diverse «knick-​knacks» available here. They even have some Kikkerland products which was cool. A lot of great stationary and little décor things.
This bookstore is not just manga and Japanese books & Japanese magazines. For a while, I thought it was, but it also has really interesting English/​Western books (such as art, fashion, design, etc.)
If you have to come here during the lunch hour, be prepared for parking hell.

If you’re a pen/​pencil/​marker connoisseur, this place is heaven. I came here specifically for the Zig Cocoiro pen holders and refills and it did not disappoint! I made the mistake of coming here on a Saturday afternoon though and parking got a little cray. Other than that though, pretty cool store and I’ll definitely be back.

I love this bookstore. It’s super organized and there is a good selection of all products. I love the selection of fountain pens that are available! It is always organized, neat, and presentable with plenty of cute things around.

awesome collection of pens, stationary stuff and comic books!

Literally my favorite place in Orange County. Always has Campus notebooks and A5 loose leaf in stock, which are both probably more important to me than water. They also carry imported manga and magazines (w/​non-​airmail magazines being super reasonably priced) but they don’t carry more obscure/​cult favorite titles, and tend to sell out on the current/​popular series: the one thing you can always find in stock are new volumes of popular shoujo (lol). ALSO* they carry certain gashapon lines if you look closely in the middle bookshelf separating novels and manga.
Note that in pretty much everything (office supplies, manga, magazines), they only carry really popular or kinda-​popular-​but-​not-​really-​what-​you-​wanted sorts of things: i.e. they have Zebra Mildliners and Hi-​Tec-​C but do not carry Slicci. So you might not find exactly what you’re looking for.
On price, I have no idea why people complain about it: like sure, compared to the prices in Japan, it’s more expensive. But if you calculate in import costs and everything, it’s tremendously cheaper than any other options: even importing from Rakuten Global via Japan EMS is more expensive than buying it from Kinokuniya.

Very nice bookstore with a great selection of Japanese stationery/​pens/​notebooks. I bought a Kaweco Sport fountain pen and some inserts for my Midori Travelers Notebook. The staff was very friendly and I will be stopping on the regular.

Omg this place has so many little cute and adorable stuff… come and check this place out for sure !!! :)
Although I didn’t buy anything from here but someday when I need some cute stuff from here I would definitely come to this store.
The stuff they sell here are NOT cheap ok so be prepare for a lot of high price.
Located in the mitsuwa market place and good luck with finding parking on the weekend.

Mind you, I don’t frequent the Costa Mesa area that often (maybe every other month) but I never realized this place existed until recently. Pricing is on par with the Little Tokyo/​Downtown L.A. location. I buy my magazines here because unlike the L.A. location, they don’t slap the stickers on the front covers. Seemed like there were more collectible merchandise than the one in L.A. This shop is located inside the Mitsuwa Market plaza, across from HQ Video.

Coming from Singapore, I was SO excited to learn that there is a Kinokuniya right here in Orange County! Of course I had to visit. And boy this place didn’t disappoint! First, I managed to find my favorite pen — a Uni-​ball Signo — which is great because I’d hate to use anything else. There is a huge selection of Japanese pens, including Gelly-​roll glitter pens. I couldn’t find those anywhere, and I’m so happy they’re in Kino! For Japanese readers, there’s a ton of Japanese magazines, comics and books. Prices are great considering they’re imported! Also, there’s a ton of cute stationery and office stationery. This place is GREAT!
Also, a tip: it’s located inside Mitsuwa Supermarket, a Japanese supermarket, which is also great, but that’s for another review. Try to visit on weekdays, because the parking was already pretty crowded on a weekday, and I can’t imagine what it’d be like on a weekend!
Because it’s located inside Mitsuwa Supermarket, you don’t have to worry about going hungry. There is a wonderful food court right outside with authentic, delicious Japanese and Asian fare! I wish I’d found this gem of a place sooner!

Setting: Bf and I sitting in our computer room. We had just finished talking about what’s needing in terms of wedding décor and wedding tools. There’s about a 5-​minute silence
Bf: Hey hon, what’s the name of that one book store?
Me: (half-​milisecond pause) Kinokuniya.
Bf: (pauses for 5 seconds to register what I said). HOW THE HELL– WHAT THE — WHAT –
Me: (has a Cheshire cat grin)
Yeah, we’re still not sure how I was able to figure out what bookstore he wanted, but, hey, I guess that’s why we’re getting married to each other and not to other people.
Anyway, Kinokuniya Bookstore is in the Mitsuwa Marketplace, not the Marukai Marketplace that the bf and I were thinking of. Parking can be almost completely unavailable with how many people go to this shopping center. We had to park underground and, even then, had to wait for people to leave their parking spaces before we could take one.
Anyways, lovely bookstore. When you enter from the main entrance, turn right and Kinokuniya is at the corner. Good size, very clean, very organized. Everything’s clearly labeled, and prices aren’t too bad. Found a few animé figurines that were a few dollars less than other places, and they have a membership that you can purchase annually to get further discounts in the store.
The bf and I mainly went here to look at their pen section, where we need certain brush pens for his side of the family to use. While we found what we wanted, we, of course, started browsing the entire bookstore. While it is a Japanese bookstore, they still do have some magazines/​periodicals/​books in English.
They also have stationary, paper, clocks, small in-​house decorations. Found a very cute stamp they have, where they also have stamp sets, waxes (so you can seal envelopes with wax), stationary, and a huge selection of pens/​pencils/​mechanical pencils/​lead. They also have adorable little odds and ends, such as miniature music boxes, small purses, a good assortment of Rilakkuma items, etc. Surprisingly, didn’t see any Sanrio, or I just may not have been looking too closely. They also had polepole figures that are hand-​made from wood and hand-​smoothed, where it’s almost impossible for a machine to do it.
Will probably be back. Service was very polite and respectful, and I had no issues. Prices are fair when considering the costs/​expenses of importing from Japan. And, honestly, there are some things that you can’t get anywhere else, sometimes, especially when it comes to quality items.

初心忘るべからず
Reading: しょしんわするべからず (shoshin wasuru bekarazu)
Translation: We should not forget our beginner’s spirit. (the excitement/​humility of starting something new)
Source: Japanese Proverb:
Back in his college days, my hubby took a Japanese class. He really loved it but never had the time to pick it back up. Two months ago, he found an online self-​paced course of study that really worked for him and decided to give it another go.
To help him understand the conversational language better, he did a few things. He started watching Animé without subtitles, bought Japanese video games, and purchased books and manga in Japanese at his level.
When we first went on the search for books in Japanese, the choices seemed very limited… That is, until we found Kinokuniya! Located in the Mitsuwa grocery /​food court /​shopping center, it is an enormous bookstore packed with books in Japanese of every learning level. From manga, to art books, to magazines, to novels, it is all here! They even have a very large stationary selection, toy and collectibles area!
We have been back a few times now, and each time we find new treasures. I love this place. It’s like finding all the books and collectibles you want at Animé Expo without all the crowds, smelly people, and feeling like a bovine being herded to its untimely demise.
This store is huge! This photo doesn’t even show the magazine section:
The outer walls are lined with books /​manga /​comics in English. They have all the latest ones too like SAO and Attack on Titan!:
Huge selection of Japanese books:
Just like any great bookstore, they make it easy to find the best trending stories!
The service is fantastic. The employees are always willing to help you find anything you need. Thank goodness for that because the books are all grouped by publisher, not author:

Japanese books galore! Japan version of Barnes and Noble? Well it’s close to it.
I find this bookstore the only resource for reading materials, all in Japanese language! I bet lots of Manga freaks come here too, because I see tons of manga novels.
For the hobbyist like me who is a Transformers collector, I was able to find what I need here (check out photo) behold! it’s a Transformers Generation Japan Art Guide! Online these sells for 35% more than the cover price and guess what?! you pay the cover price, no ripoff shit!
Well some things here are pricey but you get cool stuff at Kinokuniya and you won’t have to go to Japan for it. I recommend this store if your in or around O.C. and not have to drive to Little Tokyo L.A.
Cool cashiers here, the dude spoke to me in Japanese even though I’m not Japanese, I’m pretty sure he asked me if I found what I needed and I did. Arigato!

My go to place to pick up my monthly Japanese manga (comic books). Conveniently located inside the Mitsuwa market, this small bookstore has all the popular Japanese manga in stock (at least all the ones I care about). They also have a pretty good selection of toys, DVDs and other Japanese trinkets (including Japanese stationary). They also sell a wide variety of Japanese books and magazines. The staff is super friendly and helpful so if you are looking for something specific, don’t be afraid to ask. The books/​manga is air shipped from Japan so everything is pretty current and updated.
The best part, you can stop by and grab lunch at the Mitsuwa food court afterwards.

I don’t speak Japanese. I can’t read Japanese. So what am I doing in a Japanese bookstore?
I have no idea…
Maybe because this place is just so cool and the atmosphere is so inviting. Maybe because the people working there are so friendly and so nice, embracing the Japanese culture of amazing customer service. Maybe because I love the soft Japanese music playing in the background that makes me feel like I’m actually in Japan. Maybe the store is so colorful; the merchandise so kaleidoscopic. Maybe because the people on all the magazine covers are so beautiful. Maybe because Hello Kitty is cute. Maybe because Maneki Neko is hot.
I don’t know. But I feel right at home. If you happen to visit the Mitsuwa Marketplace in Costa Mesa, be sure to visit this bookstore. Otherwise, your Japanese adventure is incomplete.

It was way easier to visit Kinokuniya when it was its own place by the Henry’s; parking at Mitsuwa is a pain in the ass. But we all make sacrifices for tchotchkes.
I was in need of gel pens and notebooks with characters that make no sense, so this seemed to be the place to go. They carry a good selection of pens (gel, rollerball, fine point, etc.) in any color you can think of, plus stationary/​stickers/​assorted stuff from both Sanrio and San-​X, including plush animals. As noted by My N., yeah, Kinokuniya is pricey, even sometimes more so than other import places I’ve found, but it’s good stuff.
I can’t read (or speak, for that matter) Japanese, so I haven’t browsed around the books and magazines, but I’ve seen some stuff in English around the registers that looks neat. And — although I have no interest in Star Wars — they have amazing Star Wars stuff, particularly the fabric banners hanging on the wall: they look somewhat traditional — cherry blossoms, lettering in Japanese — but oh snap, Darth Vader and C-​3PO and the Millennium Falcon et al are on them. They’re incredible. Seriously, if you like the movies, you should get one of these.
Does anyone say «oh snap» any more???