Stores bring Japanese merchandise to Jakarta

Lovers of Japanese animation, toys and other pop culture creations do not have to travel to Tokyo to fill out their collections. Shops across Jakarta are stocking up on original Japanese anime, figurines and music.

The must-have items include gashapon, or small resin figurines, comics, animated movies and Japanese pop or rock music, known as "J-pop" and "J-rock".

Hobby Japan at Ciputra Mall in West Jakarta has been serving anime fans since 1999.

"Some people say that it (collecting anime figures and movies) has become a trend recently, but I have been collecting since the 1980s," Jhonny Wijaya, the owner of the shop, told The Jakarta Post on Friday.

He said the most popular collectibles recently were figurines from various Japanese cartoons, such as Gundham and Dragon Ball. These figurines can cost anywhere from Rp 25,000 to Rp 1 million.

Figurines from older cartoons like Voltus V and Command Rider (known as Black Steel Knight here) are also big among some older collectors, he said.

"Our customers vary in age from elementary school students to people in their 40s who want to remember their favorite childhood cartoons," he said.

The Hobby Japan website, www.hobbyjapanonline.com, gives customers, mostly university students, access to a list of new arrivals and the prices of collectibles offered at the store.

Muchammad Santaka, an owner of Astro Hobby in Blok M Plaza in South Jakarta, said Japanese collectibles were suitable for people of all ages.

"The difference is that Japanese collectibles are more varied than Western products. There are collectibles made for children, teenagers and adults. The problem is Indonesians think that all of them are for children," he said.

Santaka said some Japanese collectibles became valuable, with some older items worth millions of rupiah.

"A first series Voltus figurine produced in the late 1970s can be worth Rp 3.5 million because it is considered an antique."

Resky Pradyansa, a high school student who collects Japanese animated movies and J-rock, said his hobby helped him understand Japanese culture.

"The animated movies and the characters in them talk about fighting for the truth, friendship, love and sacrifice," he said, adding that he tried to buy the latest animated movies every week.(006)