Journey around Japan without leaving Madrid

Citizens and visitors to Madrid have the opportunity to find out more about Japan, an admirable country that has succeeded in combining tradition and innovation in an exemplary way over the years. On this route, you are invited on a journey around its history and customs thanks to themed events like Japan Weekend Madrid, focusing on manga and video games; its gastronomy in the best restaurants; or its products in specialised shops. Furthermore, the 2024 edition of the Veranos de la Villa  festival includes Japan s its invited country, devoting a large part of the programme to finding out more about its legacy.

2 July 2024

Travel around the epicentre of comics

Our route starts by entering the Malasaña neighbourhood, more specifically in Calle de la Luna, considered to be the epicentre of Madrid's comic quarter, where it is possible to find up to four specialised shops within 90 metres of each other. For fans of this Japanese artistic movement, these shops are true temples to buy everything related to this universe.

Going down Calle del Desengaño towards Calle de San Bernardo, the first shop to visit is Atom Cómics (Calle de la Luna, 16), a bookshop focusing on comics with a wide variety of titles, as well as manga, comics and graphic novels. Continuing along the street, we come to Hobby Converters (Calle de la Luna, 22), which has a wide range of comics and manga, and it also buys and sells semi-new and out-of-print geek material. Opposite this store is Metrópolis Cómics (Calle de la Luna, 11), one of the oldest comic stores in the city, specialising in importing comics from the United States and where you can also buy merchandising, card games, miniatures, board games and role-playing games, among others.

A little further on, we come to Otaku Center (Calle de la Luna, 24), one of the most popular stores among fans of otaku and Japanese culture, where it is possible to buy collectible figures, merchandising from films and series and, of course, manga, comics and anime.

However, the offer of comics is not limited to Calle de la Luna. There are other options where you can get your favourite anime or limited edition collectable figure, such as Akira Comics (Avenida de Betanzos, 74). Founded more than 30 years ago, its large premises of more than 1000 m² make it the largest comic store in Spain and one of the main references in Europe. Another option is to visit La Guarida de Harley (Avenida Monforte de Lemos, 169), one of the favourite shops for otakus and cosplayers because they have a wide range of geek clothing; or the emblematic Elektra Cómic (San Bernardo, 20), with manga, superhero comics, special editions and graphic novels, among others.

The best stores

Japanese fashion is a trend, as well as design, decoration and, of course, cosmetics, which are the envy of all those seeking a perfect complexion. Some of the shops that are not to be missed on your journey are listed below: 

Dress in Japanese fashion

In the heart of the city centre, very close to Teatro Infanta Isabel, visit Gion Madrid Japon (Calle de Barquillo, 18), a shop dedicated to unconventional Japanese design by Masamitsu Uneno from Kyoto. Since it opened in 2000, it has maintained its originality and quality, selling everything from kimonos to exclusive products imported from Japan.

The popular Japanese fashion brand, Uniqlo, has two stores in Madrid, with the most recent one located in the iconic building at Gran Vía 37, and the other at Calle Goya 6-8. It has a wide range of garments and accessories that stand out for their LifeWear concept, basic garments designed to adapt to your daily life with comfort and elegance.

Decoration in the purest Japanese style

If you are looking for a Japanese shop with decoration, clothing and stationery products, MUJI has two shops in Madrid, one in Chueca (Fuencarral, 36-38) and the other in the Salamanca neighbourhood (Goya, 9). In this brand, Japanese-style urban simplicity reigns with a functional and simple design that eliminates everything superfluous, in basic and neutral colours for an urban, modern and contemporary lifestyle.

If we are in the Salamanca neighbourhood, it is worth visiting the Japanese store, Aneko (Castelló, 15) specialised in Japanese crockery and all kinds of kitchen utensils. If you are a tea lover, it is time to renew your tea set.

If you are into stationery, don’t miss Punikuni Kawaii Shop (Calle de Echegaray, 27), a store where the imagination knows no limits, with original and adorable stationery items, objects for the home, cuddly toys, clothes, accessories and many more exclusive products.

Fans of J-Beauty

In the heart of the Literary Quarter, more specifically at Calle Santa María 27, is the Japanese cosmetic store Tsuki Japanese Cosmetics, a temple for fans of facial care, which has opened its first shop in Madrid. In addition to products for Japanese skin care and make-up, it organises workshops and beauty treatments.

Food products

Tokyo-ya is a supermarket of Japanese products in Madrid and pioneer in selling Japanese food in Spain. Its first shop in Madrid opened in 1981 and customers can purchase any of the products in the physical store (Avenida Presidente Carmona, 9) or on its on-line store.  The essence of its products is to break down geographic barriers.

Do you want to try one of those popular sweets? The Be K-ndy (Calle Acuerdo, 36) store in the Conde Duque neighbourhood offers a sensory experience in the Asian culture through the five senses. Sweet and savoury products, from iconic sweets and biscuits known by the manga world is what you can find in this establishment, which also stocks all of the products you need to get started in Korean and Japanese food: sauces, algae, flour, spices, gyozas, tofu, rice.

Kaiten sushi, Japanese fast food

It is time to take a break to eat... Why not try something new? The term kaiten sushi,also known as sushi-go-round, is the sushi version of fast food and literally means “sushi that goes round”. Without leaving Madrid, it is possible to discover it thanks to establishments like Wonderland Restaurant (Manuela Malasaña, 5), a buffet restaurant with Asian cuisine, which not only stands out for its dishes but also for the decoration inspired by Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll.

More options? Kintaro (Fernández de la Hoz, 70), Running Sushi in Osaka (Hermosilla, 103) and Running Sushi in Akihabara (Princesa Plaza de los Cubos, 3) offer a unique gastronomic experience  , with a  conveyor belt accessible from all of the tables, which brings the dishes directly to your table.

Japanese food

It must be highlighted that Madrid has five Japanese restaurants with a  Michelin star. The Literary Quarter is home to Yugo the Bunker (Calle de San Blas, 4), an establishment specialised in quality Japanese cuisine, run by the chef  Julián Mármol. Toki (Calle de Sagasta, 28) the restaurant belonging to the sommelier Marcos Granda is in Chueca, which is committed to fine Japanese cuisine.  The hands of the chef Tadayoshi Teddy Motoa review the evolution of Japanese cuisine, from the past to the present. 

On the other hand, in Tetuán, the chef David Arauz and the sommelier Álvaro Prieto are running Zuara Sushi (Calle del Pensamiento, 28), a small sushi restaurant where  the most genuine flavours of Japanese cuisine can be savoured. In the Salamanca neighbourhood, we can visit Ricardo Sanz Wellington (Calle de Velázquez, 6), a space belonging to the creator who many consider to be the best chef in the preparation of Japanese food.  Finally, close to Plaza de Castilla, next to Paseo de la Castellana, the  chef Hugo Muñoz runs Ugo Chan (Calle Félix Boix, 6), a restaurant that offers a particular vision of Japanese cuisine, combined with touches of cuisine from Madrid and Spain.

The range of Japanese food in Madrid is as extensive as it is varied. There are a lot of options, from more refined and classical options to those that are combined with other culinary traditions.  Among them, we can highlight Hattori Hanzo (Mesoneros Romanos, 17) in Malasaña, just a short distance from Plaza de Callao, which recovers the spirit of Japanese taverns and moves away from the typical sushi, with a menu based on typical dishes of traditional Japanese cuisine.

In this selection, we cannot leave out Yokaloka (Santa Isabel, 5), the restaurant run by Yoka,  a Japanese woman who loves flamenco and who started out with a small stall in Antón Martín Market and she was forced to expand due to the popularity of her dishes. It is an example of the best traditional Japanese food: sushi, maki, ramen, nigiri, chirashi...

Japanese Sweets

It is the perfect time for something sweet and Japan really knows how to prepare them.  At Calle de los Madrazo, 18, Umikobake offers innovative Japanese fusion pastries. Its cornerstone is the Japanese sweet par excellence, the mochi, which can be filled with a variety of ingredients, from hazelnut praline to green tea with yuzu.

If you feel like a matcha tea, go to the recently opened cafeteria Maison Matcha (belonging to the 'influencer' Violeta Mangriñán), which can be accompanied by cookies or matcha palm biscuits made by Umikobake.

It is also worth moving away from the centre to visit a small but charming bakery in  Getafe, known as Monroebakes (Avenida de La Paz, 21). Run by the pastry chef, Noelia Tomoshige, its most iconic creations include Furusato, the winning dessert in the  Madrid Fusión Award for the Best New Pastry Chef 2023.

Panda Patisserie (Mesonero Romanos, 17)has been making the best modern Japanese cakes since 2015. It stands out for being the first Japanese cake shop in Spain to make Japanese Cotton Cheesecake (2015) and Fluffy Pancakes (2019) and in raising awareness in Madrid of the mochi, dorayaki or kakigori sweets.

Major Events

True geeks and fans of manga, anime, cosplay and video games have an not to be missed event at Japan Weekend Madrid. This biannual event held at IFEMA MADRID is the perfect event to understand the Japanese culture, bringing together a wide range of activities related to the land of the rising sun. The next edition is scheduled for 21 and 22 September 2024. Don't miss it! Furthermore, two other events have already been confirmed for 2025, scheduled for 15 and 16 February and 27 and 28 September.

If you are coming to Madrid this summer you can visit The Art of Manga exhibition at the COAM Space until 21 July. It is an exhibition that immerses visitors in the history of manga and anime through set designs, paintings, scrolls, posters, Japanese woodcuts, magazines, comics and sculptures, among other objects and works of art. It pays tribute to the pioneers of the genre, such as, for example, Osamu Tezuka, known as “The God of Manga” and to precursors like Shigeru Mizuki, Kitagawa Utamaro and Katsushika Hokusai.

This summer, the original immersive art experience, Spirit of Japan, is coming to the Nomad Immersive Museum from 24 July to 27 October, offering a journey through the most well-known works of the great masters of Japanese prints, known as the Ukiyo-e movement.

It is worth mentioning that the 2024 edition of the Veranos de la Villa  festival, which is held from 9 July to 25 August, includes Japan as its invited country, devoting a large part of the programme to finding out more about its legacy. With the collaboration of The Japan Foundation and the Japanese Embassy, at the Conde Duque Cultural Centre, flamenco and kabuki will be merged together with the show by Mayumi Kagita and Hiroki Sato’s Arte y Solera Flamenco Dance Company; and the Serrería Belga Cultural Space has scheduled several  exhibitions, one of which focuses on folding screens and fans from the 16th to the 19th centuries; another devoted to kimonos; and the Gêmu exhibition, which offers a journey through Japanese visual culture through video games. The offer is rounded off with story-telling, conferences and workshops on different aspects of Japanese culture, such as manga at Expokon and Manga Kids Academy: The Expo.