Melbourne Is Finally Getting a Kinokuniya (And We're Already Planning the Pilgrimage)

For years, there has been one mandatory stop on almost every anime fan, manga collector, bookworm and stationery lover's Sydney itinerary: Kinokuniya.

Whether you were travelling interstate for a convention, visiting friends or simply making the trip north, countless fans have made the pilgrimage to the iconic Sydney store.

Hidden inside The Galeries, it has become something of a rite of passage, a place where you walk in "just to browse" and somehow emerge balancing a stack of manga, an art book you definitely didn't budget for, and enough Japanese stationery to convince yourself you're about to become the most organised person alive.

Now, after more than two decades, that pilgrimage is finally coming to Melbourne.

Books Kinokuniya has announced it will open its first Victorian location at Melbourne Central, marking the company's first Australian store outside of Sydney since its flagship opened in 2002. It's a huge milestone for the beloved bookseller and even bigger news for Melbourne's thriving pop culture and reading community.

Opening on Level 2 of Melbourne Central, the new concept store will offer the signature Kinokuniya experience fans have come to love. Shelves will be filled with Australian and international literature alongside Japanese and Chinese language books, an extensive manga selection, children's books, beautifully designed stationery, gifts and lifestyle products.

While this location is described as a concept store, it's only the beginning. Kinokuniya has confirmed that the store serves as the first step towards a permanent flagship Melbourne bookstore, scheduled to open in 2028 as part of Melbourne Central's ongoing redevelopment and expansion.

For many Melburnians, this means no more carefully rationing luggage space for a Sydney haul or asking friends to "just quickly pop into Kinokuniya" while they're interstate. One of Australia's most beloved bookstores is finally becoming part of the local landscape.

The timing couldn't feel better, either. At a time when digital reading continues to grow, Kinokuniya has remained a celebration of the physical bookshop experience. It's a place where readers discover unexpected titles, collectors hunt for special editions, and manga fans can spend hours browsing shelves instead of scrolling endless online listings. Walking through its aisles has always been part of the experience, and that's something no algorithm can quite replicate.

The new Melbourne store officially opens on Friday, 28 August from 10am, and if Sydney's store has taught us anything, expect queues, overflowing baskets and plenty of fans leaving with far more than they intended to buy.

Real bookstores still exist, and thankfully, one of the very best is finally coming to Melbourne.