San Kyu DVD

I have been coming here for years (also when Video Japan) renting videos and dvds for my father. The manager told me they will close shop on December 7, 2013. I think that makes HQ Video in the Mitsuwa mall in Santa Monica as the closest Japanese video store for Valley residents.

As a kid (between the ages of 8 and 16) I used to come here with my Japanese step-​dad when it was called Video Japan. A week ago was the first time I’ve been back in 6 years. The porn section moved to the other side of the room and the name changed but other than that it’s exactly as I remember it. The selection is mostly rentals of Japanese movies and Japanese TV shows taped onto VHS or DVD for homesick Japanese customers to rent and watch. They also sell Japanese candy, chips, soda, etc and the afore mentioned porn section which takes up nearly a fourth of the entire store. They sometimes have English-​speaking employees and sometimes it’s Japanese only. The small clean space with it’s florescent lights and little Japanese snacks reminds me of the neighborhood video stores in Japan. The new name is clever (‘san’ means 3 and ‘kyu’ means 9 but said together resembles the «engrish» way of saying «thank you»). If you like Japanese movies and snacks, check this place out.