TOY-dispensing gas gacha machines, anime art and collectibles along with classic arcade fun – the country’s first Bandai Namco store has opened in the heart of Camden Market.

The video game publisher owns classic games like PacMan and Tekken while also holding licences for media channels popular in youth culture. Manager Aimée-Louise House said it was a “one of a kind” megastore as dozens of people attended a VIP launch last week. Billed as a “nerdy department store”, it is spread over two floors of the Stables Market.

She said: “When I was growing up, I watched a Studio Ghibli film called Spirited Away and it started a little bit over the obsession with Japanese culture. So I started going to conventions like MCM Comic Con. I used to traipse around central London, going to Forbidden Planet to buy comics or manga. To be a part of opening somewhere that feels like a convention in a shop is my childhood’s dream come true.”

There is Japanese stationery by Sun-Star, Megahouse and Banpresto figurines and wall posters of anime by My Hero Academia, Dragon Ball Z, Demon Slayer and Jujutsu Kaisen.

Prices range from £4 to several hundred pounds for very detailed figurines. There are also clusters of Gacha machines and the popular One Piece Card Game as well as a café.

The arcade boasts Mario Kart, dance machines and air hockey – and you can test the latest Japanese Role Playing Games upstairs before buying. Ms House said: “The thing that kind of makes us different is because we do things like tutorial sessions of teaching people how to play.”