barry
A man of “Culture” who grew up living and breathing Anime and Japanese culture. A bit of an eccentric in his youth, Barry always had a passion for Video Games, Anime, Manga, Gunpla, and all things Japan. As he grew his time and dedication to this hobby slowed down, but the fire of his excitement never burned out. Now, as he slows down from the high stakes world of business and seeks to fulfill his long sought passion, Barry has started Nippon Niche with the goal of spreading the same joy and excitement that Anime brought to him in his youth.
sara
Wife, mother, and undercover gamer and anime fan. She may not follow the fandom as closely as Barry, but Sara is definitely no slouch. While most Anime fans are busy collecting gashapon character sets Sara, an obsessive fanatic of miniatures, was busy collecting Re-ment sets. While everyone else was busy battling it out over Persona, Sara was grinding in Shin Megami Tensei: Nocturne. And, while everyone was anxiously waiting for the next chapter of One Piece every week Sara spent months waiting for just one chapter of Berserk. If you’re looking for something obscure or unique she may be able to find you something you never knew you’d love.
Our Story
Nippon Niche was born from a fusion of passion, timing, and a simple desire to share in the excitement in what Anime and Japanese culture brings to everybody. The founders of Nippon Niche grew up on Anime. Then, they grew up. Had a few jobs, got married, had kids, started a business and bought a house. But, the joy and passion that anime always brought them never stopped. With Japanese culture spreading far and wide in the West and Barry and Sara finally finding their busy lives now slowing down, they decided it was time to follow their passion and help contribute to spreading that joy and excitement that they felt whenever they walked into their neighborhood Anime store.
You've heard the phrase "NIPPON ICHIBAN" right? It means Japan is Number 1. Well, we want to be the Number 1 provider of Anime, Manga, Japanese Hobby Goods. We want to be Nippon Niche-iban.
Our Mission
You know that gitty feeling you get when you walk into your favorite store and as you’re walking up and down the aisles, checking everything out, you find something you’re absolutely in love with? Did you ever let out an extremely loud “OH MY GOD” followed by a scream of pure excitement after coming face to face with that special find? That’s our mission. We want to see and hear the joy, the excitement, and most of all the screams that come with finding an Anime, a manga, a figure, a statue or even a Japanese snack that you are absolutely hyped for.