New store brings Japanese toys and books to eastern Idaho
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POCATELLO — Walk into Pocatello’s newest specialty toy and book store, and you’ll be greeted by an automated voice thanking you for your patronage — in Japanese.
The name of the store, Tanoshi, is a Japanese expression most often used by children, meaning loosely, “Oh, fun.”
Tanoshi Anime and Toys was opened in February by husband-wife co-owners Daryl and Hollie Langs. It brings popular items from the world of anime — or Japanese animated entertainment — to Pocatello, which had been lacking such items.
“We wanted to be able to have something like that around here, and after a long time of waiting and waiting and waiting, we just figured we’d do it ourselves,” Daryl told EastIdahoNews.com. “Basically, if it has to do with anime culture, we try to service that need.”
The couple said they grew up loving the world of anime, naming some of the most popular titles, like “Dragon Ball Z,” “Sailor Moon” and, of course, “Pokémon.” As adults, that love continued, but they found themselves having to go to Barnes & Noble in Idaho Falls for even a slim selection of manga — Daryl described as long-form comics, often clocking in at around 300 pages.
The Langses opened Tanoshi knowing there would be interest, but have been pleasantly surprised by the level of that interest.
Although they consider themselves well-versed in the world of anime, they have found that many of their patrons have introduced them to new storylines.
They have also been surprised by the age ranges of those interested. As expected, families have come in to feed the needs of children looking for Pokémon, but Daryl described couple, both of whom were in their 70s, shopping around for items missing from their own collections.
“The fun thing about anime is that there is something for everybody — there is romance, action, horror, sci-fi, mystery, thrillers, sports. There’s something for everybody,” Hollie said.
“And it’s not just little kids, it’s not just middle-schoolers — it’s the whole gamut of age ranges and groups of people,” Daryl added.
Along with the manga and light novels, Tanoshi carries collectibles, plushies, model kits and popular decal stickers.
Much of the store, though, is made up of massive comic book collections. Daryl was excited to show off his new volume 1 set of Pokémon — something of a collectible now, he said.
And he is happy to welcome anyone in search of a new entertainment medium. He takes pride in his ability to find a series that can intrigue people with any set of interests.
He is also happy to guide families away from a series if he believes the subject matter is too mature for the child — even, Daryl added, if the mature stuff is not in the first few volumes. He has persuaded children to choose a different series, knowing that stories in the 20th volume would be too much for them.
Eventually, the Langses would like to create a children’s section, where kids can feel free to launch into any series on those shelves. For now though, they are maneuvering their stock as they develop a feel for the interests of their patrons and making those items available at an affordable price.
Hollie said they have also received requests that they carry traditional Japanese snacks and candies. She thinks that could be something that happens down the road, but that is not in the immediate plans.
Tanoshi Anime and Toys is at 1023 Yellowstone Avenue, Suite K. It is open Monday to Saturday, from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Visit Tanoshi’s Facebook page — here — to browse the many items available at the store.
