Akiba HQ

Hayward's anime-and-import hub stocks Pokemon singles, Japanese sealed product, and Gundam kits in a tucked-away Industrial Blvd warehouse unit.

Find the unmarked roll-up door off Industrial Boulevard and you step into one of the East Bay's more unusual collector spaces. Akiba HQ built its name on anime imports and Gundam model kits, but over the years the trading-card side has grown into a real draw: glass cases of Pokemon singles, Japanese-language booster boxes you won't easily find elsewhere, and a steady rotation of sealed product for collectors who care about print runs and language variants.

What sets this Hayward card shop apart is the import angle. If you chase Japanese Pokemon sets, promo packs, or hard-to-source figures alongside your cards, the buyers here travel for exactly that kind of inventory. The shelves lean heavily into authentic Japanese product, so it's a natural stop for players who want the original-language pulls rather than the domestic reprints.

Regulars consistently mention how much the staff knows — ask about a specific set or figure line and you'll usually get a straight, informed answer rather than a shrug. Pricing earns repeated praise for being fair on sought-after goods. The one recurring gripe is purely logistical: the entrance is genuinely hard to spot from the parking lot, so first-timers should look for the suite-E signage and not give up.

Hours run a little tighter than a mall store — roughly midday into the early evening on weekdays and late mornings on weekends — so it's worth planning your visit rather than dropping by at random. Showcase cases, special-order requests on imports, and a friendly community of anime-and-TCG crossover fans round out the experience. For Pokemon cards Hayward collectors who also love the broader Japanese hobby scene, Akiba HQ is a destination unto itself.