Hong Kong Nipponphiles who stock up on the latest Japanese magazines and novels at the Sogo bookshop know they can't avoid the mad scramble to the top floor of the mall on weekends. What if there was a shop - three, in fact - where you could browse through anything from manga, motoring, fashion, food and travel mags to current works by contemporary Japanese writers without the crowd?

Japan Express Books and Toys shops have everything you'll need to stay up to speed on Japanese trends. Browse publications as well as collectable model and soft toys. The two Causeway Bay branches are each just a block away from Sogo. Japan Express Book Shop is at flat D, 2/F, Hennessy Apartment, 48 Percival Street, Causeway Bay, tel: 2895 5729 and Windsor House, 311 Gloucester Road, Causeway Bay, tel: 2808 1718. Also: B1, Apita, City Plaza 2, 10 Taikoo Shing Road, Quarry Bay, tel: 2560 7028.