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What is good

- sales tax is 8% VAT, cheaper than the 12.5% in my province in Canada
- products not yet available in western markets (and some that never will be). For example, lifesize 20,000 - 30,000 JPY torsos of 20-30 kilos each. At least two of them suitable for perverts. Also, fabric dolls that are same. None of these are on the website.
- you want cheap or you want top quality? They have both though IMHO not enough in the middle of good value.
- website announces what is on sale.
- website is searchable
- website results are filterable and categorizable, for example you want only double layer, deep devices under X yen presented starting with the cheapest or what's on sale. Or maybe I am confusing with ToyDemon. Or I imagined this.
- store is well-organized, by type/size more than manufacturer, for example blowjob devices, mechanical/electrical devices, small wankers, large wankers, lubes, Tenga-type devices have their own alcove (BTW Tenga has its own stores as well in Japan).
- sex toys are not hidden somewhere in the low-rent areas, leading a ashamed existence harassed by city fathers. As far as I can tell. Even my neighborhood near Ueno Station, a respectable commercial area for eating out and shopping, had two shops of competitors.
- any sales over JPY 5400 to foreigners (they didn't even ask for my passport) are sales tax exempt. This avoids the embarrassment of presenting your bill or product itself at the lineup at the airport which is what most companies do (or only those selling non-sexual products?)
- Very good selection
- They understand discretion in packaging. They wrap in a brown paper then put in a black plastic bag. The latter strikes me as a counter-productive clue if you ask me.
- Japanese porn is not PC. It is fantasy oriented. Anything goes?
- But they have this to me very weird practice of pixeling out genitals and in photography covering the slit with something. I find it annoying. I mean, you see the cum, you see the face, but no penis (actually that I don't mind, I think it might be an improvement, unless its mine) and no vagina.
- close by is a very late hours department store (Don Quixote) for cheapos
- they have a website with English version with reviews. By Japanese of course.
- because space is very limited, cashier will hold items at counter as you select.
- Some of the 'onahole' products have sample cut in half and on display so you can preview the design. But only the wankers, none of the hips or torsos. Undoubtedly this is a space problem.
- You can walk from Akihabara station, exit I forget.
- Because in Japan they are very low crime at this station, as at many, there are automated lockers for cheap. Because I had luggage with me and did not want to add to the space problem I stashed my stuff there. But at the store I still had some new shopping which the ground floor man took and gave me a tag for.
- This is unabashedly men's territory. The only women who shop here come in couples, straight mostly. So, like in bars or sports you don't have to deal with female mentality. In the west most sex shops have female staff which I find weird.

What is not so good

- Product names make no sense to me, even in translation.
- of the six floors, only one is dedicated to sex toys per se. Porn DVDs and costumes/lingerie are the biggest content
- unless you factor in shipping and taxes (OK, you have to) goods are not cheaper in Japan, even those that are manufactured in Japan. Well, they are marginally cheaper than USA.
- Toy Demon and other mail order vendors in USA are better value for customers in USA (and maybe for Canada too) if you count their post and pre-sale customer service. If you count their periodic sales Toy Demon is definitely better priced than buying in Japan. Also, no Customs issues and you get a replacement warranty at Toy Demon that you can actually use.
- all these sex toy shops in Japan have very narrow aisles. I was constantly bumping into people with backpacks. At key hours they can be very crowded and I find patrons rather insensitive to making way or even responding to 'sumimasen' (excuse me) when they are blocking the way entranced by some fuck toy.
- staff is not that competent. They are basically rushed cashiers
- everything is written in Japanese on packages. So, even if you have the name of the product you want, with a screenshot from their English language website and even better a product number, shopping is a hassle.
- Packaging is big on cartoons rather than technical info on the features of the product. The better ones have both. But in Japanese of course.
- a lot of space is given to S&M, bondage, cosplay, cross-dressing and kinky stuff that I have no appreciation for. I remember passing through the top floor and seeing (fake?) shit being dumped on some person in a promotional video. But, 'ten men, ten colours' as they say in Japan for 'different strokes'.
- Most of the staff are androgynous young men rather than middle aged guys who might have some sympathy for what you my peers are looking for.
- staff does not speak English
- the stairway going up and down is extremely narrow. There is no elevator.
- they removed the Eirie sex doll that a year ago had been hanging at the stairwell with a sign 'no photos'
- a lot of toys are too small in depth and width and not all packages are marked with dimensions
- I can get similar (but not the highest quality) products at a sex toy marketplace in China for a third to a fifth of the price.
- the best products are sometimes out of stock. You do better ordering online from their website.
- they close at 11 pm. I expected them to be 24 hours.
- no fleshlights

CONCLUSION: If you're in Tokyo or Yokohama for other reasons, sure check M Pop Life out. But I expect to be buying more from Toy Demon in USA. I have never been disappointed with quality and service from Toy Demon. It's a lot less hassle. And I was not really keen entering Canada with a still wet Neotonic Fairy (JPY8100), and two unopened Della Bocca Veritas, regular and soft editions (JPY2290 each). I failed to buy a Meiki XYZ because their packaging or name was different than that of Toy Demon. I felt like a kid in a candy store. But lost.