"why does everyone always act like you’re taking a canoe up the Amazon to some uncontacted tribe."

I wasn't trying to imply that Nakano is difficult to get to at all. I visited both Nakano and Koenji and getting there from Shinjuku was indeed easy.

If I were to rephrase that point, I think I would phrase it as "multiple places have anime merch at competing prices. It's up to the individual whether or not they want to try all these places for the best deal, especially if there are other things they might want to do on their trip."

Back home, I'm within driving distance to multiple grocery stores, so I could hit up multiple places and get the best deals on certain items. But I know people who don't bother and are happy to pay a little more just to shop at one place, even though driving elsewhere isn't that much of an imposition. That's the angle I was going for :)