Japan 2012 - Day 5

Took things easy today, by going to Akihabara again >.<

Went to the Good Smile Cafe today, had a "Miku" drink, which was a sweet almost syrup like flavor with ice cream on top, and a bowl of fried rice. The drink came with a coaster and the meal came with a placemat, which got damaged in transit on the way home. Finished off my drink and meal and went around taking pictures of all the nendoroids and figures, there were a lot of them! That took quite a while, and when I left there was a line of people trying to get in, I guess I beat the lunch rush. 

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I checked out the rest of the building, which had lots of merchandise on sale, and lots of people trying to sell back their books/figures book-off style.

It started to rain again, so I went to the other place I had missed out on during my previous trips to Akihabara... Mandarake. Mandarake confirmed what I had seen in other stores, which was people reselling their manga and figures. Almost every store save for the official stores like Good Smile have a large amount of used figures for sale in and amongst their new ones. The easiest to spot for figures are the ones in little baggies, which can range from 400 yen to 1200 yen. Other figures that have been better preserved and kept in their box, or repackaged with all parts in their box, vary wildly in price depending on figure condition and rarity of figure. Three of the same figure, all in the box, can each go for different prices. So if you're not picky about getting used figures and want to complete your collection less expensively, then used is the place to go... certain nendos you can get for 1/2 price of the real thing, still in box.

Of course, some figures still go for 5686589548458 yen because they're just that rare. Also, there are various stores that rent out spaces to people to sell their stuff. In that case its up to the people renting the space to set the price of their products (essentially they rent a glass box locker). Some things you can get for super cheap, others buy things like figmas and try to resell at a higher price as to try and make some profit on it, usually with figmas/nendos that are rare or out of stock.

So, I got a figure-education today.

Still deciding on whether I want to go to the dream party thing or a J. League match or something else on Sunday.

Tomorrow (I guess today now) its a trip off to the 'burbs.

Japan 2012 - Day 4

Guess I should write all this down...

Today started with a trip to Akihabara again and a maid cafe... eventually we walked into a cafe called Pinafore. Was welcomed and served by the "veteran maid", spoke briefly to the "new recruit maid" and got my picture taken with the "cute maid". Interesting, but expensive experience. 4400 yen for 2 people for a Omlette rice, a coffee, and a picture.

After that was a short walk to the Katsuhiro Otomo Genga exhibit, proceeds of which are going towards reconstruction efforts in Eastern Japan after the disaster last year. Majority of the works were Akira-based, with some steamboy and a few other interesting pieces on display. The final room had the bike from Akira on display, which people could take a picture with, and wear the jacket as well. There was a message wall and a big dent in another wall you could take photos with.

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Line for the goods store was tremendously long so passed on that. Up next went to Odaiba to check out the new Gundam Museum, Gundam Front Tokyo.

Gundam Front Tokyo is inside Diver City Tokyo, a new shopping complex that opened last month. The 1/1 scale Gundam is outside the entrance, and while from far away actually looks small, close up its... amazing.

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Gundam Front Tokyo itself... well you need a ticket to get in and tickets were sold out, you need to reserve in advance. The free part of Gundam Front Tokyo includes a display of... many, many, many, Gundam models. After taking pictures of the Gundam models was about to head to a train station before I stumbled onto Odaiba Oktoberfest.... A group of Germans were playing traditional beer-hall music to a large assembled group of drunken Japanese people with beer on hand... full glass pints and beer bottles. The stage and the main sitting area were in the center under a large reinforced tent, with beer and sausage stalls ringed around it. Definitly fun to see and be a part of. The best part is that its on all week, part of the Golden Week festivities.

(maid cafe pics before Odaiba Oktoberfest pics.)

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After that I was going to leave for the train station again, but then the Gundam statue began to light up. Behind it on the wall of Diver City Tokyo there was a graphic playing various clips from various Gundam series. The Gundam itself was lit up in various different shades before the head started moving, the cockpit opened and closed, and the chest starting steaming simulating a "launch".

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I got a lot of things done today. Lol.

Japan 2012 - Day 3

Akihabara today. Went to an art exhibit for the first bit at Akihabara UDX. Featured 105 pictures from 105 artists, with the theme of four seasons. Artists included Noizi Ito and aokiume... didn't recognize any of the others. After a lost in translation moment managed to buy myself a couple artbooks, then declined on getting signatures from a couple of the artists, only because I didn't want to wait for a couple hours... although it would've given me an excuse to stay out of the rain. Vindicated my own decision later on when I doubled back to UDX before I left and say a large but well controlled line waiting for autographs made of people who actually wanted autographs.... did not want bad karma from Akiba otaku lol.

The rest of Akihabara went like this. Walked around the main street (chuo-dori) once, then again to take pictures, then again to go into shops to see what they had for sale.... which is everything and every price... petit nedoroids from 500 yen to figures at 15000 yen. Snagged a couple small things before deciding that I'll come back again before I leave to get more things with the money I have left. (need to budget after all.)

No maid pictures, that'll be tomorrow.

Grabbed some gyu-don at a hole in the wall place before heading to yodobashi akiba, which also sells a lot of... almost everything (electronics). Even got to watch the end of the Clippers/Nuggets game (clippers won). After that decided to take the long way on the yamanote line (it goes in a circle) to Tokyo station to meet a friend... and eventually we met up and had some food outside the station, a large bowl of chinese-style japanese noodles. Then we drove around Tokyo at night taking pictures of various things like Tokyo Tower, before heading back to Tokyo station to pick up his daughter, who of all things, pressured us to go to a maid cafe. Which we apparently are going to do tomorrow.

 

Pics:

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