Ahh, wide footpathsYup, that’s a Gundam Cafe and next to it the official AKB48 Cafe & Shop For the uninitiated, Gundam is a popular mecha manga/anime/videogame franchise and AKB48 is the biggest (literally) girl group (literally) in Japan. And both cafes had long lines outside.Akihabara maybe the home to otaku/nerd/geek culture, but there are plenty of offices aroundWhen I reached the main road, I just stood there with a smile An area with so many videogames, anime, gadgets… couldn’t believe such a place exists, but hey, I’m finally in Akihabara!I was tempted to enter Club Sega, but I turned around insteadThis was a complex of stores selling spare parts, electrical components and retro gadgetsDefinitely a place for electronics hobbyistsI just wonder how many still build stuff from scratch in the days of easy consumptionI crossed over to the main hub of Akihabara districtThere were so many enticing buildings, but I had to get around quicklyI knew it was time for lunch, but I somehow thought I’d finish walking around Akihabara firstLot’s of girls trying to entice men (mostly) to enter maid cafesA few stores had street sales but I didn’t find all the prices as low as they were claiming it to be
Most computer stores look like this and advertise product prices as suchThis is the famous Kotobukiya storeKotobukiya is a popular retailer and manufacturer of licensed collectible toys, model kits and other merchandiseKotobukiya is five floors of anime, video game, and manga pop culture goodness (Floor guide)I wasn’t familiar with some of the anime and mangaI went to the 4th floor to check out the action figures and model kitsIt was pretty awesome to see some of the figures!It’s not just Japanese characters too. You got Western pop culture favourites too, but the figures are mostly created by Japanese companiesLike these really detailed limited edition collectibles based on the Transformers movies. Super expensive too!But you still have famous Japanese characters, like Ultra Man and GojiraLot of models from the Metal Gear Solid gamesReally wanted one of these Raiden figurines, but a lot of the models on display have already been sold outThese mecha were from the Armored Core videogames. Awesome, aren’t they?The 5th floor is an event space for exhibitions and live eventsI left Kotobukiya after realizing I spent too much time in thereAnimate is a large manga and anime storeMaid cafes are all over AkihabaraI was checking out prices for SSD and laptop hard drives. Prices weren’t that much lower than what it costs back in India.I wanted to spend more time in Akihabara today, but i knew I was going to be back here towards the end of journey
It was already well past what is considered ‘lunchtime’ so I had to eat something, but where? There weren’t too many restaurant options in Akihabara and so where did I end up for my first lunch in Japan?
McDonalds. I know. But I didn’t want to spend time wondering where and what to eat when it was already late. So I had a prawn burger meal, costs ¥650 (Rs.350/$5/€4)As I sat above and ate my meal, I noticed a stage show going on across the roadI had to check it out. It looked like some teenage DJ playing some tunes and her fans were doing co-ordinated dances.There was another stage show happening further up ahead for the same promotion. It was for something called Feather. I don’t know if it was an anime, manga, or a video game? But still, funny to watch otakus dance in solitude with so much fervourAnd they had all these girls dressed in white sweaters and tartan skirts giving away pamphlets and buttonsI made a quick visit to the Tokyo Anime CenterYou can get free maps of Akihabara, guidebooks and even hire English-speaking tour guides from hereBesides that they also sell merchandise and souvenirs at this storeI didn’t feel like leaving Akihabara just yet, so I walked around some moreI entered Trader, another popular Akihabara store. Trader, as the name suggests, specializes in second hand video games and DVDs. That said, you do get the latest stuff on the ground floor.The upper floors are where the real gems are. Old games, all neatly packed, from the previous generation of consoles. Sega Dreamcast, NES, PlayStation 1 to 3, Sega Mega Drive, Nintendo 64 and many more!They also had tubs of cartridges for NES games and Game Boy/GBA. I spotted a Captain Tsubasa game (Captain Majid in the Gulf) The floor above it was full of anime DVDs, both classics and recent shows
Trader also had a floor for adult DVDs but no photography allowed there.
I couldn’t leave Akihabara without checking Club Sega, a massive arcadeHatsune Miku UFO catcher In fact, they had several themed UFO catchersAll those stuffed toys waiting to get pickedThey had all sorts of unique arcade games. This was some sort of dressing up game?This was a MOBA called Wonderland Wars, in which you use a stylus and touchscreenMore Hatsune Miku games, this one in the Project DIVA rhythm game seriesTaiko Drum Master (right) still going strong. To the left was this fast-paced rhythm game called Mai Mai.
Check out how well some girls play this game:
The top floor was mostly filled with arcade games that make use of readable cardsI don’t know how the games work… ‘cos it was all new to me. I have never seen arcade games like this before.That said, you still have you popular arcade classics, and it’s not all by SEGA
I got to see Tekken 7 in action:
Mario Kart, 4 player arcadeSEGA’s classic AfterburnerAnd The House of the Head railgun shooter. Man, SEGA should revive Virtua Cop and The House of the Dead franchises for VR devices!Alas, it was time for me to step back out into the lightIt was time to finally leave Akihabara. I did visit some more stores but didn’t photographs because there wasn’t anything new in there. I didn’t find Super Potato, a famous store for retro videogames.I hopped on the train and decided to go to GinzaI came out the exit near the famous Kabuki-za theater, where a Kabuki dramas are stagedTicket prices aren’t cheapNot that I came to Ginza to watch a Kabuki playGinza is the premier shopping district in JapanYou can find the flagship stores of many of the world famous brands here. But I wasn’t here to shop at Prada.I came to Ginza mainly to check out the 12-storey Uniqlo store here, which is the largest in Tokyo
Tokyo was a lot colder than I thought, and so I came looking for more clothing to keep me warm throughout the rest of my journey. I ended up buying a fair bit as the sale was pretty damn good and I got a clothes (including a pair of winter pants, two sweatshirts, a shirt and a pair of socks) all for ¥4405 (Rs. 2420/$36/€32)!
This was the top most floor, which was for co-branded Uniqlo clothingAbercrombie & Fitch’s flagship storeThere was a Citibank branch here, so I made the most of it and withdrew some money without any transaction fees charged to my cardI did walk around Ginza a bit and visited the GAP and Zara stores, but didn’t end up buying anything. I quite liked the architecture of some of the premier brand stores.But it was time to head back to UenoNear Kinuya Honkan was a ramen shop. Saw it packed with people, so I figured the food must be good.You pay for your meal using these vending machines
You first pay an amount based on the food prices. For example, I wanted a spicy pork ramen which was ¥650 (₹350/$5/€4). After you put in the ¥650, the buttons for all the dishes that are priced ¥650 light up. The machine accepts coins and notes. You then select the dish you want, collect your change and the token. You just hand over the token at the counter and they prepare the ramen. It’s quick and served piping hot.
It was delicious, and I was quite satisfied!
Back in Kinuya Honkan, I re-packed my bags and called it a night after a hot bath. Tomorrow I was going to leave Tokyo and head to Kyoto. My first journey in a bullet train!
For the uninitiated, Gundam is a popular mecha manga/anime/videogame franchise and AKB48 is the biggest (literally) girl group (literally) in Japan. And both cafes had long lines outside.
