Akihabara, Pokémon, and Maybe Some History (12/26/12)

Hey oh y’all,

Today was so much fun! We went to Akihabara – an area of Tokyo that is famous for electronics stores and being the otaku capital of the world. I for all intents and purposes am an otaku, a (sometimes derogatory) term for Japanese anime/pop culture geek.

So we started today with a trip to the Tokyo Pokémon Center. They have a bunch of Pokémon gear, toys, gifts, and such. My favorite character (in case anyone cares) is Piplup, also known by his Japanese name Pochama – ポチャマ. I was able to get the last Pochama keychain. Lucky!

Then we went into the heart of Akihabara. How to describe Akihabara? We can start with the girls dressed in pigtails and short skirts handing out flyers for maid cafes. And then there are the numerous posters of AKB48, the premier girl J-pop group. And of course there are numerous video game centers and pachinko centers and anime stores for blocks and blocks. Yes, this is Akihabara.

Akihabara anime store. Yay!

Shirokuma Cafe (Sumi actually likes this anime).

Gojira/Godzilla.

A peaceful park w/in the castle walls, away from the hustle and bustle.

Oh and there are also purikura プリクラ、”picture clubs.” Basically a space dedicated to photo booths. No…we did not take any photos using the booths that allow you to change your eye shape…no, there are no photos that exist of me like that…you can stop asking…they don’t exist whatsoever…nope…moving on…

Edo Castle Gate

And oh yeah, we went toえどじょう　(Edo-jyou, Edo Castle). It’s a lot of stone walls and history, as the castle where the shogun used to live.

Yup! Another fun day! See y’all!

-DC