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psipsyMy doujinshi haul from this trip was about 70 books. That's considerably less than in previous trips but 70 is still a lot in its own right. There were a few I was looking for and just couldn't find them, even while I was directly in the belly of the beast itself. I'm going to blame Toranoana for closing all of their physical locations except for Ikebukuro which only has yaoi now. Well, there's still Melonbooks, K-books, Mandarake, Surugaya, etc... But when it came to doujinshi, Toranoana was a heavyweight. They still do online sales, but that's just not the same. I got other tricks up my sleeve, and I Know Some People.
Sometimes I didn't find something in Japan, but it would be here in the US. Here's an example. There's a series of model kits called "30 Minute Sisters" and they're made in Japan by Bandai. The premise is you build up the kit and for under $30 you get an anime-style mecha girl in 1/12 scale, and she's highly posable and customizable. Anyway, Bandai has been very good about making sure these kits are also available in the US. Despite there being absolutely no difference between the kits sold in either country, the US release dates for them are later than Japan's. I don't think Bandai is doing it out of spite, I think that's entirely due to the American share of the kits taking an extra month or two to come over via container ship. I bring this up because there were some kits in this series with an Idolmaster tie-in that were released less than a week before I arrived in Japan, and yet I could not find ANY of them ANYWHERE in Tokyo. Nothing. It's like they vaporized as soon as they touched the shelves there. I'm not surprised, because Idolmaster is extremely popular in Japan. But five or six weeks after they blinked into and out of existence in Japan, they're showing up in the US. As I knew they would.
As a novelty, I went into a Burger King in Tokyo. Much like with Hardee's/Carl's Jr, the burger is the same as it is in the US. For some reason, they had chicken wings on the menu (Japan-only item), so I tried them. Tasty but nothing to lose my mind over, especially when I have a Quaker Steak somewhat close by that will sell chicken wings by the bucket. I don't see BK offering that here, as the chicken wing market is much more crowded and competitive in the US.
Also in fast food, there's Pepper Lunch, and GoGo Curry. Teppanyaki and katsu curry, respectively. As it turns out, both of those places do have locations in the US. However, they're too far away to be feasible. GoGo has a place near NYC, and I'd have to go to Houston for Pepper Lunch. I found out, empirically, that I was more likely to go to their locations in Tokyo than the US.
I developed a taste for Pocari Sweat while in Japan. "Japanese Gatorade", in the simplest of terms. Pocari looks more like water, and has a light grapefruit flavor to it. It's available EVERYWHERE in Japan. After a lot of walking around at M3 and in general, a bottle of Pocari Sweat was really refreshing. Here in the US, I found one (1) store within a 100-mile range that carries Pocari Sweat, which is honestly one (1) more than I was expecting. Despite the distance, it is near other places I visit when I'm in that area. So I guess that's a bonus. Will I live without it here? Yes.
There's also Strong Zero, a citrus/alcohol drink available in Japan. Basically, it's 9% alcohol and zero-sugar. It sells for about a dollar a can there. Delicious but since I can't find it readily in the US without buying it online for $6 per can, I'll have to make do with locally produced versions. A bit of Everclear in some fruit juice and I think that'll produce the same effect.
I was hesitant to get computer parts in Japan, even though that's one of the things Akihabara is known for. Some things were actually more expensive there. It would have to be something exceptionally useful and rare for me to get it there instead of something like ebay. Meanwhile, if I need a new hard drive or memory sticks or other new computer parts, I can derp into MicroCenter and usually find what I need or do some mouse clicks on Newegg.
There's a store chain called Hard-Off, which sells used electronic hardware and musical instruments. At the Hard-Off in Akihabara, they were selling not one but two LD/DVD combination players. The amount of self-restraint I had to exert to not buy them and the high-end S-VHS VCR next to them was actually painful. If I did buy them, I would have also then bought a roll of bubble wrap and some boxes to ship them home, cost of shipping be damned.
Akihabara is constantly changing. Places come and go, buildings get torn down and built anew. It was much different from the last time I went in 2018, and back then it was different from when I went in 2017. When I go again, it will be different then too. I can only imagine what it was like in the 1990s or early 2000s.
One of the appeals of Akihabara lies not directly in the stores and their wares, but how they were used. For decades, for longer than I've been alive, people came from all over Japan to find something for their projects. People used those parts to fix something and breathe life into it once more, or to make something new entirely. As I walked through the labyrinths and dungeons, looking at the assorted parts, I felt a sense of wonder and inspiration to that effect. What did people create with these parts? How did it work? What could I make with them?
Sometimes I didn't find something in Japan, but it would be here in the US. Here's an example. There's a series of model kits called "30 Minute Sisters" and they're made in Japan by Bandai. The premise is you build up the kit and for under $30 you get an anime-style mecha girl in 1/12 scale, and she's highly posable and customizable. Anyway, Bandai has been very good about making sure these kits are also available in the US. Despite there being absolutely no difference between the kits sold in either country, the US release dates for them are later than Japan's. I don't think Bandai is doing it out of spite, I think that's entirely due to the American share of the kits taking an extra month or two to come over via container ship. I bring this up because there were some kits in this series with an Idolmaster tie-in that were released less than a week before I arrived in Japan, and yet I could not find ANY of them ANYWHERE in Tokyo. Nothing. It's like they vaporized as soon as they touched the shelves there. I'm not surprised, because Idolmaster is extremely popular in Japan. But five or six weeks after they blinked into and out of existence in Japan, they're showing up in the US. As I knew they would.
As a novelty, I went into a Burger King in Tokyo. Much like with Hardee's/Carl's Jr, the burger is the same as it is in the US. For some reason, they had chicken wings on the menu (Japan-only item), so I tried them. Tasty but nothing to lose my mind over, especially when I have a Quaker Steak somewhat close by that will sell chicken wings by the bucket. I don't see BK offering that here, as the chicken wing market is much more crowded and competitive in the US.
Also in fast food, there's Pepper Lunch, and GoGo Curry. Teppanyaki and katsu curry, respectively. As it turns out, both of those places do have locations in the US. However, they're too far away to be feasible. GoGo has a place near NYC, and I'd have to go to Houston for Pepper Lunch. I found out, empirically, that I was more likely to go to their locations in Tokyo than the US.
I developed a taste for Pocari Sweat while in Japan. "Japanese Gatorade", in the simplest of terms. Pocari looks more like water, and has a light grapefruit flavor to it. It's available EVERYWHERE in Japan. After a lot of walking around at M3 and in general, a bottle of Pocari Sweat was really refreshing. Here in the US, I found one (1) store within a 100-mile range that carries Pocari Sweat, which is honestly one (1) more than I was expecting. Despite the distance, it is near other places I visit when I'm in that area. So I guess that's a bonus. Will I live without it here? Yes.
There's also Strong Zero, a citrus/alcohol drink available in Japan. Basically, it's 9% alcohol and zero-sugar. It sells for about a dollar a can there. Delicious but since I can't find it readily in the US without buying it online for $6 per can, I'll have to make do with locally produced versions. A bit of Everclear in some fruit juice and I think that'll produce the same effect.
I was hesitant to get computer parts in Japan, even though that's one of the things Akihabara is known for. Some things were actually more expensive there. It would have to be something exceptionally useful and rare for me to get it there instead of something like ebay. Meanwhile, if I need a new hard drive or memory sticks or other new computer parts, I can derp into MicroCenter and usually find what I need or do some mouse clicks on Newegg.
There's a store chain called Hard-Off, which sells used electronic hardware and musical instruments. At the Hard-Off in Akihabara, they were selling not one but two LD/DVD combination players. The amount of self-restraint I had to exert to not buy them and the high-end S-VHS VCR next to them was actually painful. If I did buy them, I would have also then bought a roll of bubble wrap and some boxes to ship them home, cost of shipping be damned.
Akihabara is constantly changing. Places come and go, buildings get torn down and built anew. It was much different from the last time I went in 2018, and back then it was different from when I went in 2017. When I go again, it will be different then too. I can only imagine what it was like in the 1990s or early 2000s.
One of the appeals of Akihabara lies not directly in the stores and their wares, but how they were used. For decades, for longer than I've been alive, people came from all over Japan to find something for their projects. People used those parts to fix something and breathe life into it once more, or to make something new entirely. As I walked through the labyrinths and dungeons, looking at the assorted parts, I felt a sense of wonder and inspiration to that effect. What did people create with these parts? How did it work? What could I make with them?
