Sunday, May 30, 2010

Last post from Japan

Yes, that is me doing the nyan. You can stop laughing now.

Hellcar and I were at the counter of this figure store. Me with a Cammy and Chobits figure and him with two other figures whose names escape me. We had come to the shop in search of Gwendolyn from Odin Sphere but it was not to be found. Just as the clerk added the sums, I reached to my back pocket and discovered to my horror that my wallet was not to be found!

Really nice cosplay chick doing promotion in Akiba.

Earlier in the morning I was freaking sick. In fact I had been sick for the whole day. Stupid running nose means breathing through the mouth when sleeping equals very dry throat equals drinking lots of water to no avail and running to the toilet every half hour. Woke up around 8-ish, took one hayfever tablet and two panadols from Rei and went to back to sleep.

Happy Honey is just on the 6th floor.

Woke up 10ish feeling drugged up but at least my sinus was clear. Sat around for an hour wondering whether I should go Akiba now or rest up and meet up with Inno later. Finally decided that I can rest when I get back to Melb. Yesterday someone went to massage parlour and someone else to a nurse massage place in Shinjuku. The pressure was on. I decided that I would go to this maid relaxation place today called Happy Honey.


Happy Honey tissue info.

Was walking around Akiba trying to find the damn place when I decided to look for the tissue girls instead and let them direct me. Found two of them and they were short, very kawaii types. Definitely over 20 but they played the part well in directing me to Happy Honey. At the reception, the receptionist could tell I was not Japanese and said that only gaijin who can speak fluent Japanese were allowed. Managed to convince her my Japanese was good enough. She mentioned that they had someone who could speak English but she was busy. Told her was would ok. I did not travel long hours just to speak English with Japanese girls.

Back to first year of middle school for me!

Anyway, the system at Happy Honey is in 20 minute blocks. You can choose to go for head massage, body, hands feet and I can`t remember the other two. I paid for 40 minutes and decided to go for head and body. Oh yeah, they switch girls for every block as well. Happy Honey does not have a maid theme but a middle school theme. I even got to choose my class number when I registered. Basically you need to have pretty decent Japanese to visit this type of place because you basically have to be able to hold a conversation for at least 20 minutes and I had practice in Osaka.

Very important for protecting your wrists.

 I was randomly wandering around shops when I got a call from Hellcar to meet up. I spotted two decently prized oppai mousepads and quickly grabbed them before running to meet Hellcar. We proceeded to the figure store where I realised my wallet was gone. My first thoughts were I must have been picpocketed since the crowds in Akiba on Saturday were crazy. I was thinking about what I needed to do, call the bank to cancel my cards and make a police report. First is retrace steps to previous shops.


Sex shop in Akiba. All the shops have a floor for each big JAV producer and the amount and variety and titles they have is staggering. Wish they had real life girls dakimakura or pillow covers though.
  
Thanks the Otaking that I had stupidly left my wallet at the shop or had dropped it at the counter. Couldn`t make up what he was saying as I was thanking him over and over. Ran back to the shop to get my Cammy and Chobits figures and lo and behold, Hellcar found his over 200,00 yen Gwendolyn! It was as if the powers that be arranged the lost wallet so he could find Gwendolyn. Ran to meet Inno and Rei and it was off to our first maid cafe! The maid cafe had a counter which was split in the middle for the maids to walk through from the kitchen.


Rei and Inno and some kawa. (chicken skin)

Hourly charge was 500 yen pp. The maid taking our order was pushing me to take the deluxe package for around 4500 yen which including her making a drawing with tomato sauce on the omrice, her singing a song, taking a group photo with all the maids and other stuff. After the pushy kyabakura in Osaka I held firm and settled on sausages, a beer and a photo together. She almost had me and in hindsight I should have ordered it.



That is chicken ass on a stick. Yum.

If you`ve seen videos of maid cafes, when they bring you your food and drinks, you need to do some moe hand signals and say something like `oishikunaru, kyun kyun, dakyun!`. Unfortunately, Rei had the wtf is this crap look on his face, Hellcar had the I only want to see you do it look and Inno just sat bemused. In hindsight  I should have told them what to expect but it was interesting watching the maids open champagne bottles, play games etc.

Haruhi ferrari in Akiba.

If I`m not feeling too sick tomorrow I`m going to a maid cafe and ordering the main course this time before going back downunder. Hellcar says he`ll come along but I think he just wants to laugh at me doing all the moe stuff.


 All you need is niku! 

 Makes me want to buy the Saber Lily figure but I really don`t have any room left. 

 Very sexy cammy figure.
  
  There is actually a magazine called U-17.
  
Back cover of said magazine which I will definitely peruse when I get back.

Saturday, May 29, 2010

Loot from Japan.... so far

This has buy me now written all over it.


After all the kyabakuras, snakus, yakitoris and arcades, going to Japan is all about loot. Sure you can get a lot of stuff of ebay but there`s nothing like the happiness when you find something awesome.

Shining Wind/Tears artbook. Hate the games and anime but love the figures.


Hatsune Miku! This is going to look so awesome in my room.

Happi coat.

Yui figure. Was tempted to get the good one with the guitar but I didn`t like the fact that she stood on one leg so it`ll fall down after a while.


Hellcar`s Nagato Yuki which changes colour according to temperature. We haven`t tested it out yet.

One happy man and his loot. I see a potential figure collecter here.

Sugaya Risako plus Mano Erina = must buy!

The cheapest shirt I`ve bought at 1000 yen. Most shirts were around 3000 yen.

GitS shirt. There was a tachikoma shirt but they were just too expensive. Kinda dissappointed that there weren`t any Street Fighter shirts.

Yui shirt. Rei bought a Mio shirt so we`re can hang out in Melbourne Chinatown with matching shirts.

K-on pillow cover cause I haven`t changed my pillow covers in years.

Other side of the cover.

Mano Erina poster which I got ...

.... from this manga.

Manaka shirt which I will wear for basketball and my defender will be too busy staring at the her.

Bought this in Fukuoka while waiting for the Shinkansen.

SSF4 technical guide book which I finally found at Shosen book tower Akiba after looking for it for two weeks all over.

PSP with Idolmaster and Project Idol.


RANDOM PICTURES


Crowd for show in front of AKB theater. I need to find out how to get me into one of their shows.

Price listing from Aroma Relaxation Centre in Akiba.


RANDOM NOTES

Did a test packing tonight. The heavy stuff is mostly the art/photobooks. No more space for figures. :( Might buy a few more photobooks tomorrow. Had to give up on the 220 00 yen Saber Lily and 300 00 Guts and Zodd figure. Been spending money like crazy this past few days. There`s just too much to buy in Akiba.

The second EVA movie came out 3 days ago and every freaking store in Akiba keeps playing the theme song over and over and over again. Will need to download when I get back so I can pretend I`m in Akiba.

In Tokyo, people stand on the left when going up escalators and the right is for people walking up. In Osaka its the reverse just to be different and its on the left in Fukuoka.

Friday, May 28, 2010

Back to Tokyo: Days 11 and 12

Some seiyuu signing or something in Akiba. Anyone know who she is?


Where pedobear does his shopping in Harajuku.


View of streets about Shibuya station.



Picture of Hachiko outside the station. There was a cute chick who was sitting on the right of the picture but she quickly got up as I was about to press the button. Note to self, learn to suppress perving aura or stop looking like a sukebe.

Crowds in Shibuya. In front is Tsutaya where I found the Hatsune Miku game!

Another Shibuya shot.

AKB theater is actually on the 8th floor on top of Don Quixote which I only realised yesterday. Ryuga gotoku had lead me to believe that Don Quixotes play the song all the time. Or maybe its just the one in kabukicho.


Abe Hiroshi ad which I`m assuming is for a credit card.


Ramen that I had at the food court above Yodobashi Akiba.


No, I did not win the pillow from a UFO catcher. It cost only 1280 yen which is less than what I had spent trying to get it. I have to look up her name after I finish this post. I`m sure no one in Melbourne will answer my phone call after they`ve seen this.

Hellcar ashamed to even know me.


Hellcar playing with magnectic balls. He can mold them into any shape he wants and all he can think of are circles?????

Ramen place just outside the Electric town entrance at Akiba.

Hellcar`s ramen from the above place.

Random pic.


Alcohol price at Don Quixote.

Rei thrilled that he gets to squash his own `lemon` for his drink.



Tako-wasabi, absolutely delicious.



Street fighter inspired food. Yuck.

Random shot of Akiba.

Queues awaiting trains that arrive seemingly every 2 minutes.