Japan 2014 days 18-20 : Back in Tokyo

I was thinking of going to Odaiba just for Tanaka Shoten and hesitating over how the cost of travel will push the price to 2000円 when I decided to check the website.

Lo and behold there's a Tanaka Soba in Akiba. Ordered charsiu soba omori which cost like 1100円. Old lady didn't ask any questions and then I saw the koteri sign aka thick soup after I sat down.

I had no idea about soba and asked whether I could choose how hard it was and elected for barikata. Unfortunately soba is not ramen and tasted just meh. Wtf not open a ramen branch ffs.

Went to Asagaya anime street and there's nothing much there. I like Asagaya though. Feels like a showa town. Should have taken pictures of the town.

There are only like 10 shops and there's not much to buy. Asagaya is only 3 stops away from Nakano so they better give people more reasons to go there.

Softmap in Akiba. I am seriously running out of space to put my figures.

Went to Ogikubo which is on the chuo line just past Asagaya...

to try Haruyaki which is under renovation until tomorrow. I believe it was one of the ramen shops used in Tanpopo.

Random crappy hakata ramen at ikebukuro. Don't feel like trying new shops.

Jmovie review : Saikin, imouto no yousu ga chouto okashindaga.

Went to Ikebukuro Cinema Rosa to watch this 15+ movie. Never saw the anime caused it looked so generic. Anyways, Mitsuki's mom remarries and she gets your generic anime hero as a brother.

The plot in Imouto okashi is this see-through negligee wearing ghost Hiyori appears and has a thing for Mitsuki's new stepbrother as well as being able to possess Mitsuki's body.

Sounds like a movie full of fanservice and comedy hijinks right? Sure its got lots of nudity and female on female ghost action but those are far and few between.

At its core, Imouto okashi wants to be this serious drama but absolutely fails in the directing department while dissappointing people like me who went for ecchi comedy. One dude even feel asleep halfway!

The acting is so bad especially the water fight scene. Imouto okashi wants to be more than juat fanservice fluff but in the end it ended up doing nothing. It takes itself too seriously  and doesn't seem fun.

The one thing that got me excited was the trailer of Iron Maiden. The three minute trailer had more excitement than the whole Imouto okashi movie. Too bad it comes out in July. : (

When I was buying the ticket I was reading the title from the poster and somehow my brain froze after saikin. I was thinking what's sister in Japanese again and somehow the only word in my brain was ane. The ticket girl probably thought I was too nervous. lol.

Don't waste your time. There are a lot better pinkus out there.

Japan Day 17 : Temmabashi

Wanted to catch up with Yukimi when I was in Osaka for the Madoka exhibition but the timing was off so I had to reschedule
one more trip to Osaka, specifically to Temmabashi cause she's working there with Megumi tonight. Really wanted to meet Yuka but she's got health problems and had to quit. :(

And Temmabashi is also where the Capcom Hq is! Unfortunately, there is nothing for visitors to do there except take pictures of two Senoku Basara characters and two mascots.

You can see two OLs in the picture bowing to someone, perhaps Ono-san on their way out. If I had run into Ono, I wold have asked why Capcom couldn't afford to renovate the stages in Ultra copy n paste fighter 4.

Temmabashi is pretty boring with the highlight being Keihan City Mall. Some expensive but interesting and expensive food here including kuro beef from Kagoshima.

Bloody raining whole day.

Matsuya double karubi for lunch.

Was regretting Matsuya after I saw shitenou but Yumiko says its crap. Name is very familiar. I might have eaten it at another branch somewhere perhaps.

I stayed till the end since this was my only day. Megumi was completely off her face.

Take two. Air's Clover is actually cheaper by 300円 per hour compared to Gift so I was happy. Temmabashi isn't as interesting as Fukushima-ku but its only two stops from Higashi Umeda. I highly recommend it. Just enter エイアーズクーローハー into tabelog.

Edit: Forgot to mention that the big news in Japan now is the AKB attack and Aska drug charges with the media covering them from every conceivable angle again and again. How about some world news, Japan?

Days 15 and 16 : Goodbye Kyushu

Ichiryu next to Nakasu. Double charsiumen. Yum.

I had looked up a reasonably priced bar before I came. Umfortunately it was no longer there and the blog was last updated early last year.

Eveything in Nakasu was Tokyo level expensive. Saw this girl with a sign saying 2000円 an hour. Asked if there was a tax? No. Service charge? 1500円 an hour. Karaoke charge?  2000円 per song.

I know Fukuola girls juat demolish Tokyo in terms of looks but that's the 3 times the price of Kumamoto which is only 40 minutes away.

8.45pm I took the shinkansen from Fukuoka to Kumamoto and arrived at 9.30. Took another half hour from Kumamoto station o town center.

Went to Tengaiten.

I consider it the best Kumamoto ramen for me.

After that it was drinking all the way to 5.15. Met this dude and Mai-chan at Juju last time and we met up again at Sweet.

Walking to Kumamoto station at 5.40. Took the first shinkansen back to Fukuoka and feel asleep smelling of alcohol and cigarretes.

Woke up at 11am and took the train to Hainuzuka to meet a friend.

Drove to Yanagawa for some udon.

Not bad but I'm still a ramen guy.

Later we had ice cream and then went to an onsen at Kurume.....

and then ramen with gyoza and beer at Kurume. Had a very fun time except the fighting over paying the bill. Best way to combat the Japanese insisting to pay for you is to grab the bill run to the cashier and if they insist just say they can pay the coins part. Great time and its fun to catch up with old friends.

Taking the shinkansen back to Fukuoka. I am going to miss Kyushu so much.

Sambomaster: Mada Mada! Owaranai Miracle no Yokan Tour 2014 at Fukuoka Drum Logos

Next door is the live event for BiS, an indie idol group.

I went super early so I could line up near the front for goods.

The BiS goods line.

Lining up according to numbers. I was no. 118. ☺

Its a crime how not famous Sambomaster are but thanks to that, they play at live houses where any place has a good view because its so small. I think there were around 300+ people.

The end of the queue to get in. At thw ens I lost my voice, was drenched in sweat and was wondering how the singer can keep going?

Towel. Sambomaster is one of those rare bands where I love their new stuff, old stuff and really old stuff.

But why the fuck can't they make a cool t-shirt? Scandal t-shirts are cool but they don't have XL size.

Sambomaster sang their new song Aishiteru aishitetai which was meh. They sang the acoustic version of a song I never heard of and I forgot the name of the song.

They also sang Aitakute which I love and I don't think they sang it at last years's tour and the highlight of the night was one of my favourite old songs Anata to ikitai as the last one. That was the one song that I felt was missing from the live I went to in November last year.

I just need to go to a live in Fukushima to hear them sing I love, I need you Fukushima.

Shishamo! I really like Boku ni kanojo ga dekitanda.

Day 12 : Last night in Kumamoto?

I think the shop is pronounced denden. 伝でん。

View from hotel.

Went to izakaya for some basashi aka horse meat.

The group of bars I used to go to now charge a 10% 'tax' and 200円 per song. Plus their DAM is old.

Found this bar with no tax, no karaoke charge and updated songs. It didn't have Sasahawa Miwa's 続く though.