After my previous trip to Japan, I really regretted not taking more photos. I'm happy to say that I did much better this time and even got a new digital camera from Take-chan's mom as an early birthday present (♥), but there's still a part of me that wishes I took even more photos! Next time I shouldn't feel so embarrassed about looking like a total tourist. :P
So for our first full day in Japan, I surprised myself by not heading straight to Shibuya. Instead, Take-chan and I hit up Akihabara first, and I was even more surprised that we spent almost the entire day there! We've been watching a lot of anime lately, so it was fun to look at all the merchandise at each store. When it comes to figures in Akihabara, the trick is to check out all the stores for the best price! Because of that, I was able to score a gorgeous Asuna figure for only ¥1,200. ♥ I also bought a bunch of other stuff (mostly Free!, Kuroko no Basuke, and One Piece stuff).
Ready to do some shopping!
Beard Papa! I was so sad when the one in my local mall closed down. T__T
We were bound to run into Shingeki no Kyojin! There was a good amount of SnK merchandise, but nothing cool or cute enough that I wanted to spend my money on. Didn't see any figures, either. It was mostly clear files, keychains, manga, t-shirts, etc.
We entered the first arcade we ran into and found this little cutie sitting on top of some One Piece gachapon machines. One thing I have to say is that I'm extremely glad that Take-chan and I finally started getting into One Piece this year, because you'll find One Piece pretty much everywhere in Japan, be it merchandise, an entire restaurant and stores dedicated to it, or even just tiny references here and there. I would feel so giddy every time I saw anything related to One Piece. ♥
Kuroko no Basuke! I love how Kuroko and Kagami look like they're peeking at you. :3 And for the record, this type of UFO catcher is so rigged! If you look closely, you'll see a pink rubber ball with the shiny prize dangling from it, and Take-chan and I are convinced that it's meant to make you spend a good amount of yen before actually winning. It's difficult to get it in one round due to the friction of the ball against the plastic plate, plus the fact that the prize is weighing the plate down. You pretty much have to edge it little by little on both sides of the plate before it falls, and what's more is that the claw is so weak!!! U__U /rant
There it is again! One Piece appears even when we're just waiting to cross the street. xD
There were arcades everywhere! But more importantly, how cute is that giant alpaca? :3
I kept seeing posters of this gorgeous Junko figure. I haven't played or watch Danganronpa, but I'm particularly interested because Junko is a gyaru! ♥
Chopper dressed up as Buggy!!! I think my heart just melted. ♥
Funasshi army!!! O__O
We stopped to take a break at this random crepe place, and it tasted so amazing!
Mazinger Z is the anime my parents used to watch back in the day (that and Voltes V).
Sailor Moon iPhone 5 cases!!! *__* ♥ And sadly, I don't have an iPhone 5... But I bought a case anyway! I guess that'll be my next phone. :3 I wanted to buy more Sailor Moon merchandise too, but all I could find were these cases and the same so-so figure that ran for at least ¥4,000 at pretty much every store. T__T
I was debating between these two, and I ended up getting the second one. I love how vibrant the colors are! *__* ♥
Portrait of Pirates by MegaHouse is hands down one of the best series of One Piece figures! How I wish I could've taken Zoro home with me. :3
Kotobukiya is also very consistent with producing high quality figures. If I had to choose only one place to visit in Akiba, it would be this store!
So I'll have to post all of my Akiba gets later because I haven't taken any photos of them yet! D: Next post will be about Shibuya. Thanks for reading! ^__^ ♥