The first step was actually meeting at Baba (takadanobaba). I was certain I would be late, but ended up being at least 5 min early, and waiting almost half an hour. Funny how things work that way. I got to wonder inside of the very Japanese Don Quixote. I may have found a place to get a flag pole, for under $60. Will return on mon, probably. Anyway, finally met up with the full group, and embarked on the first leg of our journey, Ikebukuro.
The main stop was a store called Animate on Otome road. Eight floors stocked full of whatever Japanese Anime and Manga goods you could think of. Anything from action figures, books, and posters, to strange things like bath salts and character body pillows. I didn't buy anything this time, but I'm sure I'll return at least once before coming home.
Next stop was Akihabara, to check out some more geeky stores, and an awesome used/old game store. I got to see an IRL original Nintendo Family Computer, the gaming system that inspired the generic Japanese word ファミコン(Famikon) for all gaming systems since. Got hit hard with nostalgia as I wandered the isles of the store. Soooo many cool old games. Also, in the area, there were a number of Maid Cafes. We didn't visit any, but they look like that weird kind of fun you have to visit once, just to say you did. May sometime in the near future.
I still hadn't bought anything yet, because of what was coming up in Hamamatsucho. The Pokémon Center!!! OMG. I can't go into that store again or I'm not going to have enough money to get home. I ended up buying some Eevee evolution charms, and a few little souvenirs for friends back home. Sooo cool. Disappointed that they didn't have macaroons like in the most recent movie. Maybe I'll find some at another center…
Second to last stop, the Square Enix store in Shinjuku. This one, I really had to hold back. They had the final mix versions of all the kingdom hearts games. I was sooooo tempted. Finally, here's the coolest thing:
Sephiroth
Full-size Sephiroth, built into the floor
Finally, return to Baba for dinner. We went to Shakeys, apparently an American restaurant, but very Japan-ized. They had things like Caesar salad with a barely-cooked egg on top, and tuna-and-corn pizza. Guh. What pizza we did order was very good, if a little pricey. Ended up being about 1700yen a person. We did get dessert pizza though which was also tasty, and had chocolate and I think apricots on top? Yum.
Much later, we went to the Big Box near the station, up to the arcade floor, and Tamarra got to try the Table Flipping game. Oh, haven't heard of it? Check out a video here on youtube. The version in the video is actually older, but it's the same concept. Tamarra actually got high score for the level she played! 76 points! Then I tried to get a Laboon plush out of a claw machine game and failed miserably, loosing a bunch of money. What a waste. I guess I'll just have to buy one somewhere else. :(
That was pretty much it. Came home. My feet hurt. And since it was raining all day, they're still kinda cold and wet, too. No earthquakes today though. That was kinda nice. Now I'm gonna sleep.
Raaaaaaaaiiinn…
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