So anyway I will start with the 21st, this day was pretty much a chillout day as I was recovering from my trip to Odaiba. Not that I just sat in the hotel room watching Top gear or anything! I decided to stay local in Tokyo and first port of call was Akihabara. As I said in my last log I had found a massive memory my childhood in a functioning cabinet for super hang on, well for those who don't believe what they are told, time for show to trump tell.
Seriously, that is one of the coolest things ever! Ok it's dated and ancient, but it brought back memories of being six years old, pretending I was a champion racer in a holiday camp in Bournemouth! For me reliving classic memories is part of why I came to Japan, there is so much here for the nerd, geek and nostalgic person!
After dropping some coins in there it was still before noon and I was therefore unable to go immediately where I wanted, so instead began to walk around when I suddenly spied this.
No it isn't a photoshop, that is a genuine Ferrari 458 that has been decorated by an otaku in anime characters! I feel like someone has played Forza 4 just a little too much and gone 'I have the cash, let's do it!' I pictured it lining up at Suzuka alongside the proper race-prepared ferraris and wet myself, can imagine Murray Walker going "and look at that!" When it comes on the main straight XD
After stopping myself from laughing further I grabbed a swift coffee and then went to the Hello Project shop here in Akihabara as it has been two weeks since I put in my special order. Before I set off I had found my receipt and brushed up on an adequate phrase that summarised my request of 'it's been two weeks, where is my order?'
At first there was a bit of an issue as the attendant thought I was saying I'd like to collect it in two weeks, with patience and resolve I explained I had waited two weeks and was wondering if it had arrived. After this there was a further litany of errors in that they searched the back rooms for some time before they finally found what they were looking for and what I desperately wanted.
Yup that is an A4 sized photo of Fukumura Mizuki from Morning Musume. Aside from Kikka she is one of the few other idols I really care for. Online even those who aren't keen say she has two things going for her... Left tit and right tit XD I am a little more supportive than that in that I think she has an excellent voice, superb character and gorgeous looks all over her body (though yes her rack is a superb asset I acknowledge that!)
So yes this nice piece shall have a frame found for it upon my return to the UK and placed on one of the walls in my home. Alongside the other insane amounts of stuff I own! I do find it annoying that I have so little merchandise for Kikka-sama, main problem being that it is so bloody hard to find! Outside of concerts and events it just does not exist that easily, oh well, one of the challenges of being an international fan of a totally independent artist!
By now it was around 2pm so I ventured home, showered and then chilled for a while before I decided to head to Shibuya just for an evening meal and to check out the evening. In between a hellacious thunderstorm hit Nippori so I rightly stayed inside and kept my head dry! In Shibuya I tried out a food place I had not visited before called 'Freshness burger'
What you are looking at there is a curry burger, wedges and a non-alcoholic mojito... Bit of a strange combo but hey, I'm on vacation, fuck the rules! The burger was nice but had a huge egg in it so got that annoying British breakfast muffin problem of it all exploding when you bite into it, nice though! The mojito meanwhile was actually really nice and refreshing, though would have preferred some rum in it!
Afterwards I took in the streets and noticed that high above the 109 pedestrian crossing, Morning Musume have a gigantic advertising billboard for their newest single わがまま気のまま愛のジョーク and I had never seen one for Hello project there before so that was a nice feeling. Of course I couldn't resist getting a shot of one of the busiest pedestrian crossings you will ever see.
Yes many people crossing and to cap it off top-left you can see the aforementioned billboard. After this it started raining again and fearing exposure in a huge storm I leapt on the yamanote line and bolted back to Nippori. Got in and literally twenty minutes later it hit... Oh my fucking god did it hit! Proper nasty rain that was easily as heavy as the rain storms we suffered in 2007, accompanied by proper thunder and lightning, so loud it drowned out my headphones! I stuck inside and then after it eased off at 11pm I went to sleep.
So on to August 22nd. Had a nice relaxing morning before I went to Nakano broadway, this was a place I had never visited before but heard loads about. I got there but was a little earlier and many stores were not open. Still I managed to find an arcade cabinet which had about 200 roms of classic games on, feeling nostalgic I put on R-type II and went space shooting for around half an hour.
Once this time passed most of the stores began to open and this place is just awesome if you are in any way an idol, otaku or general nerd. One store had tonnes of Formula 1 stuff for sale, including a Renault racing suit as worn by Jarno Trulli in 2004, a cap worn by Sebastian Vettel and loads of signed photos of drivers from the 1980's until present day. Unfortunately all were expensive and I am cautious of my monetary limit, but should I have any spare cash I will be back there!
I also found a bookstore which had some interesting PB's in, one of which was from the high-school maths drama that Reina, Kikka, Sayu, Mano and fucking everyone else from H!P/NGP was in, I was tempted by it but resisted since it was more than likely making of photos which is not what I buy a PB for... Slap me if I missed a sitter with that one!
Nakano broadway looks normal here...
But then you find this!
I continued walking around the place taking in loads of things I wanted but were just too expensive, one of which was an 8 dvd boxset of solo angles for the Morning Musume concert 'Pika Pika 2010'. This item is rare and would have made an awesome addition to my collection, but at 27000 yen, not something I can defend purchasing! I also saw another item I really wanted to buy.
That is seriously one of the most awesome items ever but again, it was 37000 yen! I might be a huge nerd and think back to the future is the greatest movie trilogy ever... But I cannot excuse that, not yet anyway! I continued taking in the stuff here and generally having fun nerding out before I found an awesome local ramen bar, had lunch and then headed off back home.
After this I didn't do much aside from head to Ueno to order some shinkansen tickets so with that I'll segway into the 23rd when I returned to Osaka. I feel that there was unfinished business here, last time I came was for the amazing kankyukan aquarium, but I never actually ventured into Osaka itself, so that is what I intended to do.
Jumped on the shinkansen at 8am and had a completely smooth journey all the way down to the Kansai region before I set foot out of the station and realised I had done zero recon! Yup! This was a totally cold entry and could result in epic awesome or total and utter disaster. Gulping down any fear I ventured into the unknown after getting a train to Osaka itself and ventured out the south exit. Without any real plan I walked the streets and ended up, purely by accident, stumbling on something amazing... A ferris wheel that was on the 7th storey of a building! Naturally I went up!
Yup that's a shot from out of the ferris wheel, I have more but not got them off my camera yet, so keep an eye on my photobucket account and more will come. But this was amazing, really got very high, probably around 12th floor in height and only cost 500 yen! Normally in england these sorts of wheel cost anywhere from £6 up to £30, in GBP 500 yen is about £3.33! Absolute bargain!
After this I once again started stalking the streets and found myself in a rather dodgy looking side market. It had loads of pachinko parlours, a porn dvd store, an eatery for those who like very fresh fish and bars designed for slugging shots and getting massages. No, there was no red lights on, but then it was only around 1pm so might have been a bit early for the fun to start!
Rare or raw?
Bewilderingly, after this alley came to an end all of a sudden I was in this public space where tonnes of tradition shrines and buildings stood, with locals donating coins and performing Shinto praying rituals, talk about a shift in balance, going from pretty much porn/crime alley to this was the most perplexing experience I have had in a while.
I returned to the station after this as started getting hungry and found this cool underground shopping plaza that is very similar to one that is in Shinjuku. I walked around for ages and passed loads, but all looked pretty damn expensive, talking over 1000 yen for the main alone. I started getting a bit frustrated when I noticed a tempura place that looked at a decent price. Ensuring I was not jumping the gun I went up close and sure enough prices were fine so I dived in and had a fine meal of five tempura, rice and a green tea for just 650 yen.
Yellow signed building is where I ate, damn nice!
When it came to settling the bill I asked for them to please wait before counting out the change and handing it over and thanking them. At this point the attendant advised my Japanese was good, I said thanks and then began pondering something. You see, when I met Madoka she also said my Japanese was good, however, on 15th August I got my Japanese AS level result, and I got a disappointing grade. D for disappointing!
So this caused me to ponder what level I was really at and I think the reason I didn't do well is that the exam and the course material is stuck in the 1960's. Before anyone says it, I adore my tutor, she is absolutely awesome and so understanding and supportive. But the exam was obsessed with asking about things that no one really gives a shit about! One question was about a school fete or something where the tutor dressed as a clown and questions were about prepartion, while another was about an island where climbing became popular and the questions related to toilets, honestly who gives a shit?
Out here I have found myself needing some of the stuff I learned, but a lot of it, has not been helpful. So that is why I am going to take a year out, study alone for some context and then have another crack at getting the result I want.
Anyway, after making this bold decision I ventured back on to the streets and eventually found my way down to a huge wide river that led to city hall. As time was getting closer to my shinkansen back to Tokyo I walked, took shots and enjoyed the sights at my fingertips.
I thought it was awesome to be at this fusion of the wide waterways, traditional crafts and the modern skyline. The synthesis of old and new is one of the greatest things about Japan, I know that in London, Manchester and York this exists too. But I think it is the sheer magnitude of it which takes my breath away out here. Like when I was up the skytree and saw so many eras of Tokyo in one microcosm, just wonderful.
After this I ventured back to Shin-osaka, grabbed a beer while waiting for my shinkansen then ventured back to Tokyo. Bitten by the sales bug I went to Yodobashi akiba and bought myself a set of JVC HA-XM02X headphones. They are awesome, really powerful and extremely comfy, cost 5400 yen which is only around £37. Plus I got an unexpected surprise, not wanting to touch my cash if I could, I decided to use my bank card and unexpectedly, this place had 'chip & pin'! So easy security, score!
Now on to the final part of my blog where I mention Kikka's concert in santa clara. First of all, santa clara is in San Francisco, USA... I am in Japan! So I am not there, however thanks to a... Err... Source! *Whistles* I have heard an audio recording of the concert and it was a very unusual gig! Started with a singles medley of Kikkake ha you, Hapi rapi sunrise, konna watatshi de yokattara and darling to madonna. She then did something which has made me very jealous of those who are there... San san go go and I wish! For those who don't know, they are classic tracks by Milkyway! and Morning Musume respectively!
The first of that pairing is one of my favourite songs she has ever done whilst the second is just so unbelievably random as to be awesome. She also bizarrely did Airi Suzuki's solo song Tsuugaku Vector truly random shit! It was also cool that she the b-sides candy pop and Sweetie before ending with ずっとずっとずっと君がスキだ Though bless her she did mess up on candy pop, がんばってきっか様！
Yes I am jealous, yes I would love to be there, but having had signings, mini-lives, festival dates, MM live, MM soundcheck, MM handshake, Kikka handshake, Cool hello concerts... Yeah I reaaally can't complain so to all who are going, I am jealous, I am sorry I am not there, but all have an awesome time in Santa clara! As for me, it is my birthday in a few days, but as my peeps are all busy on the day, tonight from 5pm we are going to be decimating Shinkjuku. Brian, Dean, Mika and Nino... There's gonna be nothing left of the place when we are finished! Until next time *sets sail*
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