OH AKIHABARA! How I have heard of your wonders! But oh lord I didn't expect to be quiet as uplifted as I was by todays adventure.
Entering Akihabara is like leaving the real world and entering dream world, where everything is anime, games, moe and maids. There are literally hundreds of shops, each with several floors to explore filled with crap you didn't even know you wanted. Thousands of people wonder around with bags filled with their favourite figures or pillows or comics. While most of this is geared towards men and alot of what is on sale is hentai or ecchi related there was still plenty of stuff for me to enjoy. Japan has succeeded in reigniting my love for animes I used to watch when I was a teenager.
Firstly there is TONNES of Evangelion stuff around, I suppose to promote the new movies ("You can (Not) advance" is released on DVD on the 27th :D) so I was super snap happy!
I'm glad to see old series like Eva and Gundam Wing still have a place in the manic world of otaku where there are a million an one new animes to take their place. Nostalgic series are the best!
Akiba is also renound for its maid cafes. A bizaar trend that nowhere else in the world has caught onto. We as westerners cannot comprehend that somthing that seems like fetish work can be so completly innocent. Oviously there are certain establishments that are a bit dodgy and offer 'extras' but for the most part the world of Maid-o is sweet and clean. We went to one particular cafe called "Mai Dreamin". As soon as you step into the cafe you feel like you've been transported to a different planet. Away from the harsh grey of the world outside and into a rainbow! There are fluffy clouds coming out of the ceiling, ribbons lining the bar, massive plush toys on the stage and every girl is wearing a maid costume! There are no bouncers, no security cameras, nothing, because noone there is ever expected to cause a ruckus. Even though there is a bar and I expect patrons can get quite loud on occasions you never get the feeling that the girls are in any danger, which is astonising since I could never imagine such a place in England.
To make their money the girls sell glossy photos of themselves, cd's of songs they sing and the privledge to have a poloroid taken with a maid of your choice. Since you arent allowed to take photos of the girls yourself you're pretty much forced into this but the photos you get are something to keep forever, as they write a thankyou message on the back and decorate the front with stars and hearts!
We spent two hours in there enjoying the singing and whole sugary sweetness of it all. We had to pay around Y3000-4000 each but for such a unique experience it was sooooooo worth it. I won't ever forget my first visit to a maid cafe XD
Akiba is a strange place indeed and maybe not for everyone visiting Japan, I would still recommend it for tourists but if you have no interest in anime, gaming, moe or electrical goods then you're going to find it very weird indeed. The most important thing about it is to keep an open mind, and I'm sure you'll love Akiba as much as I did!
Us outside the legendary "Gamers" shop, home of DiGi Charet
That about covers it for Akiba. I'm writing this with the flu and so I'll be staying in to blog more tomorrow. Coming up, Greeary day, Jobs, Dealing with Homesickness and Tokyo Big Sight
Love to all my readers xxx
Entering Akihabara is like leaving the real world and entering dream world, where everything is anime, games, moe and maids. There are literally hundreds of shops, each with several floors to explore filled with crap you didn't even know you wanted. Thousands of people wonder around with bags filled with their favourite figures or pillows or comics. While most of this is geared towards men and alot of what is on sale is hentai or ecchi related there was still plenty of stuff for me to enjoy. Japan has succeeded in reigniting my love for animes I used to watch when I was a teenager.
Firstly there is TONNES of Evangelion stuff around, I suppose to promote the new movies ("You can (Not) advance" is released on DVD on the 27th :D) so I was super snap happy!
I'm glad to see old series like Eva and Gundam Wing still have a place in the manic world of otaku where there are a million an one new animes to take their place. Nostalgic series are the best!
Akiba is also renound for its maid cafes. A bizaar trend that nowhere else in the world has caught onto. We as westerners cannot comprehend that somthing that seems like fetish work can be so completly innocent. Oviously there are certain establishments that are a bit dodgy and offer 'extras' but for the most part the world of Maid-o is sweet and clean. We went to one particular cafe called "Mai Dreamin". As soon as you step into the cafe you feel like you've been transported to a different planet. Away from the harsh grey of the world outside and into a rainbow! There are fluffy clouds coming out of the ceiling, ribbons lining the bar, massive plush toys on the stage and every girl is wearing a maid costume! There are no bouncers, no security cameras, nothing, because noone there is ever expected to cause a ruckus. Even though there is a bar and I expect patrons can get quite loud on occasions you never get the feeling that the girls are in any danger, which is astonising since I could never imagine such a place in England.
To make their money the girls sell glossy photos of themselves, cd's of songs they sing and the privledge to have a poloroid taken with a maid of your choice. Since you arent allowed to take photos of the girls yourself you're pretty much forced into this but the photos you get are something to keep forever, as they write a thankyou message on the back and decorate the front with stars and hearts!
We spent two hours in there enjoying the singing and whole sugary sweetness of it all. We had to pay around Y3000-4000 each but for such a unique experience it was sooooooo worth it. I won't ever forget my first visit to a maid cafe XD
Akiba is a strange place indeed and maybe not for everyone visiting Japan, I would still recommend it for tourists but if you have no interest in anime, gaming, moe or electrical goods then you're going to find it very weird indeed. The most important thing about it is to keep an open mind, and I'm sure you'll love Akiba as much as I did!
Us outside the legendary "Gamers" shop, home of DiGi Charet
That about covers it for Akiba. I'm writing this with the flu and so I'll be staying in to blog more tomorrow. Coming up, Greeary day, Jobs, Dealing with Homesickness and Tokyo Big SightLove to all my readers xxx
Lots of pretty pictures XD lol
ReplyDeleteI didn't mind Akiba but I found that after going there once the allure had gone. But it's still a great place for amusements and cafes, I found :D
Lovin' the eye make-up.
Lol speaking of maid cafes me and Holly were in Yesterday's world in Yarmouth and the old ladies totally wear old 20s style maid outfits! British equivalent to maid cafe so disturbing >.<
ReplyDeleteLots of Eva gets there, I love the bottles lol.