Leaving Tokyo today...
Don't want to.
_
Saturday went to Akihabara on Yuko's advice to find nerd nirvana. Akihabara is nerd Las Vegas crossed with open air comic con. From the train we could see buildings with four stories of cosplay costumes. The moment we stepped out of the train station we saw, for real, a girl dressed in a schoolgirl outfit being photographed by twenty sweaty old men. For real.
In all honesty... I have a problem with certain aspects of stereotyping a culture, or fetishizing it. For example, if I ever hear from a hipster about the vending machine that sells teenage girls' panties ever again as an example of their deep knowledge of Japanese culture - when it's pretty much the only story they know - then I am going to give them a pair of my used underwear. Or the idea that some American anime fans (and I say this as an anime fan) have that everyone in Japan to a single man woman and child watches Neon Genesis Evangelion. In all honesty, the problem with Akihabara is that it makes some of this stereotyping true.
Fetishization seems to be part of the Tokyo experience. In Akihabara it's the modus operandi.
It's the mega ultra nerd wet dream. Gadgets, girls in costumes, stores that specialize in DVDs, games, and manga, and toys. And not a child to be seen anywhere.
I went up to the 6th floor of a Japanese toy store looking for Nick and stumbled upon this...
An entire floor of the store devoted to replica guns. But not just guns. Replica scopes, silencers, ammo clips, gear bags, BDU vests, helmets... The place looked like a goddamn armory, all made of plastic. And I mean everything was accounted for, everything to fake brass gunmetal polisher.
Needless to say, I flipped out and spent more money than I should have on nerd haul. Including this, my new favorite toy. Sorry Ryan Castro, but I can only fit one in my bag... Diecast metal, transforming, fully poseable Gunbuster.
I must be kept away from Akihabara. After two hours nerd fatigue set in and we split. It actually became overwhelming.
Don't want to.
_
Saturday went to Akihabara on Yuko's advice to find nerd nirvana. Akihabara is nerd Las Vegas crossed with open air comic con. From the train we could see buildings with four stories of cosplay costumes. The moment we stepped out of the train station we saw, for real, a girl dressed in a schoolgirl outfit being photographed by twenty sweaty old men. For real.
In all honesty... I have a problem with certain aspects of stereotyping a culture, or fetishizing it. For example, if I ever hear from a hipster about the vending machine that sells teenage girls' panties ever again as an example of their deep knowledge of Japanese culture - when it's pretty much the only story they know - then I am going to give them a pair of my used underwear. Or the idea that some American anime fans (and I say this as an anime fan) have that everyone in Japan to a single man woman and child watches Neon Genesis Evangelion. In all honesty, the problem with Akihabara is that it makes some of this stereotyping true.
Fetishization seems to be part of the Tokyo experience. In Akihabara it's the modus operandi.
It's the mega ultra nerd wet dream. Gadgets, girls in costumes, stores that specialize in DVDs, games, and manga, and toys. And not a child to be seen anywhere.
I went up to the 6th floor of a Japanese toy store looking for Nick and stumbled upon this...
An entire floor of the store devoted to replica guns. But not just guns. Replica scopes, silencers, ammo clips, gear bags, BDU vests, helmets... The place looked like a goddamn armory, all made of plastic. And I mean everything was accounted for, everything to fake brass gunmetal polisher.
Needless to say, I flipped out and spent more money than I should have on nerd haul. Including this, my new favorite toy. Sorry Ryan Castro, but I can only fit one in my bag... Diecast metal, transforming, fully poseable Gunbuster.
I must be kept away from Akihabara. After two hours nerd fatigue set in and we split. It actually became overwhelming.
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