With its wide selection of electronic, anime, videogame, and specialized goods, Akihabara is a dream come true for anyone even slightly interested in Japanese pop culture! As we strolled through the lively streets, my group was amazed by the diverse and wide range of products. As we made our way to the central streets, we were greeted by shops filled with anime figurines and mecha models. We also entered Akiba Central that was 8 floors and contained manga of all different volumes, anime DVDs, and figures upon figures behind glass cases. Being the huge anime and videogame fans that we are, we spent hours browsing the goods and were like kids in a candy store. Shopping in Akihabara is intense and filled with so many choices that we didn’t even know where to begin!
Intense advertising in Akihabara!
After exploring the main streets and entering a few more figure and games shops, we decided to dig a bit deeper and search for a store that I’ve wanted to visit since I was a child: The Tales of Store, a homage to my favorite videogame series. It was on the 2nd floor of a shop called Kotobukiya and there I dropped over $200 on specialized merchandise. I picked up a towel, hair tie, and alarm clock of my favorite character Leon Magnus from Tales of Destiny, and also a T-shirt and necklaces from the latest title, Tales of Xillia. I also picked up a NERV T-shirt from Evangelion, a Spookies mug from SMT: Soul Hackers, a Saber Lily keychain from Fate/Stay Night, and a Haro and Zaku model for a friend. It’s safe to say that I spent my worth in Akihabara!! And this is only our first time here!
My wallet took a critical hit! But it was well worth it!
The thing I like about shopping in Tokyo and Japan in general is that everything is conveniently located nearby at a walkable distance. I enjoy shopping at tiny specialized shops instead of huge general malls like in America. Our shopping experience tonight was truly unforgettable, I loved being able to see so many things that are relevant to my interests. My friends and I got some amazing deals on figures and will definitely come back here to hit up some more shops!
Adventures in Japan (日本の冒険) 