Phil and I started our day adventure with a trip to Asakusa. We exited the Sensoji Gate of the train station, turned left, and walked towards the crowd. Crowds of tourists, both Japanese and international, try to find a suitable vantage point to photograph the famous Kaminarimon Gate and its giant red paper lanterns. The more ambitious or narcissistic tourists actually try to take photos in prime locations, taking for granted that the crowds will part for them.
When Phil saw the crowds filling the arcade leading to Sensoji Temple, he begged us to take a parallel path rather than deal with the crowds head-on.
So we headed left along the street until we reached the main entrance of the temple. Phil and I took some photos of the shrine and then walked up the stairs into the interior of the shrine. The altar is off limits to the public so we exited to the left.
As we tried to meander our way to Taitung, we popped into three Japanese knife shops just to see what they had to offer.
I also found a gashapon machine that served fried shrimp legs.
and a selection of vinyl Godzilla monsters.
We passed a bar that was not suspicious at all.
We also passed by World Luggage MuseumI didn’t know it existed.
As we were driving along National Route 6, I saw the sign for the Bandai headquarters building.
The multi-story building houses a visitor’s lobby and a row of statues on the sidewalk outside.
We took some photos with some statues. But the building is closed on weekends.
We continued walking along the road, stopping briefly at roadside shrines, until we reached the trail at Maqiao Bridge.
Then walk along the Sumida River to the former Yasuda Gift Garden.
Phil had already walked through the small park on Wednesday, but wanted to go back again to take more photos.
So we walked through the park and then continued past the Ryogoku Kokugikan Sumo Arena so Phil could take more photos of the building and the banner announcing the current sumo tournament.
We passed a sumo-themed restaurant.
Phil then took us to Yokoamicho Park, home to the Tokyo Memorial Museum, commemorating the victims of the Great Kanto Earthquake of 1923 and the Tokyo Firebombings of 1944-45.
We walked around the grounds, entered the building and sat down to watch a ten minute video that played on a loop explaining the building, its history and purpose.
To get to Ryogoku train station, we ended up walking through old Yasuda Park again.
We took the train to Nakano, this time exiting the station from the south exit. Phil used his cell phone navigation to direct us to the nearest Cocoya Ichiban Curry restaurant. Phil ordered the original curry and I ordered the fried pork cutlet curry.
We then took a long walk around the station to Nakano Shopping Street leading to Nakano Broadway.
We climbed the stairs to the fourth floor because I was going to buy a cream lemon production unit from the Apple Symphony store. But we found out the store was closed today to stock up.
We stopped briefly to buy drinks from the vending machines.
Determined to survey the floor more thoroughly than on our last visit, this time we found the 2D Gallery store, a newer second store on Nakano Broadway that specializes in cels and original paintings. Producer cells come from Dragon Ball Z, Sailor Moonand perfect blue It cost thousands of dollars, but the price seemed reasonable for the size of the unit. A photo of a mint face Galaxy Angel An American product for less than $50 caught my eye, but then I noticed that the bottom of the unit was damaged. I pulled out a set of two cels and matching original paintings of Meow and Ran from the bargain bin Kazumase Tsukikage Orchid 800 yen, about $5, for two sets of cels and animations of the stars Figure 17 500 yen, and two cels and original paintings of Seira, the star of the 1998 TV series Ninth Princessand the supporting character Hota Koharu, priced at 500 yen.
I also managed to find the Mandarake trading card store, which also sells Shijiki. I missed this store the first time I went to Broadway. This store no longer seems to offer randomly packaged shijiki. But I went through my pencil case and picked up countless Apple-themed Shijiki from 1987, priced at 1,000 yen mayoco club Shijiki priced at 1,000 yen, and Ize No.1 A close-up shijiki sells for 1,000 yen. Phil picked one Samurai Shijiki is also priced at 1,000 yen.
I popped my head into Mandarake Retro Comic Shop and then into Contemporary Anime Illustration Bookstore hoping to find something retro Creamy Lemon Movie comics. But I don’t see them anywhere. I also popped into a male adult doujinshi store to inquire about three specific doujinshi comics I was looking for. The store clerk told me that all three models were out of stock.
Having accomplished our goal of visiting Nakano Broadway, Phil and I returned to the station. I got off the train in Akihabara. Phil made one more stop so he could transfer to the Keisei Line to take him back to our rental.
During my visit to the Radio Kaikan building the day before, I had been impressed by K-Books’ selection of can badge buttons, but then moved on. I didn’t realize that K-Books offers H-doujinshi. So I went back today to take a closer look. After browsing the store for a while, I finally found an adult-oriented doujinshi in the back corner. Books are organized according to seasonal releases, parody titles, and creative circles, and the four bookshelves are filled with uncategorized new purchases. To my surprise, the Sikado doujinshi section doesn’t contain the latest releases, nor any particularly early releases. It seems the other major doujinshi creators I’m interested in don’t even have sections. After browsing for a while, I began to suspect that K-Books might be refusing to buy particularly old material, since none of the doujinshi sold in the store seemed to be older than about 15 years. I did pull and purchase a few comics, but nothing from my “need” list.
I went to the third floor of the original Akihabara Mandalak Tower to check out its selection Creamy Lemon Movie comics. There is a 1st edition volume 3 in the store, complete with belt, but not in my collection. My copy is the second edition. But considering the 6,500 yen, I decided not to buy this book. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a row of retro lemon man Magazine. To my surprise, the October 1983 issue has been shelved. This debut How expensive! Ize No.1 Although it wasn’t in perfect condition, it was only 400 yen, so I happily bought it.
I then spent some time looking for a dedicated Lashinbang store that I’d seen before that offered tantalizing doujin tapestry, but I didn’t purchase at the time. If I remember correctly, the item is neither in the Lashinbang store in Radio Kaikan nor in the store in the Akihabara Cultural District building. But if Lashinbang has a third store in Akihabara, I can’t find it. But in my search, I remembered that the Surugaya store at the end of Chuo-dori Otaku-dori seems to be the only store in Surugaya in Akihabara that offers adult doujinshi. So I followed the stairs to the third floor. Unlike other stores that primarily file doujinshi by creator name, Surugaya files books by genre and parody, which makes finding specific books more difficult. In the regular stack I found two dirty pair Comics I already own. While looking through the books on the “Older Various Anime Works” bookshelf, I found two books related to dirty pair Books on my “need” list. But I didn’t actually find any dirty pair comics.
Next I found and browsed a playthrough fanzine. I pulled out some comics that looked attractive, and the price was only 100 yen each. Then I turned around and found a whole wall of clearance H doujinshi, each book selling for only 20 yen. However, it was already 7:30 pm, so I browsed quickly and found three comics with attractive covers. Then I paid and left the store.
I called Phil and he said he would meet me at the station. Thankfully, at least I was able to take the Keisei Rapid train from Oshio Skytree Station to Aoto without any stops in between. So I met Phil, went to the Livre Keisei grocery store and bought another liter bottle of CC lemon, and then we went to the nearby Yoshinoya for dinner. Using the number pad on the table, we switched the language option to English and ordered two extra large beef bowls with extra beef, a miso soup for Phil and a chicken nugget for me.
A small local restaurant in Aoto, just a few blocks from the hotel we rented, had “Japanese Only” written on the front door, presumably meaning that only local Japanese customers were welcome.
