Nathan and I went explorin' yesterday.
First stop, Harajuku - we saw the cosplayers doing their thing on the bridge just outside Yoyogi park. Wow. Has to be seen to be believed. I recognised some of the outfits, but most were just crazy-cool leather and lace and pink hair combinations. While I wanted to take photos of these people, so many gaijin were standing there gawking and clicking off 'rolls' of digital film that I was slightly embarrassed to be there. I hadn't seen so many plump white people in one place since I was back in Oz.
Next stop, Yoyogi park - a huge park right smack bang in the middle of Tokyo. Beautiful and very Japanese. We walked through it for a long time, and ended up at the main shrine. Nathan has a picture of himself in front of it that I might be able to steal from him at some point to upload. After the shrine, we headed back to the station through the park, along the way we passed a small pond graced by a single flowering cherry-blossom tree. It was spectacular.
After that we got back to the station and headed for Akihabara. We arrived, and once our eyes adjusted to the glare, we walked straight into Radio Hall, which is basically a multi-level toy shop. We saw story after story of giant star wars figurines, and jack skellingtons. I almost bought me some street fighter models, because who doesn't want their own little Blanka doll? The final level was devoted to doll parts. If you ever went mad, and decided you needed to build an army of crazy little dolls, choosing their bodies, heads, eyes, hair and latest doll fashions, this is where you would come. If you weren't mad then, you would be after ten minutes there - some shelves are arrayed with eyeless, featureless pink doll bodies, all posing and looking like they're at a tea party or some such, it's very Evangelion, and very scary.
Well, we continued the walk the streets of Akiba, passing numerous stores that only sold special yellow wires that could be used for repairing twenty year old Czech radio equipment and finally came across one of the Jewels in the crown of Akiba's weird. An Aso Bit City which sold only model guns. Model guns which shoot little plastic pellets. Model guns which cost upwards of $150. Not just model hand guns, but model machine guns which require a tripod in order to be fired. They have a firing range. You can hire a gun and shoot tiny little plastic pellets at a piece of paper to your heart's content. Amazing. (Mum, dad, if you're reading, could you wire me over some funds, I have some purchasing to do).
We ate some burgers and fires from a random Japanese burger joint (mine had chilli and wasabi -- tasty!). And then it was off to Shinjuku to buy a map and just be our cool selves. An hour later, we were leaving Shinjuku - mapless but still a couple of books heavier - on our way home. Nathan has come down with a bit of a cold (I keep trying to convince him it's hayfever) and is suffering head aches and explosive snot issues, so we called it a night early on. Still, a good day, and one I shall remember for weeks to come.
(sorry, forgot to take photos, will do so today, promise)
