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Yoshi's Adventures in Japan; AKA Area 11
Topic Started: Oct 29 2012, 06:27 AM (642 Views)
Yoshi6400
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Azure Dreadking
Sapphy is with me as well. I'll post a few pictures when I get back from all of this.

20121028
- Landed in Narita Airport around 2PM.
-Spent the rest of the day obtaining rail passes, checking in to the hotel, and gathering some food and snacks.

20121029
- Kinda strange to be one of the tallest people walking about down the streets...
- Went to Studio Ghibli Museum. IT WAS BOSS. IF ANY OF YOU EVER GO TO JAPAN, GO THERE. (Be warned that you have to buy tickets months ahead of time.) However, no pictures allowed inside the building. Had to struggle really, really hard to avoid bleeding money profusely in the Gift Shop.
- Went to Akihabara in the late afternoon. Wandered around a bit.
- Had dinner at Gundam Cafe. I ate a Gundam and drank a Sazabi. Sapphy ate a Haro. After that, we had Gundam Ice Cream. It was really fun to have a meal with assorted Gundam Music playing in the background (Truly assorted. For example: AGE-3's theme, Quite Night CE73, Last Impression, Unicorn's Theme.)
- Attempted to browse some shops. Picked up Super Touhou Wars. Didn't find any specific model kits or figures that I was looking for. I mad. There were so many tempting things, but I had to keep my eyes on my goals. If I have spare cash when the trip is all over, then a chunk of it will be used on any tempting side-targets.
- There are TONS of shops with 7+ floors apiece. I will have to go back a few times.
- Drank a large can of Sapporo Beer to end the evening.

20121030
- Had fairly nice weather today. Since we didn't know how long this would hold up, we decided to go to GUNDAM FRONT TOKYO. I decided to wear a shirt with The Last Shooting on it.
- Narita to Tokyo to Shin-Kiba to Tokyo Teleport
- Arrived at Diver City Tokyo, a multi-leveled shopping mall with attached office spaces.
- Went to go see the Gundam first. It was breathtaking. I couldn't stop grinning the whole time I was there. Took lots of pictures.
- Had lunch. Tonkotsu Ramen at the food court.
- There was an interesting setup at the food court, something that I would have no doubt would not work because of the "1 person's gonna ruin this for EVERYONE" clause. In the middle of the seating area, there was a counter area with stacks of paper cups and a couple of drinking water fountains that to fill the cups with ice cold water. IF anyone needed water, they could go get it as needed.
- Another thing that I noticed that would not work because of the "1 person's gonna ruin this for EVERYONE" clause is that people pick a seat at the food court, leave their bags and items unattended at their seats and then go order food. I have NO DOUBT someone would take the opportunity to steal or at least be tempted to steal the items left behind.
- After lunch, we went out to see the Gundam again. There was going to be an event where it would light up and move a bit.
- Gundam music from various series played while the Gundam looked around with lit up eyes. Apparently in its original location it had a light up beam saber, but it doesn't have it here.
- After that, went to the Gundam Front exhibit. Bought tickets for the 12:30 entry. Bummed around in the Gunpla gallery as I waited.
- Said gallery had ONE OF EACH AND EVERY GUNPLA MODEL MADE BY BANDAI. IT WAS AMAZING. I TOOK PICTURES. I WILL POST THEM SOMEWHERE LATER. Actually, now that I think back, all models with some kind of joint-advertising project (like the ANA colored stuff) was excluded.
- 12:30 hit. Went in to the exhibit. It started off with a movie projected into the ceiling dome, narrated by Char. Some highlights of the movie were...
>A short history of all Gundam shows. Talks of the simelines and how some shows are connected and some are their own thing. Amusingly, it presented the UC shows in UC chronological order, not AD release order.
>The Nu vs. Sazabi fight in Gundam Evolve quality. Flying around you and over your head.
>The Gundam vs. Char's Gelgoog AND Char's Zaku II in Gundam Evolve quality. Once again, flying around you and over your head.
- After the movie, we went to the exhibit area.
- There was a 1:1 Strike Freedom Torso. If you paid an extra 3000 ten, you would be allowed to go into the cockpit and get a picture taken. We oped out of this. Took pictures standing outside of it.
- There was also a 1:1 Core Fighter. It was tilted sideways and battle damaged, like the End of Mobile Suit Gundam. They went into INSANE DETAIL, even including the V-Project binder as well as a picture left in the cockpit... The picture taken with Lt. Matilda.
- In the "NO PICTURES" area of the exhibit, they had ORIGINAL CELS AND THE ORIGINAL "GUNBOY" CONCEPT ART from Mobile Suit Gundam. Also there were production sketches and notes for 1:1 Gundam, Gundam AGE, and SEED Remaster.
- The shop was underwhelming. Only a hefty stock of a couple of models with Gundam Front-only unique decals. Also some very expensive Gundam-themed designer clothing.
- Went to Akihabara again in the late afternoon. Went to place called Yodobashi Camera, as suggested by a friend of mine. Toys/Hobby were on the 6th floor. Was thankfully able to take an elevator up.
- When we reached the floor... it was heaven.
>A hobby section about as big as a convenience store. I made a double-take when I saw an isle labeled "HG/MG". At least 2 of each and every standard-release HGUC model on the shelves. At least 1 of almost every standard release MG model on the shelves.
>Other isles included 00, AGE, Wing (You heard me. WING.), Kotobukiya, Super Robot Chogokin, Trains, Planes, Ships, Cars, Figma, Character Figures.
>I walked out with MG Ex-S Gundam, HG Deathscythe Hell Custom (a request from a friend), HG Char's Z'Gok (a request from a friend), and finally Super Robot Chogokin DaiJyuJin. All of it 20%-30% cheaper than HLJ's "You save __ from buying from us" prices.
- Wandered back to some shops. Sapphy picked up Kamen Rider Wizard's Belt and two Familiars. I got Gundam ExVs for, get this, 3480 yen. Play-asia and their +100-200% "Gundam Tax" can go suck it.
- Had dinner at Gundam Cafe. Sapphy and I shared a Char's Zaku II. I also drank a Red Comet. For dessert, we ate a Twin Drive.
-Just a casual warning, Akihabara is not a place. It is an ordeal.

Now stay a while and listen as I explain...
Akihabara is a place that has stuff for somewhere for any Anime, Manga, or Gaming fan. The catch is finding what you want. You will have to walk around the area, from shop to shop, traveling up 7+ floors, and scour the isles of stuff to try to find what you might want. Stairs are usually the ONLY option. Escalators, if there are any, will only help you go up and elevators will consistently be held up on other floors. If you find all the stuff you want to buy in one store, on your first try, consider yourself very, VERY lucky. Expect to be traveling up and down 7+ floors and back and forth between blocks until you finally find the things you were looking for. There will be A LOT of strange and/or terrifying (from our cultural point of view) to filter through. Then, when you think you're done and already have a hole in your pocket, you'll remember something you've missed, back through the blocks, travel up and down 7+ floors to go get it. By the end of it all, you would have had a great time, BUT you will most likely have flaming suffering in the place of your feet and a lot less money than you started out with... If you don't go in with any goals (For example, I was looking for the MG Ex-S. When I found it, I was DONE.) expect to come out with EVEN LESS MONEY.

- Drank a can of Asahi Black to end the evening.

20121031
- Spent most of the morning packing for a plane. Going to Australia for five days.
- Had an issue getting boarding passes. Apparently the travel agent typoed my name when applying for a visa. It got rejected. A second attempt was made with a proper spelling and it was accepted. However, the rejected entry stayed floating around in the system. When scanning my passport at the airport, which goes by number and not by name, guess which result came up? JAL staff had to call Canberra to get it cleared up.
- Watched the Total Recall remake on the plane. It actually wasn't that bad of a movie. I enjoyed how it made jabs at the old movie... Like how a guy who wanted to dream he was the King of Mars got brainfried when going to Recall.
- Drank a can of Yebisu to end the day.

20121101
- Arrived in Sydney. Long lineups to get through customs.
- The weather is pretty nice. A late spring, early summer feel to it. Not too hot, for now at least.
- Got picked up by Sapphy's relatives. Talked for a while, had lunch.
- Then got on a domestic plane to Brisbane.
- Had dinner at Sapphy's aunt's place. Had a couple glasses of white wine.
- Spent the rest of the night prepping for the next day.

20121102
- Went out, did a bit of shopping for souvenirs.
- Had a light lunch because there was going to be a heavy dinner later. Shared a Mcdonald's Lamb Burger with Sapphy.
- Went to Sapphy's uncle's place for a big get together. So much food.

20121103
- Went to Sapphy's cousin's wedding
- The venue selections were good
- The food was good
- Open bar had a limited selection, but I made good use of it. 7 glasses of beer, 1 glass of wine

20121104
- Heading back to Japan. Not much to say here, mostly packing and prepping.
- Finally got a a chance to sit down and start watching SAO. Mind was blown when
SAO Spoilers


20121105
- Flying back to Japan.
- Had Chivas Regal (don't know what year) Whiskey on the plane. Wasn't too fond of it. The taste didn't smoothly roll over the tongue as much as I would have liked. I suspect it was the 12-year-old variant.
- Went through the immigration and customs lines smoothly.
- Used rail passes to get to hotel super fast.
- Spent the rest of the evening re-organizing luggage to distribute weight and free up some space. Will probably have to do it again later.
- Had Cup Noodle CURRY Flavor for dinner. My god, this stuff is insane.
- Looks like the forecast for the rest of the week is rain. Might have to adjust schedule to go see things that are indoors or have shelter nearby. Things might change if the wind shifts in the next day or two. We'll see what happens.

20121106
- Pffft. Rain. Sapphy and I decided to go for another shopping run, with set final objectives to look for. Hopefully with some cost limits.
- Went walking around in t-shirts, jackets off, and without an umbrella. Oh the looks of shock we got from all the people that were super bundled up and under umbrellas.
- Our first stop... Hamamatsucho and Pokémon Center Tokyo. So much for limiting cost.
- Lots of toys but limited apparel. I kinda wanted a shirt, but there weren't any good options. Still, the little purchases added up...
- After that, wandered to Harajuku to check out what kind of shops were there.
- After wandering around we found... An Official Evangelion Store? o.o
- There was a much more balanced range as opposed to the Pokémon Center, but the prices were oppressively high. Searched carefully and bought a couple of things, took a few pictures where they were allowed. There was a life-size Rei statue by the cashier area.
- Went to the Daiso store in Harajuku, picked up a few things.
- After that, went off to Akihabara once again. There are still tons of unexplored stores here.
- Found a store run by Kotobukiya. Would I find a model kit of a Huckebein or the ART-1? NOPE. I did walk out with a new Monster Hunter t-shirt and Sapphy bought a SAO t-shirt.
- Then went to Melon Books... in hopes to find some printed artbooks from some artists that I watch on Pixiv. Sadly, no luck. Had the "If you glance at something that is possibly disturbing, DON'T LOOK BACK AND KEEP WALKING" filter on the whole time.
- Went to Gundam Cafe for dinner as usual. I ate Unicorn's Awakening and drank Marida's Agony (A drink that has three lime slices on the rim of the glass to represent Kshatriya's remaining shield binders after fighting Unicorn).
- Wandered through a few other stores, but had little luck.
- Had some instant noodles and a double cream eclair to end the day.

20121107
- Well, it looks like there's sun today. Time to do some more sightseeing.
- First stop, the Imperial Palace
- Great scenery, a great place to take pictures, but there's one detail that bugs me... The destination is technically the "Grounds AROUND the Imperial Palace". You can't actually go into palace grounds and look around. It's private property.
- Since there was a lot less to see than expected we ended up with some free time and decided to go to Tokyo Tower.
- Went from Tokyo to Hamamatsucho, resisted the urge to burn more money at the Pokémon Center and walked a kilometer from the station to Tokyo Tower. No directions needed. You can see the tower from the station and can just walk in the general direction.
- Stopped at a temple just outside Tokyo Tower. Took some pictures and moved on.
- Bought tickets to go to the Observation Deck and the Special Observation Deck. Totally worth it. The views were awesome. There was still a lot of moisture in the air from the previous day, so you couldn't see all the way to Mt. Fuji, but you could still see pretty damn far.
- Had a quick dinner in the food court in the tower, then headed back.
- Went to Akihabara again. Still searching for those few things I want. No dice. But, on the bright side, no money spent.
- Watched some episodes of the new Busou Shinki anime. Though I know that any of the figures are at RIP OFF INFLATED PRICES due to limited production runs, and the fact that these ones only come with a special edition of one of the PSP games... I WANT ARNVAL mk2 AND STRARF mk2 SOOOO BADLY NOW.

20121108
- Sapphy and I went to Yokohama today. Kinda strange that I was familiar with the look and placement of a number of the major landmarks. I completely blame the Heisei Godzilla vs. Mothra movie.
- Sadly, the amusement park (and, by extension, the giant ferris wheel) was not running.
- Wandered around for a bit and then finally went to the intended target of the day: Pokémon Center Yokohama.
- A bigger venue than the Tokyo location and more selection. We picked up a couple of t-shirts, a couple of plushies, a collection of art prints, and a Gardevoir keychain (Don't judge me!).
- After that, we headed back to Akihabara for another hunting run.
- Found a store that sold SPARE MODEL KIT PARTS. Some things were tempting but a bit too expensive (Ex: The MG Rick Dom's Beam Bazooka for 1/2 the price of the MG kit itself) but I found some things of use (Ex: The cloth anti-beam cloak from Crossbone X-1 for 100 Yen. I grabbed it to add an option for my X-1 Full Cloth.)
- Wandered around some more, found some tempting things, but not anything worth buying in the long run. Still no luck finding any old Kotobukiya kits (ART-1 or any Huckebein). Then Sapphy found something in one store that I would consider hitting the jackpot.
- Busou Shinki Strarf mk1, a 6-year-old out of production figure, open box but in excellent perfect (Holy crap, I just checked it and it's only an open box. Inside it's been untouched with all original tape. I think the person bought it for the Battle Rondo code, which doesn't matter since Battle Rondo doesn't exist anymore.) condition, for 5480 Yen. Considering that EVERY OTHER Busou Shinki figure that I have seen so far (Sealed or open box) have been at 10000+Yen... Yeah. Must buy. (Don't judge me!) Also, I am out of my designated space for boxed items. The search for model kits has been ended by this figure purchase.
- Had McDonalds for dinner again. Decided to try the Teriyaki McBurger and got a decent surprise. I took a bite of the sandwich and my tongue and internal clock suddenly shifted gears, screaming at me that it was morning. I blinked, and opened up the sandwich. The patty wasn't beef. It was the same sausage from Sausage McMuffins. I had to eat a few fries and drink some coke to set my tongue straight. Then I took another bite and it was "Tongue says it's breakfast time" all over again. Quite honestly, I've always dreamed of having a McDonald's sandwich using the breakfast-only sausage. I never expected to find one HERE of all places.
- Ended the night with Limited Edition Kirin beer.

20121109
- Did a bit of casual wandering around today. Took the Yamanote line for a full loop around, making stops in Tokyo (Mandatory), Harajuku, Ikebukuro, Akihabara, and then back to Tokyo.
- In Akihabara, Sapphy ended up buying a Rathalos Tail plushie... >_>
- Came back just in time to watch IRON CHEF. YES. (There's a hastily typed up episode report in the Iron Chef topic)
- Then began re-packing stuff.

20121110
- The last full day.
- Went to Tokyo Sea Life Park.
- Looked at a vast assortment of fish and crustaceans, got to touch a stingray and a shark, and took lots of pictures.
- The highlight of the stop was the penguin pool and feeding time. The birds swam around like mad as they chased after the fish thrown by the staff member.
- Made a stop at Harajuku next. Browsed down some major streets for some clothing that Sapphy was looking for, not much luck.
- Then a run to Akihabara. Everything closes at about 9:00PM, even restaurants, and we arrived at about 7:45. Time was running out.
- Had dinner at a standing sushi bar that gets its fish daily from the Tsukiji Fish Market. Had a good assortment of fish, including O-Toro (Bluefin Tuna Belly). Skipped on Salmon since it's actually MORE expensive to get it in Japan than it is in Canada.
- Went to the Kotobukiya store and grabbed a few items just before they closed. No luck at getting to any other store.
- Headed back to the hotel to watch anime and pack.
-So much for sleep. Stayed up till about 3AM watching stuff. HNNNNNNNNNNG-ed so much when watching Busou Shinki.

20121111
- A long plane ride home.
- Unpacking madness.
- Taking time to posing Strarf and Arnval hugging each other. I had to.

Randomly...
Posted Image
Edited by Yoshi6400, Dec 1 2012, 03:24 PM.
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Necropenguin
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Neo Jamaican Gundam Fighter
Have fun! Don't get taken!
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Posted Image HF
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Haropenter Prime
Have fun, Yoshi!

Edit: This is too much of a coincidence to pass off:

Posted Image
Edited by HF, Oct 29 2012, 04:13 PM.
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Quattro
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Almost as good as Lowe ^_^
HF
Oct 29 2012, 04:12 PM
Have fun, Yoshi!

Edit: This is too much of a coincidence to pass off:

Posted Image
I was viewing this on my phone so at first I only saw the left half of the picture, so I assumed you where blaming him for some explosion or something.
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Lowe Gear
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HNH

I'd say have a good time, but that'd be redundant. XD
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PrayerReverie
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Junk Guild Squad

This makes six friends I know are currently in Japan. I really need to get off my ass and start planning the logistics. I can save a bit on hotels since three of them are "permanently" there for the next 2-3 years, and they'll be great tour guides since they can all read, write and speak Japanese.

Hope you and Sapphy have a blast the entire time.
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Nimbus
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Garnet

Oh hey, we should hang out sometime! PM me then we can do karaoke or something!

I'm actually planning on going to Akiba after work tomorrow or Friday to pick up something and go to the Good Smile x Tetsujin Cafe with a friend for an event.
Edited by Nimbus, Oct 31 2012, 03:39 AM.
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Yoshi6400
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Azure Dreadking
In Australia for 5 days. Will be back in Japan after.
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Quattro
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Almost as good as Lowe ^_^
@Yoshi: Make sure to watch out for Dingos, and spiders, and snakes....
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PrayerReverie
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Junk Guild Squad

Quattro
Nov 1 2012, 08:25 AM
@Yoshi: Make sure to watch out for Dingos, and spiders, and snakes....
And trees at night because funnel spiders love making webs in them, and holes in the wall for brown snakes to enter your room at night ...
Down Under is just an evil sounding place if you think about all of the natural dangers that live there ...
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Yoshi6400
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Azure Dreadking
Updated log.
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Nimbus
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Garnet

Just get a cheap 500 yen umbrella if you're worried about the rain~
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Yoshi6400
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Azure Dreadking
I come from the Vancouver area. I can casually walk in the rain without an umbrella and not care. That's not the problem.

I intend on going sightseeing whenever possible. Pictures kinda turn out better when there's sun out.
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Shadow00X
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Courage Incarnate

For the record, the odaiba gundam only has eye lighting. the beam saber one is the one over in shizuoka in front of the plamo factory(which, mind you, was the original odaiba gundam, they added the beam saber after moving it over there)
Edited by Shadow00X, Nov 5 2012, 11:46 AM.
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Yoshi6400
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Azure Dreadking
Huh, there's a second 1:1 Gundam somewhere?

The one at Diver City has a slightly open right hand, as if it was holding something like a beam saber. Also, there's light up beam saber details shown in the design notes on display in the Gundam Front museum.
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Quattro
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Almost as good as Lowe ^_^
You should have asked the Gundam Cafe to make you a Wong, they should be able to make one of those.
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PrayerReverie
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Junk Guild Squad

Quattro
Nov 6 2012, 09:03 AM
You should have asked the Gundam Cafe to make you a Wong, they should be able to make one of those.
Wouldn't they just get someone to start beating on him?
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Quattro
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Almost as good as Lowe ^_^
Close. The Wong is a shot of the strongest liquor they have usually something like 151 then after you finish the shot you get punched in the gut. When Zeta Gundam came out in English I came up with a bunch of Zeta themed drinks.
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Posted Image Ovan
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ねぷは..自由だ!!!

Where are the pictures. You said there would be pictures. =/

Also Extreme Versus, etc
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ZetaStriker
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It's Like You're Carrying the Weight of the World~
[ *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  * ]
I'm not into Gundam models the way I used to be, but even I got all excited at the thought of whole aisles dedicated just to HG and MG grade models. Sounds like you're having a pretty amazing trip, and like Prayer, I'm trying to figure out how I can afford to make it at some point myself. Maybe I can talk my friends into giving up a few cons and coming with me.
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