The day started off at Yoyogi Park. It was pretty dead on a Friday afternoon, but my spirits were brightened by the fact that I was eating my first bentou (boxed lunch)! Spicy beef curry with rice, nom nom nom.
Harajuku station. Oh yes, I found my home here in Tokyo. The youth of Tokyo were here in the most stylish outfits I've ever seen. I immediately felt underdressed in my Banana Republic Jeans and plain light blue v-neck t-shirt. Ultra-aware of my lame outfit, I headed down the main street to find "We Go", a wonderful combination of new and used Japanese clothing and styles. The store was filled with 17-20 somethings, and I was right at home. J-Pop and J-Rock was blaring on the speakers, and I let myself be absorbed into the rows of ultra-thin cotton, polyester, and denim (Chicagoans, think Ragstock only Japanese and 2 times better). Emerging 8000¥ lighter, I knew I would return before the trip was over.
A little further down the street, I entered Kiddy Land. A toy store for kids you might think? Oh no, the kids stuff is in the basement. The other seven floors are devoted to all things kawaii (cute) for adults: from Hello Kitty to manga and anime to humping dogs powered by USB when you plug them into your computer. Once I hit the manga/anime floor, my inner geek started to emerge.Better go to Akiba, aka Denki-gai (electric town)! I quickly got more than my fill of manga and anime in one store, climbing 7 floors up cramped, hot, smelly stairs. What's that vaguely familiar, moistly pungent aroma I smell? That's right, it's geek, or otaku in Japanese. By the fifth floor my inner geek was affixing a clothespin to his nose, and upon reaching the final floor, I quickly descended having seen walls of manga books, character toys, folders, cell phone chains, box sets of anime (none of which I knew or could read), and did I say manga manga manga?
I headed down the street a bit to an Arcade celebrating Space Invaders' 30th anniversary. This was also 7 floors, and also smelled of geek, but it was 7 FLOORS OF ARCADE GAMES! After getting destroyed at DDR and Initial D (racing game) by 18-24 year old Japanese boys, who I'm sure play a bit more than me, I assessed my $10 loss and quickly hopped on the elevator to the first floor. Here were the most amazing claw games I've ever seen. Players can win stuffed animals, anime figurines and mugs for only 100-200¥! That is, if you don't lose and get addicted. I watched a man drop 3000¥ to win a figurine that probably costs 300¥ to make, and he didn't even win it! I spent 15 minutes watching so many close calls that amounted to probably $150 in losses (or profits if you're the arcade owner). The couple pictured above had probably spent 1500¥ trying to win a stuffed animal. I was getting a knot in my stomach watching so much money going to waste, and wanted to leave soon; but when I saw the couple start to leave, realizing that they had spent 1500¥ on a stuffed animal that they weren't going to be able to take home, I reached deep into my pocket and retrieved my last 100¥ coin. I fantasized walking up to the machine and winning the toy in one fell swoop. HA! If only! I approached the machine, hit the two buttons to control the horizontal and vertical, and watched as the claw descended, closed, and ascended with the little guy perfectly balanced between the two clamps. "Sugoi!" I hear behind me ("Awesome!", I know it's the lady of the couple). I knew the toy would drop once the claw reaches the top, with that ingenious bump that the claw-makers programmed into their selfish machines. Bump!, and the toy remains balanced, hovering over to the opening. *plop*. I retrieve my prize, turn, and place it into the surprised girl's hands. "SUGOI SUGOI" she says. "Shashin o totte mo ii desuka? Ichi, ni san!" *click*
Here's the three friends I bought, shown perching on my rented keitai-denwa (cell phone). Yup, I <3 Japan.
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