Han Solo Figurine in Akihabara, Tokyo Japan
The heart of Japanese pop media is anime and manga. In order to prepare well for the upcoming anime convention I’ll be speaking at, I decided to stop by Tokyo on my way back to the States where I met up with my friend Brad and toured Akihabara. This area of Tokyo on the East side of the city is known as being the Mecca of otaku culture. Here you will find department stores with floors and floors full of nothing except carefully sculpted figurines, rare trading cards, some of the most obsessed fans on Earth. It was a very unique experience.
Today I’ll post the best of my photos from the figurines inside the shops. Tomorrow will be the keeper shots from the street and the day after I am very excited about how the video is turning out that Brad and I shot from the excursion.
Also, at this moment I’m likely somewhere over the Pacific. After 2 years in Japan I’m moving back to the USA. On my way home to Maine, I’m stopping off at Otakon, a sizable anime convention in Baltimore, where I am a guest panelist. Woo hoo!
I refuse to disclose how much money and time we spent in Akihabara. Lets just say we ended up having to buy an extra bag to bring all our new treasures home. I mean, where else was I supposed to find a Penpen statue and all the Ranma 1/2 keychains!??!?!?!?!
My vice is trying to win One Piece and Naruto character figures from the UFO Catcher games. They seem easily gotten, but balanced just right so you spend double what you would pay in stores.
That’s quite amazing! I’m not a fan myself, but it seems like a cool experience to check out the stores. What do you think, is it only something that only fans/nerds would enjoy or would others like it too?
This is only fun if you appreciate/like anime or manga -OR- if you like making fun of it ^_^ I would suggest everyone go if they are in the area anyway, but it would be a waste of time if you didn’t appreciate the content.
Thanks Sofia!
Love the colorful, expressive characters. Looking forward to the video.
Thanks! These shots don’t really show how small the figurines are.
Not to totally nerd out, but I’m digging the Han Solo / Luke Skywalker pair.
Hahaha. Ya I had the same reaction. I love the attention to detail.