Appearing Normal 101

Read suggestive Anime while on the train.

外人の秘密 Foreigner Secret.

Not appearing as odd as the Japanese guy talking to himself next to you..

Some Engrish to Start the Day:

In Japan..

'The Fast and the Furious' becomes 'Wild Speed'..

..but I quit..

At The Videostore..

..'Crank' transforms into 'Adrenaline'..

Shinjuku (again..I think)

Well I've been at this for about 7 or 8 hours now and my phone is almost dead.
Not a big deal though; In Japan especially there's no shortage of external unguarded power outlets.
Especially after 9pm.
Time: 21:19.

A train from here to Shibuya; there to Yokohama (express of course - inhaling everyone's exhalations and packed like a sardine for 30 minutes).
Goal: Charge けいた as much as possible, then hop the Yamanote 山手線 to Shibuya and follow the Tao.

In Synopsis..

I went to Akihabara and all I bought was 2 beers and a Kebab..

Onward to Demon City Shinjuku..

A Fellow Traveller..

He's from Jamaica, living in New Zealand, just got back from Europe.
He's playing free games of speed-chess for donations..

Maid Cafes.

These are cafes where young girls dress like anime maids and serve overpriced pastries, etc to (mostly) men who have a thing for being served by maids who kneel when they serve their order and say something cute while they do so.

I guess some people just like the pastries too..

何とか is Our Specialty.

The third thing you'll notice is how specialized the stores are, and that they're all seem to be geared towards..well..おたく.

Here's a few:

One store sells wires and cables. That's it.
The other only sells the Familycom (Nintendo) and related software and accesories.
Next we have a store that specializes in Cosplay (costume play).
Now a store that only sells lights.

Oh yeah..I also found a store with 5 floors of pixelated porn.

No pictures of that one..

Welcome to Akihabara..

The first thing you'll notice m exiting Akihabara station is the small standing army of mini-beskirted girls in various levels of anime/schoolgirl dress or undress handing out tissues and flyers...

..the second thing you'll notice are the groups of middle-aged men that gather to take pictures of them with their telephoto lenses..

The sweets! They come!

There is no short way to get to Akihabara..

Akihabara秋葉原

Yes, that's right. After torrential rains all of last night, this morning has turned out to be resplendent. I am headed to the electronic mecca; anime and maid cafe central nerdおたく center of the universe that is Akihabara.

To get there I first have to head into Shibuya, then switch to the Yamanote山手線 line, which loops around downtown Tokyo proper.

I'm trying to rectify this lack-of-computer situation that has been plaguing me for last few months.Ever since the largest eikaiwa 英会話 (English school) in Japan went bankrupt last October my fortune has been inextricably tied to it. But recent developments in the last few weeks have resulted in my outstanding monies possibly coming my way sometime this month, and I'm going to do a bit of fieldwork on lightly used computer prices.

I'm sure I'll find more than that.

It is Akihabara, after all..

At The Supermarket/Drugstore.

Murphy's Law.
It figures that the supermarket closer to my apartment is more expensive and provides you with bags while the co-op further from my house is cheaper but makes you buy them.
If I moved to the other side of the station the universe would reverse itself and I'd be in the same situation.

That's ok, though.
ANY supermarket in Japan will provide one with hours of Engrish fun.

Let's take this kid's 'spacesuit', for example, which I found in the drug store above the Co-op..

Notice anything strange about any of the logos emblazoned on its front?

Well if guessed that I was referring to the 4 inch by 4 inch ganja leaf you would be correct.

Many things which have specific meaning in the west lose that meaning when they're adopted in Japan as a pop culture symbol. The same happens to kanji when its imported to the west for the same reason. That's why there're so many people walking around with the word 'bakery' or something of the like tattooed on their arms - 'fire'火 is one kanji away from 'Tuesday'火曜 after all.

By the way, be sure to 'Win the championship at least once in the race' today. Them's words to live by..

Another Cool Bathroom..

Subdued lighting and atypical fixtures made this bathroom a pleasure to use..

Remember when toilets were simple..？

I just want to flush..

Standing at the Bus Stop..

..I open the first magazine in the rack, and turn to a random page..

Shibuya渋谷, Harajukuはらじゅ, Yoyogi Park.