Tokyo Day 6: Central & Back To Akiba

We had a much slower start today. I think the previous days all caught up with us at once, but we didn’t have anywhere we had to be until 1:30, so we took our time.

I’ve actually been managing to straighten my hair regularly after washing it, which I’m really pleased about as most of the time I can’t be bothered. That’s another kudo I want to give to the hotel – you can borrow straighteners at the front desk, and they don’t ask you to return them until you check out, so I’ve had them handy this whole time.

Our plans today were mostly based in the ‘proper’ centre of Tokyo. We walked down to Okachimachi to take the Yamanote Line to Tokyo Station, which only took about 20 minutes. The station itself is big and shiny. It was really busy, of course, but there was still enough space for it not to be too stressful to navigate our way to the exit. The sun had made a brave appearance, so we perched on a wall for a minute to gather ourselves.

I soon got itchy feet and decided to have a quick look in the station to see if I could locate Character Street. I didn’t have time to look at it properly, but I thought it would be better if I knew where it was for when I returned later. I eventually found it (after confusing myself with the maps) and did a brisk walk around, mentally noting the shops I wanted to check out. Keeping the time in mind, I trotted back to where Caz was.

We wanted to visit the Kawasaki Arcade warehouse today and I was trying to look up how to get to it when I found out that it had closed permanently. We were gutted because it looked so cool and we were really looking forward to going. So that sucked a bit. We didn’t have too much time to feel upset though, as we were due for our lunch appointment at the PokémonCafé! We hailed one of the fantastic old-fashioned taxis as I didn’t trust my ability to be able to find the place with the time we had to get there.

Before I begin, I want to make a note about reservations. Because the café is insanely popular, you can only book in advance. The dates are released a month prior, and slots fill up really quickly. Caz was ready and waiting to book and still only just managed to get our slot for today. So be prepared for that if you plan to go. You can wait around outside the café on the day of, but there’s no guarantee that you’ll get a table, or how long you’ll be waiting if you do.

We had some time before our appointment, so looked around the ‘Pokémon Center’ first. It’s a big shop filled with all kinds of different merchandise, and we immediately worried for our wallets’ welfare. We decided to shop properly when we were done with lunch, and lined up ready to go into the café itself. The staff wear really cute uniforms there, I was enamoured. One of them came to check all of our bookings against the sheet he had and I complimented the uniform before I could stop myself. It really was that cute.

Once 1:30 arrived, we were led to our table. There were paper placemats that we could keep – I promptly put mine in my bag so I didn’t spill anything on it. We were brought water glasses and given some special souvenir coasters with Sobble on. There was a laminated card on the table explaining, in Japanese and English, how to use the tablet to place your orders. It was the best way to do it, really, otherwise you’d spend your whole 90-minute slot standing in a queue.

I honestly found the menu to be a bit sparse. There were only a few dishes to choose from, including the seasonal special, which was a ‘Gas Pancake’ featuring the Galar form of Weezing. I understand why there’s only certain dishes available each day – trying to have a full menu would be a logistical nightmare. I was just expecting a little more after reading articles about the ‘full menu’.

They did have a big choice of drinks, though. Caz chose a regular Coke so she could get the special souvenir cup. I was happy because they had the Gengar drink I was really looking forward to trying. It’s a grape-flavoured slush/smoothie thing, served in a glass with Gengar’s face on it, complete with little purple wafer ears and a red light hidden inside to make a spooky glow. It was so cool (and delicious)!

For food, I ordered the Pikachu plate and Caz got the Eevee plate. They were the same meal, essentially, but were served on plates shaped like the respective Pokémon’s face. Also, there was a rice omelette in the shape of Pikachu/Eevee’s face! It was a really cute plate. It didn’t blow my mind and could have been a bit warmer, but it was nice enough to eat. Caz paid a bit extra so she could have the Eevee plate as a souvenir – it’s cool that you can do that with some items!

Of course we had dessert, this whole trip has been about the dessert. Caz got the 'Monster Ball Dessert Bowl'. It’s a surprise dessert, so I won’t spoil it here, but it comes inside a Pokéball! How cool is that? It was so funny to see Caz sitting there with it in front of her. I went for the ‘Eevee’s Sweet Chocolate Parfait’. I was under the impression that it was chocolate and strawberry and it was, except there was also coffee jelly in it. That was a nasty surprise - I’m not a huge fan of coffee as it is, and coffee jelly is somehow even worse. I ate the rest of the dessert though, including the cute Eeevee biscuit on the top!

While we were eating, one of the wait staff came out with a mic and started talking in Japanese. I couldn’t understand most of it, but we got the gist that she was looking for Pikachu when she began peering behind curtains and inside tiny cabinets for him. We already knew what was coming, but it was still really exciting when the huge Chef Pikachu mascot came out. He had the most ridiculous theme playing the whole time. I found this video on YouTube where you can kind of hear it – please listen out for the frantic Pikachu screeching at the end before it loops again. Caz and I were in stitches.

As you can imagine, the kids were so excited, but it was really nice because all of the adults were too. It’s another example of being able to just suspend your disbelief and play along, and it was so much fun. Pikachu did a few little dances and walked up and down the café so everyone could see him, and then he started shaking everyone’s hands! Obviously he went to the children first and they were all so happy, it was adorable. When he got to me, of course I shook his hand and was grinning my head off. He bowed to me. Chef Pikachu bowed. To ME. I was so honoured, and I think Caz even caught it on video! She was so happy and excited, I thought she was literally going to burst into tears.

I thought the mascot show would be a really quick thing, but it was actually a decent length of time and they made sure that everyone got to interact with Pikachu. I believe we got Chef Pikachu. There is also a Pikachu and Eevee in the red-and-white café uniforms, which is so cute.

The Pokémon café was a good experience. It’s definitely worth going if you’re a fan, and even more so if you have children (I was very jealous of the colouring sheets they got). I would love to go again around Hanami or Halloween, just to see the seasonal menu and mascots. However, I don’t know if I’d go at a general time again, only because of the limited menu.

In the café is another gift shop where you can buy exclusive items that you can’t get anywhere else. I really wanted one of the café spoons, or would have settled for a fork, but I think everyone had had the same idea because there were only knives left. I was pretty gutted because it would’ve been a perfect souvenir, but you can’t really just use a knife on its own. I was also very tempted by a Snorlax plate, but was worried about getting him home without damage. Caz got a little waiter-Pikachu plush, as well as her souvenir plate and cup.

The spoon I really wanted to buy, weep weep.

We went back to the Pokémon Center for some shopping. We got to have a decent look around, but we didn’t linger massively long as it was totally packed in there. I got some stationery, including a Japanese-style notebook with Pikachu on, and a few pens. I also found some cute chopsticks which look all wooden and traditional, but if you look properly at the blue-and-white pattern at the top it has Pikachu on it. Caz got so many things, as we knew she would here. I actually don’t even know what she bought! We got some Pikachu-in-Tokyo themed pins from a Gachapon too – Caz got Ginza and I got Tsukishima.

After we got out of there, Caz decided to return to the hotel because she was feeling fatigued (probably because seeing Chef Pikachu was so exciting). So I saw her into a cab and set off for a walk.

First, I returned to Tokyo Station to see Character Street properly. The walk there was great – the central city is so big and shiny and beautiful. I was craning my neck the whole time, trying to see everything at once. I was glad that I’d found Character Street earlier so I didn’t have to traipse around now to get to it. Like a lot of places in Tokyo, it was smaller than I expected, but packed with so many cute shops.

I made a beeline for the Kapibarasan shop, because I love capybara and had been looking forward to seeing this character. Inside, the theme tune was playing, and the merchandise was all so cute. I spent ages looking around, and having to sternly talk myself out of some frivolous and pricey items.

I browsed some of the other shops, including the Rilakumma store (where I bought a couple of pens because stationery is my downfall) and the Studio Ghibli store (where I had to talk myself out of buying a No Face moneybox that would not have fit in my suitcase to go home).

There was another Pokémon shop there, which had a plush of Morpeko in his hangry mode. I love hamsters, and I also get hangry, so it would’ve been perfect. I’m being really careful with money, but I sort of regret not getting him now.

A small Gachapon hall was around the corner, and I had a quick look so see if there were any hamster-themed ones. Unfortunately there weren’t – I’m determined to find one before the end of the trip!

Next, I started heading toward the Imperial Palace grounds for a wander. It took longer than I thought it would while consulting the map, but I wasn’t in a hurry. The shiny skyscrapers suddenly gave way to an open treescape (I think they were some kind of pine) and I took my time walking on the path around that. There were several other people walking around but it was nice and quiet there. Turning back to see the city rising beyond the trees was a good juxtaposition.

I walked near the exterior gates of the Palace. They were shut at this time, but I still had a pleasant time out there as the sun set. Next time I’d like to see more of the gardens, get a glimpse of the Palace proper, and see the old ruins scattered around.

Once I’d had my fill of fresh air, I had a leisurely stroll back toward the station. It was just beginning to get dark, and I just want to reiterate how beautiful the streets were. They were spotlessly clean, there were trees planted everywhere, and there wasn’t a ton of traffic. The buildings rose up around me, some old and some new, the styles of architecture both cohesive and discordant. I really enjoyed that walk.

I approached Tokyo Station from the back this time. The front is shiny and chrome and modern, but the back is an older building built in 1914. Its style is reminiscent of 19^th century British architecture, which happens to be one of my favourite styles, and it’s stunning. It looks like an old manor or boarding school, with the central entrance and two huge wings coming off of either side. I took some time to look at it in the fading light (I’ve seen photos of it at night too, and it lights up beautifully). It was even more magical to step into the very left entrance of the wing and see the stunning interior.

I texted Caz about dinner and we consulted the list of food places I’d researched and compiled for us and decided on a place in Akihabara. I travelled over there from Tokyo Station, and she was going to go from our hotel and meet me at the place. I struck gold outside of the station when I was distracted by some cool vending machine designs (Gundam and Pikachu). As I was photographing them, I noticed a tonne of Gachapon machines outside of Yodobashi Camera. I finally found a hamster-themed one! It was selling little round beanbag things that were printed to look like little hamsters (similar to these). I waited while a man in front of me bought two of them (I don’t blame ya, mate) and then I got mine! It’s black and brown and soooo cute.

It was dark by now and getting really cold, so I decided to try out Tully’s. It’s a coffee chain originally created in the USA, but became a separate Japanese company too. They’re scattered around everywhere in Tokyo so I thought I’d give them a whirl (plus I hate St*rbucks). The shop itself was full, so I perched outside on a table with my caramel latte. It was a really nice drink, and I felt a bit better despite still sitting out in the cold. Once I was done drinking, I decided it was about time I actually found our dinner venue.

We’d opted for a place called Akiba Base, a shooting bar/café. I eventually found it, after collecting a stack of maid café leaflets (the girls looked so cute and cold, I couldn’t not take them!). It’s on the third floor of its building, but there’s a sign outside that I luckily spotted. I came out of the lift into a little walled-off waiting area and was soon approached by a staff member, asking if he could help. I explained that I was waiting on a friend and asked if I could wait here, where it was warm. Of course, I was graciously allowed so I sat for a while, taking in the bar over the half-wall. There was a cushion shaped like a machine gun which was amusing. When Caz got to Akiba, I had to go and rescue her because she couldn’t find the doorway – in her defence it’s tucked behind a bunch of signage so it’s hard to spot.

Back on the third floor, I hailed the staff member who greeted me and said my friend had arrived. Now, before you’re let into the bar proper, you have to decide on what kind of shooting experience you want. Because we were there for the first time, we opted to do the ‘Trial Course’. For 850¥ you get a whole mag to shoot and a paper target, which you get to keep after you’ve shot it. There are quite a few different options, and people are welcome to bring their own guns. I feel like I should add here that it’s not ‘actual’ guns, it’s just airsoft (which can apparently still really hurt). Another thing to bear in mind is that, if you visit after 5pm, you have to pay a cover charge of 500¥.

We were shown to a table, where we were introduced to the food and drink menu as well as a GUN MENU. We had to wait for our turn in the range, but in the meantime we could decide which gun we wanted to shoot. A cute waitress brought over a cup of these thin, salty stick snacks and left us to it. The snacks were awfully addictive.

The gun menu included both handguns and rifles, and there were a lot of options. You could either go for a standard piece, or pay an extra 500¥ for a premium one. I was very tempted by the Desert Eagle (it was even a hard-kick version!), but in the end we both wanted to try out the replica of Wesker’s gun in Resident Evil.

When it was our turn to shoot, we were led into the caged-off range area by the original member of staff we’d met. He made sure we had our goggles on before we went in, set up the gun for us, and supervised while we shot. It was so much fun! I let Caz go first because she loves firearms and was really excited to shoot. She did really well, though she lamented forgetting to take any headshots on her target. As I shot the gun, she was at my shoulder reminding me to do some headshots too. The gun was really cool and had a good little kick on it, I felt like a badass for a second. My target looked good and dead when I’d finished so I was satisfied.

After the shooting, we returned to our table and ordered a couple of the signature cocktails. They all had gun-themed names, which was a fun touch, but we mostly picked them based on our favourite colours (red and blue). Risky, but it paid off. The cocktails were fabulous. I also ordered some more umeshu because it’s so good. Our adorable waitress was trying to ask which variety I wanted, and I was so ashamed of my terrible Japanese. In the end, we got to a conclusion which is another thing I’ve loved about people in Tokyo – everyone tries really hard to get their message across and to understand you, even if they don’t have a lot of English. I thought this would be a horribly awkward part of being in Japan, but it was actually really positive. I liked building up my Japanese, and they enjoyed practicing English on me, so it was mutually beneficial.

Anyway, speaking of the waitresses… Two waitresses mainly dealt with us. The one I mentioned above, was a young girl wearing a white shirt with a camouflage skirt and matching braces and bow tie. She looked so cute! The other was an older lady in trousers and a white shirt, looking really polished and put together. She came to our rescue later on.

There was what appeared to be an awkward first date going on on the table next to us. It was some white guy and a Chinese girl, and he talked a lot. She barely got a word in, and he kept just showing her millions of photos on his phone. Caz and I were watching this with some interest, and narrating the whole thing. They left together, so I suppose it went well? There was also a group of African-American guys who were geeking out over the guns. Their enthusiasm was so cute and contagious.

We ordered some food. Caz had the ‘Chef’s choice curry rice’ and I just had a bowl of fries. My chips were wonderfully salted and crispy. Caz said the curry was great, except for when she found some weird fibrous root in it. We prodded it around a bit and she took a tentative nibble before we were scared off by it. It just looked so strange – it wasn’t a lotus root, but a similar sort of texture. I have NO idea what it was. She soon polished off the rest of the dish though, and said it was fantastic.

Of course we had to have some dessert. Caz opted for the ‘Freedom French Toast’. It came with a piece of chocolate shaped like a handgun, which was hilarious to us. I got the ‘Danger Parfait’ (I have been eating a lot of parfait here, and I’m not even mad) – it came in a grenade-shaped bowl and had a chocolate bullet jammed into the top. A lot of the menu items were quite USA themed, and there was a special section of Tex-Mex style food.

This is the point that the older lady saved our lives. We had ordered the desserts quite a while before, and the service had been generally quick until now. So I asked her quietly if the order had gone through. She was really apologetic and immediately went into the kitchen, returning some time later with our desserts in her hands. I think she actually went and made them the second I asked about them, which is ridiculously nice of her. She asked me to open my grenade cup (it had a lid!) so she could see my reaction. Caz and I were both laughing so much at our tiny chocolate weapons, and the waitress was so pleased about it.

After we’d eaten, we ordered some sakura-flavoured Coke (so good – like cherry Coke but better!) and chilled out for a while. It was lively but not stupidly busy, and we weren’t rushed or bothered. It’s such a cool atmosphere there, and a really fun hangout place. I would definitely love to come back again one day, try out more cocktails and guns! 

When I went up to pay, our younger waitress came over to the till. I told her we’d had fun and she was pleased. She said something I didn’t understand then said, “Beautiful.” I was sort of like “Hmm?” because I didn’t know what she was calling beautiful then she gestured at me and said ‘kawaii’. You guys, I about died it was so sweet. She called me beautiful/cute when she was literally the cutest ever. Caz wondered why I looked like I was on Cloud 9 when I returned to the table. She bought a cool souvenir coaster – they let her have it at a discount because they gave her one from the bar (they’d run out of brand new ones). Caz didn’t even care about it not being new, but they insisted on the discount! We were so impressed.

We were pretty much spent after all the fun at the gun bar, but we stopped by one of the Sega buildings to play on the claw machines for a little while. I was devastated because there was a darling keyring with a little takeout cup of bubble tea that I just couldn’t get. Even Caz, the claw machine master, was stumped by it. She did win a Ampharos out of one of the Pokémon machines though! She also had a go on Mario Kart, as she can’t seem to pass the machine without wanting a race.

We saw a sign for Purikura downstairs. It was another thing we’d wanted to do while in Japan, and Shibuya had been too packed for us to bother finding Purikura No Mecca, so we took the chance now. It took us an embarrassingly long time to work out what we were doing, as we didn’t realise you take the photos in one booth, then move to another to edit them before printing. Taking the pictures was fun. The machine suggests some cute poses to do, and of course Caz and I butchered all of them. The standard filter on the photos is so ridiculous – it makes your eyes look massive, your skin pale, and your lips pink. Well, this one did. I think different machines have different effects.

Editing was also a lot of fun. You can add stickers, patterns and frames, as well as face filters and writing. We spent ages trying out all the different things, then we had to decide how to arrange the photos on the strip. The machine printed two larger collages and then two tiny wallet-sized ones, so we had a set each. Here are the results we ended up with:

Today has been a really good day, and I’m excited for tomorrow because we’re going to Odaiba to experience onsen. It’s the mid-point of our holiday and will hopefully be a relaxing interval before we kick off next week.

Tokyo Day 1: Jetlag in Akihabara

As I expected, I didn’t get a lot of sleep - about four hours. I will say, though, the mattress on my bed is divine. So comfortable! I think I’ll sleep better when my body is less mixed-up.

Today, our first day in Tokyo, we decided to go to Akihabara a) because it’s nerd central and b) because it’s one of the closest locations to our hotel. Despite jetlag and fatigue from all the travelling, we managed to get up and out at a reasonable time. One great thing about Tokyo is, unlike a lot of cities, everything is open super late. Which makes it a lot easier for us to go at a steady pace, preserve our energy, and still manage to do what we want to.

I was up and ready a bit before Caz, so I decided to go out and wander the immediate area near the hotel. I found myself in little residential streets in the sunshine and had a lovely time walking around and just taking in my surroundings. I found a little shrine tucked away and saw people popping in for their morning prayer before work. I saw a little school with tiny kids being dropped off by their parents. I walked through a shopping street that hadn’t woken up yet, and I lost count of all the vending machines scattered around. I walked in a big loop and back to the hotel to meet up with Caz.

We visited our local Family Mart to check out the Japanese convenience stores (konbini) we’ve heard so much about. It was at this point that we felt the first wave of culture shock. It sounds silly but seeing everything in Japanese was what did it. The shop plays a cute jingle when people walk in and out, and we were in transports of delight over that. We looked around and bought some things for the fridge in the hotel room like a big bottle of water and strawberry milk. I also found out that Family Mart do their own-brand version of my favourite Japanese biscuit, SakuSaku Panda! Of course I grabbed a pack. We took all of our purchases home before striking out properly to Akihabara.

At Shin-Okachimachi station, it was a long underground walk to get to the Tsukuba Express, which could get us to Akiba within a few minutes. The extra walking was worth the speedy journey and, before we knew it, we were there. Stepping out of the station into the shadow of huge buildings plastered with advertisements was like a dream, albeit slightly overwhelming.

Our first port of call was to pick up the portable WiFi we’d prepaid for. We went with a company called Sushi Wifi as it was the most reasonably-priced and had generally good reviews. It took some poaching of free WiFi and scrutinising of Google Maps for me to find the shop. It’s a tiny place in an equally tiny side street so I kept getting turned around.

I couldn’t see anybody so I went in with a tentative “Konnichiwa?” and a man popped out from behind a shelf to greet us. I showed him our confirmation email and he asked for our passports. I had totally forgotten about this requirement and had left our passports in the hotel room safe! I told him as much and began some very British apologising, in both English and Japanese. He got out his flip phone(!!) and had a quick conversation with someone before handing the phone to me. “Moshimoshiiii!” I trilled, and the man on the other end asked me if we had any other ID. We had our British driving licences and he said that would suffice.

So this man, who had never met us, called his boss to see if he could accept another form of ID, and the boss said yes! I couldn’t believe how helpful and accommodating they were. I thanked them both profusely and we received our little pocket WiFi in a mock takeaway bag, which was an incredibly cute idea. The man in the shop gave a deep bow as we left.

Inside the bag was a pouch containing our pocket WiFi device, a powerbank, the various connector cables, and a mailing envelope to send it all back at the end of our holiday. So efficient! It was a breeze to set up the device too – you just switch it on and use the login details on the front to connect your phone. I was so impressed that we got connected while sitting on the kerb outside the shop that I already want to give them a good review! I’ll have to see what the performance is like for the whole trip before I can do that, though.

Akihabara has 4 Sega arcade buildings, and Caz and I went to number 3 to have a go at the claw machines, which was a lot of fun. Caz had a go on the Mario Kart machine, which promptly gave her motion sickness. As she leant on a railing outside to try to settle her stomach, she started shaking her butt and saying, in a really sleazy voice, “I’ll give the passers-by a show.” We fell about laughing because I think we were giddy with exhaustion. 

Feeling a bit peckish, we decided to go to a maid café. That’s kind of the law when you’re in Akihabara, and I’d read about a really cute-sounding one called Akiba Zettai Ryouiki A.D. 2045. It’s a cyberpunk-themed little place where the maids are actually cats in human form. We were greeted enthusiastically and seated, and the welcoming maid (who was absolutely tiny) outlined the general rules of the café and explained the different ordering options - this is if you want a performance from the maids or pictures as well as food and drinks. She kept stopping to say, “Ok? OK! Thank you!” to make sure we were understanding her, it was so cute. Then she asked us to close our eyes and placed cat ears on our heads! Caz’s were white, mine were black, and both were fluffy.

It was quite funny when we were asked in Japanese which language we preferred to be addressed in. I replied with, “Mhm, Eigo o kudasai.” And Caz thought I was just suddenly fluent in Japanese, when really I’d only picked up enough words here and there to understand what I was being asked. We were told that, when we were ready to order, we should call the maids over by saying “Meow meow!” or “Nyan nyan!” I was worried I’d feel silly when I did it, but all of the girls replied in turn and we were immediately served. It was unbelievably cute. I had some awesome blue soda float that looked like a science experiment, and a delicious berry parfait that was also served in a lab beaker. Caz had a ginger beer and the ‘waifu pancakes’. When our items were served the maids would put a ‘spell’ on them to make them delicious. My favourite one was “Moe, moe, KYUN!” and making a heart shape with our hands.

Caz and I were sniggering because there was a young Japanese guy in there, but he was super serious. When he wanted to order he said, “Nyan nyan.” in such a deadpan voice that we fell about laughing. He was amazing. Everyone in the café (and it got busy while we were there) was having so much fun and just enjoying the atmosphere. No one bothered the maids inappropriately, which I was glad about, or I might have had to equip my Feminist Rage.

My biggest piece of advice when visiting a maid café (aside from following the rules the maids outline for you) is to suspend disbelief and join in. Help the maids say their spells to make the food yummy, and don’t be embarrassed about it! It’s so much more fun that way.

We looked at a couple of shops (a Gachapon hall and a cosplay store) before we had to admit defeat. The jetlag was in full force and we felt like we could barely stand up any more. We got a cab back to the hotel to hang out there and take it easy for the evening. We ordered some more traditional food for dinner - Caz had a beef curry and I had a beef rice bowl. The food was tasty and filling and just what we needed, having only eaten dessert today (oops). My chopstick technique is not great, but I’m already starting to get used to it!

After we’d been energised with a bit of dinner, the jetlag sent us a bit haywire. It began when I saw that housekeeping had replaced a towel I’d used, but the one I’d used was still on my bed. This wasn’t a problem, of course, but I made a joke about how I wanted to hide the towels and see if they get replenished again. This somehow turned into us imagining the whole bathroom packed with towels and getting into a laughing fit for, and I’m not kidding, a whole half an hour. It’s not funny. At all. But we were helpless. It took a long time to calm down and when we did, we were more tired than ever. Towels, honestly.

Anyway, I’m hoping I get a better night’s sleep tonight, so I can feel better tomorrow.

Work hard, plague hard