A Brief Visit to Akihabara, Tokyo

First published: 14 Jun 2012

Akihabara had a lot to live up to.

A rainy day in Akihabara. Not particularly scenic!


Yakiniku!

One of the most famous divisions of Tokyo, it's name is synonymous with the neo-geek culture which is so fetishised by many Japan enthusiasts (the "otaku") internationally. This is the heart of Japan's manga, gaming and robot / hi-tech culture, filled with maid cafes and infamous for it's head-splittingly awful (and gargantuan) band 'AKB48' (if you don't know who they are, you've clearly never been to Japan).

A handful of the AKB48 crew. There's 48 of them, apparently.

I can't say they're my particular cup of tea...
(although this is definitely worth seeing!)

For Rainer and I, who would be staying overnight on our travel home from Tohoku, the change would be even more pronounced due to having just spent a week volunteering in a disaster zone. Unfortunately, Danny would be unable to continue travelling with us, as he needed to swiftly return home in order to fly off to Hong Kong with his girlfriend very shortly.

Rainer and I hadn't actually made any formal travel arrangements, beyond a vague "shall we go" / "mayhaps" discussion. Towards the end of the week, we were uncertain that we'd even be able to make it; we were just too exhausted from our work throughout the week. However, our fellow volunteers Michihiro and Yutaka - two Japanese friends we'd made during our time in Tohoku - happened to live in Akihabara, and invited us to meet them during our travel home. Having a new reason to go, we decided to do so.

Richard Gere promotes Orangina on the train to Akihabara station.

 

 An excited Rainer discovers a

Soy Joy machine at Akihabara station.

Having left Ishinomaki that morning and travelling on the Shinkansen from Sendai, Rainer and I had separated from Danny and arrived in Tokyo just after midday. Unfortunately, the weather had taken a turn for the worse, and as we made our way to Akihabara station, the floodgates had opened. The weather wasn't just raining, but blowing heavy gusts of wind as well; almost storm like in nature. And it was growing. Yet immediately, stepping outside at Akihabara station, the character of the place was overwhelming; manga posters draped every surface, while the outside area was filled with arcades, flashing lights and assistants handing out flyers for maid cafes.

Shifting manga posters on LCD screens dominate Akihabara station.

Rainer and I shared two opposing reactions; the first: "wow", the second: "find shelter! Now!". Yet, without having made any formal arrangements for accommodation, we presently had nowhere to drop our bags and hide.

The home of AKB48; an inescapable presence throughout Japan.

We settled for a back-up plan; running to the Gundam Cafe situated just outside the station, and pitching down for lunch. We battled our way through the storm (and past the notorious AKB48 Cafe, located right next door), and huddled under the entrance shelter while we waited to get in. After a few cold moments in the rain, we were inside.

Woah...

Now... I don't know much about Gundam. When I was a teenager, I used to watch the Gundam Wing series on Toonami back in the UK, and while I loved it, I didn't follow it obsessively or follow the story arc as a whole. I just liked seeing the cool robots. Something the Gundam Cafe had in spades. There were hundreds of these things.

...ROBOTS!!

The whole place was incredible; rather modest in size, but aesthetically, every aspect had been tinkered to parade the Gundam brand (even the toilets!). A massive TV directly in the centre displayed various clips from the anime series, as well as small behind-the-scenes documentaries of the inner workings at the Bandai factory where the toys are made. It was all a bit overwhelming, yet incredibly impressive.

The detail stemmed right down to the menu design.

Check out the detail on that carrot!
This place is legit.

We spent a great deal of time just sitting and taking in our surroundings. This was definitely preferable to the alternative, though, which was treading through the flowing waters outside. Before long, though, I had spent far too much money in the gift shop (on ceramic souvenir plates and hi-ball glasses, no less), and we were back on the streets - the weather still not letting up - in search of accommodation for the evening. With only an iPhone Maps App and a 3G signal as our guide, we navigated our way to a small hotel named 'Hotel Friend', where we found a room with two beds at a decent rate. Naturally, we chilled (and - as it happens - discussed our grievances with and discussed alternatives for the plot of the recently re-released 'The Phantom Menace').

After a prolonged rest (and a much-needed shower), we headed back in to a now thankfully rain-free town to catch up with Michiro and Yutaka.

We found our compatriots next to the station area, and despite having worked heavily throughout the last week, they seemed in good spirits and already revitalized. It turned out we were going to be joined by some more faces from INJM, including Chie and Mina (two local Akihabara girls and friends of our hosts), Eugene and Ayami (two of the folks in charge!), and Kayleigh (a British skiing instructor who was in her last week in depart Japan). Additionally, it had transpired that the legendary Alasdair Adams (fellow Scotsman and occasional star of these blog posts) happened to be in Tokyo and free that evening. A few swift text messages and we were making plans to meet him in the evening. Outstanding. For an unplanned trip, this was definitely coming together.

After recruiting Eugene and Ayami, we headed for the famous Yodabashi-Camera store. Rainer and I had already popped in for a brief look during the afternoon, but we'd only looked at iPads (and been horrified by the Star Wars Kinect game that was on display outside). Michiro was insistent; we had to see the upstairs areas, where toys and video-games were paraded en masse. I honestly wasn't anticipating what I was about to see...

 

 

Distinctly Japanese toys at Yodobashi-Camera.

It blew my mind. This place was huge. Several stories towered high and wide, packed to the brim with eccentric niche goods and gadgets. Nothing could have prepared me for the wealth on offer here; ranging from video-games and kid's toys to telescopes and camera lenses (and, of course, a heck of a lot more Gundam merchandise). I was in heaven.

I was particularly taken with an iPhone Dog...

There was so much to look at and investigate, that I found it hard to resist stopping at almost everything. However, hunger was beginning to creep up on everyone, and we left all too quickly. I settled for purchasing an Ultraman toy as my souvenir.

Next stop was yaki-niku at the Gyu-Kaku restaurant in a massive building by the station plastered with SEGA branding. If you remember from my first (rather lengthy!) blog post about Japanese food, you'll remember how much I raved about yaki-niku restaurants - essentially a form of indoor BBQ with flame-cooking at your own table. This was the first time I'd had a social yakiniku in a long time, as well as my first time at the Gyu-Kaku chain; apparently, it's rather famous across Japan and a few countries, but until had somehow gone completely unnoticed by myself! Much kudos to Ayami, who happened to be a vegetarian...

It was a good meal, with good company.

 

Dinner-time fun. From left to right;

Rainer Wessels, Takahashi Michihiro, Yutaka Iioka, Mina Kemmisaki,

Chie Aida, Eugene Amigo and Ayami Sasas.

Ayami enjoys a selection of fried vegetables, whilst

Eugene apparently enjoys the scent of chopsticks.

What would a meal in Japan be without

a bowl of rice in accompaniment?

We met Alasdair directly outside the restaurant, looking suave and in good spirits; top form, as per usual. At the girl's insistence, of course, we had to stop for a purikura moment.

 

I actually really like this photo. Note: Alasdair was not

actually part of the INJM team despite having the banner

positioned directly above his head!

After collecting Kayleigh Rumblelow (and her delightful Northern English accent) from the train station, it was time for drinks. Surprisingly, for a place of Akihabara's reputation, this proved to be much more difficult than initially anticipated. Most of the bars in Akihabara were shutting surprisingly early for a Saturday. I couldn't help but feel like we must have been missing a trick, but regardless, we made our way to a small 'British' pub where we sat outside for evening beveridges.

Sitting outside a 'British' pub in Akihabara. Relaxing, but

I'm certain there's a much more eccentric nightlife hidden nearby.

Alasdair and I were up for having a big night, and were determined to find a venue that would accomodate us. Everyone else, however, was beginning to wear down and feel a need to call it a night. Eventually, after a few fond goodbyes, the group whittled down to just myself, Alasdair and Kayleigh. Not even Rainer, whom I'd spent an entire week working in the trenches with, felt inclined to unwind with a few more drinks. It had been great to see all of our fellow volunteers again, and I was sorry that they wouldn't be with us for the rest of the evening.

Still, onwards!

We settled on sitting in an izikaya and drinking until four - not a bad decision, but certainly one that induced a sense of lethargy the following morning! Saying our goodbyes, I navigated myself back to the hotel with a dying iPhone battery and a dawning realisation that Rainer was an early riser.

And so it was, that waking up the next morning with a refreshed Rainer set the seize the day, I forced myself out of bed.

---

After a revitalising breakfast / coffee combination at Starbucks (a company and a brand that has never let me down), Rainer and I had only two things on the agenda; the first, was to return to Yodobashi-Camera and indulge in more of the previous evening's eccentricities, whilst the second was to visit 'Mandarake' - a retailer lauded as the largest manga store in the world (!).

 

 Manga: everywhere.

The weather was beautiful, and the streets were busy and vibrant, with a wealth of foreign tourists parading the streets. The maids were out in full force on the street, offering leaflets in their uniforms to rustle up trade. Incredibly, the streets had been closed and people walked openly across the ground. I was mesmerized by the amount of people walking around, and stopped to take a video:

Our return to Yodabashi-Camera went as expected, although this time I had an opportunity to indulge in my love of tripods and camera lenses, as well as play some of the Nintendo 3DS titles on display (turns out MGS3: Snake Eater doesn't work so well on a handheld!). Rainer picked up a strange set of magnetic steel balls that rolled around into different shapes, while I felt at home walking amongst all of the retro gaming titles and just roaming the aisles. It truly is a remarkable place, and well worth a visit for anyone in Akihabara.

Big demo booths in Yodabashi-Camera.

This guy must have been having a blast.

After popping through a few electronics retailers - Akihabara was full of PC hardware for sale! - we arrived at Mandarake. We actually waited in the wrong queue for the opening, as it turned out we were in the returns entrance. An entrance just for people who wanted to return items? What sort of place was this?! As it turned out, a spectacular one.

 A TRON mouse?!

Akihabara, I love you.

Anime advertising in every nook and cranny; here, an

anime girl gives instructions on how to install ASUS hardware.

Retro SEGA joy.

Mandarake was huge. Similar to Yodabashi-Camera in size - but not space (it was claustrophobic!) - every floor was filled with manga, video-games and toys. It certainly seemed worthy of it's reputation as the premier manga store; the window was full of old, archaic editions that looked like it was from very long ago. indeed.Of particular note was the starting discovery of a floor dedicated entirely to "adult" material, which happened to be filled with consumers, and a floor dedicated entirely to toys on the upper floor (where Terminators and Aliens sat side-by-side with Gundams and obscure-anime models).

For myself, the biggest surprise came on the gaming floor; a horde of Sega Saturn titles, all waiting to be purchased. I was elated; one of my ambitions when coming to Japan was to pick up a Japanese Sega Saturn, having always loved my European edition. Here was a good chunk of the titles I wanted right here. Buying as many as I could afford, I reluctantly left knowing so many more were being left behind (don't worry; I've since picked up the console in Japan courtesy of private sellers on the Japanese Amazon!).

Finally, after a cheap and easy lunch at the train station (chicken katsudon), we began a relaxing journey back to Kagawa. It felt like a very long time indeed since we'd last seen it, leaving over a week prior for our volunteering trip to Tohoku. I recall indulging in the luxuries of the Shinkansen food cart (coffee and snacks), and feeling relieved to know I'd be sleeping in my own bed again that night.

Akihabara was cool, but our stay had felt incredibly brief. We had only spent around 24 hours there, and there was so much more to see and do by reputation (for example, just what is up with these maid cafes?). Still, I got a taste for the place, and was enthralled by it. I'm looking forward to the inevitable return visit.

The good news is - thanks to our time in Tohoku with our fellow volunteers - I now have good friends there to go back to.

Thanks, guys.

Volunteering in Tohoku - Part Three: Farming & Farewell

First published: 21 May 2012

Disclaimer: Last time I'll say this! A lot of these images aren't mine, and lifted from other sources. then again, a lot of them are mine. Anyway, check out the INJM Facebook page, as pretty much every image that isn't mine on this page came from there. Thanks guys!

 Assembling greenhouses in Miyagi, Tohoku.

Our last day volunteering in Tohoku was going to be a bit of a surprise. We were unaware of what to expect, as the rest of our week had been dominated by working on the 'Playgrounds of Hope' project. As it transpired, Danny and I would be spending our last day assisting on the construction of a new crop farm, whilst Rainer went off to build and fill in the wood chip enclosure on the jungle gym at the Pinnochio site.

 Rainer applies the finishing touches.

Attached to a new team, Danny and I were off at 7.30am (!) in order to drive the hefty distance to the site and make our 8.30am start time.

This was our earliest start, and it was one heck of a long trip. Thankfully, we made a brief run to a local combini store and picked up supplies before starting the day. I decided to employ an old trick I'd use to keep myself awake during my all-nighters at university; early morning ice cream. I was wide awake in no time.

 My silhouette is ready for action.

---

As we drove, I began to see far more of Miyagi than I had experienced that week. Only a little further on from the Pinnochio school was a collection of small, metal houses which had been assembled as temporary accomodation for those who had lost their homes. The sheer number of these was an eye-opener; hitting home when an old woman emerged from one of the front doors as we passed. Further on, more collections of abandoned cars began to appear. It was a harrowing reminder of just how many people here had been affected by the disaster.

For a while, the scenery turned into beautiful mountainous countryside - reminiscent of driving through the Highlands or the borders in Scotland. Eventually, though, we came to the biggest area of damage I had seen, in Shizugawa.

I cannot emphasise just how devastated this area actually was.

 

Shizugawa, Miyagi Prefecture. Absolutely devastated.

Driving through this bleak location is an experience I'll never forget. The images I saw looked exactly of what I had seen on the television one year prior; absolute destruction. It seemed as if absolutely no restoration had taken place whatsoever. Only a few buildings remained standing; those that did were evacuated, falling apart, crushed, or simply abandoned. One sat almost at a 45° angle, while another had a car washed onto it's roof. The ground was almost completely flattened, with minimal signs of life anywhere; right next to the coast and looking out onto the sea, it was obvious that this entire area had been almost completely washed away. As we passed through, our car fell silent.

Other than passing cars, I only saw one other individual on the ground - a Japanese teenager in school uniform cycling his bike. He looked like he could be a local resident; I wondered where he stayed and where he would go to school. I couldn't imagine what seeing this scale of destruction unfold upon your home town would feel like, but I wouldn't wish it upon anyone.

I encourage you to do more research on Shizugawa. Some of the most iconic images of the tsunami and it's aftermath are from this area. Be aware, however, that you may see some harrowing images.

Not my image: taken from a Google search of Shizugawa after 3/11.

Luckily, most of the wreckage has been cleared away now.

---

We drove further on to the site of the farm, which was being built on higher ground along with a new farmhouse for the residents. It was easy to see why this decision was made; almost all of the areas above high-ground were still intact and secure, where the tsunami hadn't reached them. The farm was a modest size, surrounded on all sides by forestry. Driven to the site by a warm Australian under the psuedonym 'Hippy' (?),  we pulled on our overalls and set to work. Our challenge today was to assist the farmers by assisting in the construction of greenhouses.

 

Farming time!

It was a bit of a strange day, and certainly the odd one out of our experience by not having Rainer around. The task was so vast in scale, due to the amount of work that needed to be done, that we knew from the get-go that we wouldn't be able to help the farmers finish assembling the greenhouses on a single day. The work had already started earlier that week, and proved to be much more straightforward than that presented to us when assembling the playgrounds. The farmers were constantly providing clear guidance, as opposed to the crazy instruction manuals for the jungle gyms which contradicted themselves at every opportunity. Even though the farmers could only speak in Japanese, communication wasn't an issue due to the proficiency of the members of our team (myself not included). Work was steady, and efficient, and it felt refreshing to work in a new environment with a new group of people.

The team get to work while I search for a hammer
(and take a couple of photographs).

Our first job was to ensure the metal frames were secure. Composed of interlocking metal strips, our job was to secure the locks by knocking them into place with a hammer, and make sure everything was tight and connected for the plastic sheet to fit over the top. Minor niggles occurred to due a shortage of tools and the wear on the materials (most, if not all, appeared to have had previous use), but we worked with confidence and at a steady pace.

 

Securing the hinges.

As we progressed, another of the greenhouse frames became ready for its cover to be attached. All of the team moved swiftly over to the frame, and worked as a cohesive unit with everyone on site to firmly attach the sheet to the frame. With the wind blowing, it was a bit of a challenge, and at first, I was a tad frustrated as both sides of the frame asked me to assist them - meaning I moved back and forward aimlessly for a moment as I had no idea where to work from. It was an unusual process which I had never seen before; one person manually using a long twisted wire to tightly trap plastic behind it into gaps in the steel strips (was that clear?), whilst everyone else held the plastic sheet firmly in place at either side. Both sides worked in unison until the length of the greenhouse was firmly attached. Finishing quickly, we stood back as the final securements were made. I felt a minor sense of achievement; I'd never done that before!

Now this was an interesting experience...
Attempting to cover the frame of a greenhouse with plastic.

Lunch was generously served by the farm workers; a heated box of fried rice with some miso soup. Again, it made a refreshing change from the daily trips to the combini - but I couldn't help but feel a twinge of disappointment that I wouldn't be able to justify spending 2000円 on food that day (as had become the standard).

A damn good lunch time, but I do miss my combini fried chicken.

Carrying on after lunch, myself and an American girl named Nikki began constructing some of the doors for the near-finished greenhouse. Unfortunately, this involved cutting steel pipes to size in order to attach them to the door frame for fitting the plastic to. Realising a manual saw wouldn't do the job, I got to live out one of my fantasies as I was granted access to a power generator and buzz saw. I cut through the steel poles with orange sparks flying everywhere (as a side note, whilst I of course wore safety glasses, absolutely none of the Japanese people on site bothered with them!). Attaching the poles with screws and a power drill (not a particularly easy task), we affixed the plastic and were primed to attach the door... with one hitch. The man who had been instructing us on what to do had unexpectedly headed off for the afternoon, and none of the other farm workers knew how to affix the door to the structure. After several guesses and attempts (including my go-to solution - "build a trench!"), we couldn't get it fixed onto the front. Bugger. Oh well, at least they were made.

Achievement!

As the sun began to sink down, so did the temperatures and the workload. Come around 5pm, Trevor arrived with an INJM-mobile to drive us all back to Ishinomaki. It had been a fun experience working on the farm, and a refreshing change from the stressful days on the playground sites where we had been constantly second-guessing ourselves. It was good to meet more people from other areas of Miyagi, from a completely different community who still had their stories to tell. Yet, while we had finished the playgrounds in our week of volunteering, much work remained to be done there. Having no experience with this type of thing, I wondered about the timescale of crafting a fully functioning farm environment again. As we drove home, I made sure I recorded as much of the coast as I could on my video-phone, but sadly the battery and memory capacity were failing me.

And so, we came to our last night in Ishinomaki. If I remember correctly, I didn't go to the onsen that evening, but instead had a shower at the INJM base. It had been an exhausting week, and I was taking it easy. I took the opportunity to pack my belongings away, and to chat with the other volunteers whilst awaiting Rainer's return. We had our final dinner, and Michihiro and Yutaka (who were leaving this evening, and had worked on a different project that day) began their journey home to Akihabara; but not before inviting us to come and visit them on our journey home! As it happened, Rainer and I had both previously agreed that we intended to stop by Akihabara on our way home, but now we had a firm reason to go. After playing a few bouts of Draw Something (which Danny had gotten me hooked on during my time there), it was lights-out, and I passed out almost immediately. After a week of hard work, it felt great to lie back without need of an early rise.

---

One thing I haven't yet mentioned about the INJM base was the presence of the on-site cat. While unfortunately, I can't remember it's name (shameful!), I do know that it was homeless after the tsunami incident, where her tail had been broken and - so I have been told - she suffered a miscarraige. As a cat lover, I felt terribly sorry for this cat, as she currently had no home to go to and was being cared for by INJM while they looked for a new owner. I enjoyed playing with her in the evenings, as a reminder of my own cat - Smudge - and also just because I have always enjoyed the company of animals. I seriously wished I had been in a position to take care of this cat - partially because I missed my own cat, but more so simply because I wanted her story to have a happy ending. Unfortunately, for myself, this was impossible; I'm not allowed pets in my current accomodation, and taking care of a cat in Japan would cause a great deal of headaches when coming home to Scotland (as well as an extra expense I just didn't believe I could afford). It's a great shame that no one had been found who was able to take care of her.

Sorry, Moggy. I really do hope someone gives you a safe home.

I really regret not being able to help this cat.
I sincerely hope she finds a home soon.

---

The morning we left Ishinomaki was surprisingly relaxed. As I'd already packed my belongings, I had an opportunity to relax in the kitchen area with the other volunteers prior to their own departures for work. Saying a few final farewells, I munched down on toast and felt incredibly relaxed. It felt good to know that I'd given a week of my time on behalf of those less fortunate that myself. After breakfast, Trevor drove us out to the local AEON mall where we waited for the bus that would take us to Sendai station. We got our final look around Ishinomaki as we drove through. It was definitely showing signs of steady recovery, but it was no overnight fix. The restoration work in Ishinomaki would likely continue for years to come.

As it happens, I made one final donation to INJM; my blue jump-suit! I left it on site for any subsequent visitors who felt like wearing something a little different from the standard red and yellow suits. If you're heading over to INJM and pick this up, then you'll be wearing my very own gear. Enjoy it.

My parting gift to INJM.

On that same weekend, opening ceremonies and parties were held at both of the playgrounds we had helped to build.

The opening ceremony at Pinocchio International Preschool.

I was sorry I wasn't there.

It was regrettable that we were unable to attend, but we had to begin our journey home (and, of course, had arranged our travel before we knew these were being held). Seeing the photographs shortly afterwards on Facebook lifted my spirits. After working so hard for so long at these sites, to see children finally playing on them made all of the hardships worthwhile. The children looked like they had immense fun, and I think the INJM members who represented the group there can feel very proud of this achievement indeed.

Seeing the children play on our work makes it all worthwhile.

I can't help but feel an incredible sense of achievement looking at this.

Helpling out in Ishinomaki was an incredibly rewarding experience, and one that I hope I'll be able to experience with INJM again in the future. The biggest challenges involved were the cost of travelling there - not cheap from Kagawa! - and my desire to find a lengthy period of time to go, so as to really offer as much as I can. It certainly wasn't easy to arrange, but INJM's incredibly flexible schedule makes it a much easier process. I'll forward to giving them my time again in the future. They're a fantastic organisation.

We drove along contentedly on the bus to Sendai station, the three of us arranged in single file on fold-out chairs that fitted down the middle of the aisle (a pretty good idea to get more bums on seats, actually). I took the opportunity to unwind with a book and a fully charged iPhone. At Sendai station, we intended to have lunch before our travel, and sat in one of the station cafes only to realise how tight our schedule was and that we didn't have enough time to eat and make the train.

Cue awkward standing up and shuffling out.

A few hasty omiyage and snack purchases later, we were on our way.

Next stop; Akihabara, Tokyo.