John’s 2025 Tokyo Journey Day 8

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Our remaining full day in Tokyo started with Phil & I taking the Keisei Line prepare to the Oshieage (Sky Tree Mae) prepare station. At our native Aoto prepare station, each of us used the ticketing machines to load one other 1,000 yen onto our IC playing cards that we primarily use to pay for prepare fares, and infrequently drinks from merchandising machines. At that time limit I had no Japanese payments left, and Phil was all the way down to 7,000 yen. I had the equal of about $5 in cash within the coin purse in my pocket. I had $300 in US forex with me that I anticipated exchanging for Japanese yen on the Sky Tree Mall.

From the underground Oshieage Station, we entered the Tokyo Solamachi mall and needed to take escalators up three or 4 flooring simply to achieve floor degree. Directories knowledgeable us that the Chiba Institute of Know-how’s standing exhibit was on the eighth flooring. One particular piece of the exhibit, the life-sized Macross VF-25F Gerwalk, was the rationale I’d needed to return to the Sky Tree Mall. The Valkyrie is instantly to the proper upon getting into the exhibit room. We circled the remainder of the room, which supplied replicas and displays of robotics know-how used to assemble meteorite samples. One exhibit allowed guests to the touch a chunk of meteorite.

Phil & I politely skipped the opposite rooms of the exhibit as a result of our time was restricted.

We took the escalators again all the way down to the fourth flooring that supplied Japanese souvenirs and an assortment of character retailers. We handed by the Marvel, Medicom Toy, and Pokemon retailers. On the Kirby’s Café Store Phil bought a bag of dry Kirby pasta as a present for a Kirby fan again house.

On the Soar Store Phil bought two Dragon Ball Daima blind-box figures and a Haikyuu plastic fan for associates again in Florida.

On the Sengoku Damashii retailer, a present store dedicated to “samurai spirit,” Phil chosen a pair of small paper lantern magnets at 550 yen every. When he took them to the cashier, the girl politely inquired of Phil why he selected the small magnets when the same however a lot bigger ones subsequent to the money register had been the identical worth. Phil defined that he was anxious that their dimension would trigger them to be simply knocked off the fridge door; thus smaller three-dimensional magnets had been preferable.

On the fourth flooring, we had been amazed by the Asakusa Amezaiku Ameshin store that bought candies that resembled ceramic and glass collectible figurines. We additionally gawked a bit on the distinctive Japanese-ness of the Ganso Shokuhin Pattern-ya store that makes a speciality of plastic replicas of meals.

We stepped out onto the balcony to poke our heads into the superbly adorned Donguri Republic retailer, one in all Tokyo’s a number of Studio Ghibli specialty shops.

We additionally popped into the Daiso retailer the place I bought 4 shikishi frames at 200 yen every, some resealable plastic luggage and packing tape to organize for the journey house, and the one A5 dimension doc case I may discover within the retailer, for storing a few of my doujinshi purchases. Phil paid for the lot as a result of I had virtually no money readily available.

I used to be sure that such a tourist-centric spot because the Sky Tree Mall would have a minimum of one forex change counter, however seeming the mall didn’t. So Phil & I headed out of the mall, again into the Oshieage prepare station.

There, we figured that if we may attain floor degree, we would spot a forex change retailer. So we trekked by the closest exit, which ended up taking us by a sequence of prolonged tunnels earlier than releasing us into daylight on a street with virtually no companies. We ended up strolling across the station exterior searching for a close-by forex change vendor that turned out to be a mere ATM machine inside a grocery store.

So we walked the pedestrian bridge throughout the Kitajukken River then over one other block to discover a department of Mizuho Financial institution. However an indication posted contained in the financial institution knowledgeable us that this department didn’t provide forex change. We walked down the block to the crosswalk, crossed the road, and entered the Mitsubishi Financial institution. The guard by the door knowledgeable us that this financial institution department additionally didn’t provide forex change. I caught my head into the Mizuho Financial institution constructing subsequent door to the Mitsubishi Financial institution to understand that the constructing housed monetary planning administration, not typical banking providers.

With our final day ebbing away, I introduced that I’d merely proceed on to Nakano Broadway the place I knew there was a forex change counter. Phil took our Daiso purchases and headed again to our house base.

I bought onto a Chuo-Sobu line prepare and virtually fell asleep in exhaustion. A half-hour later I spotted that I’d been driving a prepare going within the path reverse of the place I needed to go. So I bought off the prepare then stepped onto the road getting in the wrong way. Ultimately I reached Nakano.

Phil dropped off our purchases then took a prepare northward to Shimabata. Right now, the Shibamata Taishakuten shrine was open and functioning, so Phil bought the 2 700-yen shrine charms that he’d been unable to buy the prior Tuesday when the shrine wasn’t but open for enterprise.

He additionally situated the small, neighborhood strolling path that he’d seen and fallen in love with in a random YouTube video.

I circled the third and fourth flooring of Nakano Broadway in useless, looking for the Genkinya Forex Alternate counter. Ultimately I discovered it on the second flooring. I modified $300 US {dollars} at a really favorable charge of 147.70. I went to the Apple Symphony retailer on the fourth flooring, anticipating to buy a Cream Lemon manufacturing cell that I assumed was 9,900 yen. I discovered that I’d misremembered the value, because it was barely dearer at 11,100 yen. Persevering with to flip by the portfolio, I discovered one other classic manufacturing cell and genga of a topless lady. This cell was priced at solely 6,600 yen. I’m fairly sure that this cel is just not truly from the Cream Lemon sequence however relatively another H OVA from the period. I made a decision that I most popular the picture and the worth of the second cel and bought it as an alternative of the 11,100 Cream Lemon cel.

I went to 2D Gallery intending to buy the 4,400 cel with background of Mint from Galaxy Angel that the shop had in its show case. However upon nearer look, I spotted that the cel was low-cost as a result of it had injury alongside the underside of its picture. Somebody framing the cel may simply crop the injury to be invisible. But when I had been to buy the cel, I’d at all times know that its backside was broken, no matter whether or not or not I may see the injury. So I handed on buying the cel.

I made one other run-through of the male doujinshi retailer on the second flooring. I discovered and bought 4 cheap comics that caught my eye.

Simply outdoors of the Nakano Broadway gate, I finished at a baggage retailer to buy a half-dozen kitschy Japan tourism fridge magnets.

I left Nakano and stopped off in Shinjuku. I took the East exit from the station, which was supposed to put me closest to town’s major Kinokuniya bookstore. The density of town repeatedly confused Google Maps, nonetheless, so I took for much longer to lastly discover the shop than I’d anticipated. On the eighth flooring, I discovered a number of copies of the Soiled Pair Illustrations archive e book. Regardless of already proudly owning one copy, I needed to buy a second. So I did so.

I took the prepare again to Aoto Station uneventfully. On the station’s sweet retailer, I bought two extra luggage of Japanese flavored Equipment-Kat candies to share with my co-workers again house. On the Daiso retailer I bought 4 extra A5 dimension plastic instances to retailer doujinshi, a pair of huge doc instances through which to retailer and shield our manufacturing cel purchases, a pair of huge clasp-lid plastic containers, one other two cans of Kimetsu no Yaiba canned espresso, and three 200-yen lap blankets to make use of a cushioning materials in my baggage. I reached our Aoto rental house simply previous 7pm.

Close to precisely an hour later Phil & I met Jon within the Yotsuya prepare station. Jon led us to the close by Indian restaurant Bistro Hitsujiya. In izakaya-style, we ordered a number of plates of lamb curry, lamb kebabs, and marsala rooster. The invoice for 3 of us totalled 8,800 yen.

We then walked a number of blocks to the basement bar True Blue, an intimately-sized, dimly lit jazz bar that performed the 1995 film Waterworld on repeat on a muted nook tv. Combined drinks ranged from 1,100 to 1,600 yen. Phil & I additionally ordered two small 500-yen squares of the grasp’s personal darkish chocolate surrounded by wealthy milk chocolate. I had one drink. Jon & Phil had two every. Our invoice was 9,500 yen.

To be able to attain house earlier than the final trains stopped operating, we parted with Jon and reached house at midnight, simply after stopping on the native 24-hour Lawsons comfort retailer so I may buy two bottles of C.C. Lemon. Phil went straight to sleep. I typed up this weblog put up then ready to stroll to the close by Don Quixote retailer, primarily to make use of up the 495 yen we had left in 1-yen, 5-yen, and 10-yen cash that weren’t well worth the weight and energy of bringing again to the USA.

I typed up my occasions for the day for the AnimeNation Weblog then, at 2am, walked up the street to the Don Quixote retailer intending to try to spend our remaining small change. I critically thought of buying the turtle & deer powder male dietary supplements, however the packages aren’t fairly as cute because the one for the horse, and at 999-yen every, I made a decision that the remaining two weren’t value that a lot to me. So I ended up shopping for lower than I anticipated. I bought a package deal of three hand towels for 199-yen. The next day I used two of them whereas packing my trunk for the flight house. And I purchased two or three extra cans of drinks with anime labels. Then, simply to spend extra, I picked a 1,000-yen DonKi thriller field of random prize figures (which I nonetheless haven’t gotten round to opening). To my shock, after I included all of my 100-yen cash, the cashier machine instructed me that I’d overpaid by 250-yen and gave me change. So I managed to eliminate all of Phil & my one-yen, five-yen, and ten-yen cash, I assumed.

Walked again to the home and set the bag, the big DonKi bag value me a further 19-yen, on the doorstep. Then I walked subsequent door to the 7-11. Earlier in our keep, I’d seen that the shop had a collection of Road Fighter VI Pink Bull promotional buying and selling playing cards, however I wasn’t sure easy methods to declare them. I figured that at 3 within the morning, the shop could be useless sufficient that I may wrestle to grasp the cashier and buy sufficient cans of Road Fighter VI Pink Bull to get the free playing cards depicting Chun-Li and Juri. However to my dismay, the playing cards had been now not obtainable. The particular version cans had been, although, so I purchased one every of the remaining Ryu and Chun-Li Pink Bull cans at 198-yen every. By that point I had two 5,000 yen payments and a small pocket of change left.