Japan Trip Day 4

Sorry for the delay in posts but here we are on Day 4!

 

Things start off with Rin and Dani having some sort of meeting...

 

R - "So we're in agreement?"

 

D - "Yes, definitely. I've only been here for one day and already I see why we need to do this."

 

R - "Yep. We must do whatever we can to keep the Booby Monster away from our food and drinks!"

 

002 by Billy Bennett, on Flickr

 

M - "HEY! Don't act like I'm not even here! Why are yall talking trash about me when I'm RIGHT HERE?"

 

R - "Who are you again?"

 

D - "Did we meet? I don't think we have."

 

M - "Arrgghh! You two are so annoying!"

 

003 by Billy Bennett, on Flickr

 

We left the girls to fight it out so we could enjoy a quiet breakfast. It wasn't the best breakfast ever but it was the only place open at 6:30am. Why there was a salad on my tray for breakfast I'll never know but I was hungry so I ate it.

 

004 by Billy Bennett, on Flickr

 

That restaurant was very nice tho.

 

005 by Billy Bennett, on Flickr

 

Heading out into the city...

 

006 by Billy Bennett, on Flickr

 

007 by Billy Bennett, on Flickr

 

Walking to the train station.

 

008 by Billy Bennett, on Flickr

 

009 by Billy Bennett, on Flickr

 

010 by Billy Bennett, on Flickr

 

It was an older, smaller station but pretty cool looking.

 

011 by Billy Bennett, on Flickr

 

012 by Billy Bennett, on Flickr

 

One of the many tiny sales kiosks we see in train stations.

 

013 by Billy Bennett, on Flickr

 

Stealth shots of another conbini.

 

014 by Billy Bennett, on Flickr

 

015 by Billy Bennett, on Flickr

 

The familiar sight of train station turnstiles. It was so nice doing the Suica card for these this trip! I hadn't heard of them for my last trip but it's basically a credit card for the train systems. You can also use it for vending machines, stores and even food!

 

016 by Billy Bennett, on Flickr

 

Heading to the platform to catch a train to Mitaka.... where the Studio Ghibli Museum is located!

 

017 by Billy Bennett, on Flickr

 

Man, I really hated how tiny the drinks were in some vending machines! They were like shot glasses of them instead of an actual can! I needed 2 to make a dent in my thirst.

 

018 by Billy Bennett, on Flickr

 

We were meeting a friend of Ed's for the museum there but she hadn't arrived yet so we ventured into the city for a bit to see what was around.

 

019 by Billy Bennett, on Flickr

 

020 by Billy Bennett, on Flickr

 

Ahh, McDonalds. With a bar on top of it. Grab some fries and a cheeseburger then go upstairs for a cold draft!

 

021 by Billy Bennett, on Flickr

 

These No Smoking signs were all over the streets, it was great.

 

022 by Billy Bennett, on Flickr

 

One of the smaller stores was just opening up, they put these coloring books outside.

 

023 by Billy Bennett, on Flickr

 

This was in a square where the buses came to pick you up for the Museum. Roughly translated, the sign says:

 

"Don't feed the Winged Rats or you shall be beaten with large wooden spoons and then dumped into this yellow Barrel of Shame for a fortnight."

 

024 by Billy Bennett, on Flickr

 

The train station and where the buses come to pick you up.

 

025 by Billy Bennett, on Flickr

 

Totoro sign! This was at the bus stop showing where to wait for the next bus.

 

026 by Billy Bennett, on Flickr

 

Our bus tickets!

 

027 by Billy Bennett, on Flickr

 

And here's the bus! It had all sorts of cute Ghibli monsters on it. But I think they missed a HUGE opportunity here by not dressing up the buses as..... GIANT CATBUSES! I mean come on! It's the PURRFECT vehicle for tourists!

 

028 by Billy Bennett, on Flickr

 

And here we are at the museum! It had a very cool exterior.

 

029 by Billy Bennett, on Flickr

 

There were cute little things like this all over the place.

 

030 by Billy Bennett, on Flickr

 

A giant plush Totoro was waiting to sell you tickets!

 

031 by Billy Bennett, on Flickr

 

Closer to the big tower. We got to go up that later.

 

032 by Billy Bennett, on Flickr

 

033 by Billy Bennett, on Flickr

 

The entrance to the museum. Unfortunately, photos were not allowed inside. I wish I could have because some the displays and art in there was just amazing. Rooms were set up to mimic ones from anime like "From Up on Poppy Hill" and "Laputa".

 

034 by Billy Bennett, on Flickr

 

Speaking of Laputa.... up on the roof was one of the giant robots from the film! The details were so nicely done on him!

 

035 by Billy Bennett, on Flickr

 

036 by Billy Bennett, on Flickr

 

037 by Billy Bennett, on Flickr

 

Further across the roof was one of the large control cubes, complete with ancient carvings.

 

038 by Billy Bennett, on Flickr

 

It was chilly out but the sun had warmed up the cube enuff so that Ed could get toasty.

 

039 by Billy Bennett, on Flickr

 

Becca pushed him off to warm her bottom.

 

040 by Billy Bennett, on Flickr

 

Looking across the roof, back towards the robot.

 

041 by Billy Bennett, on Flickr

 

There were wooden train cart tracks all across the roof, very neat detail.

 

042 by Billy Bennett, on Flickr

 

After hitting the gift shop we decided to get some grub. I got some Mt. Fuji water and a sausage dog.

 

044 by Billy Bennett, on Flickr

 

The wash basin near the diner. It was super cute tiling in the sink with the cat from "Kiki's Delivery Service" on top!

 

045 by Billy Bennett, on Flickr

 

On the bus ride back to the train station. How Becca got the "Queens Seat" up high like that is beyond me. Behind her is Kelly and Ed.

 

046 by Billy Bennett, on Flickr

 

Back in Akihabara!

 

047 by Billy Bennett, on Flickr

 

I finally found some Ryomou swag! A really pretty figure of her in a cheongsam along with some small gashapon figures. Also grabbed some cute Rei and Asuka ones.

 

20170322_160404 by Billy Bennett, on Flickr

 

Becca found this amazingly cool gun in a small shop up on the 4th floor of a random building in Akiba. We visited there many times because it was such a cool store and it was stuffed with cool things. The gun was originally from a gashapon machine and was on a sentai ranger show. I didn't know it at the time but the barrel pulls out and hides a knife blade! Pretty damn cool for only 6 bucks!

 

20170322_160528 by Billy Bennett, on Flickr

 

I was also lucky enuff to find this Nendo Petite Fate/Stay Night villains set! They sell for stupid money on Ebay and Amazon *IF* you can find them..... that's why I kept putting off buying it until now. I grabbed it for $50, a total steal. The other goodies are eraser food shaped like sushi along with a conveyor belt and then at the bottom are DD sized dice. Those were only 100 yen.

 

20170322_161303 by Billy Bennett, on Flickr

 

More Rei goodness! Got this patch from the Kinokuniya bookstore in Shibuya.

 

20170322_161420 by Billy Bennett, on Flickr

 

I hadn't found any stretched penny machines yet but I did find these nice Disney ones in a store in the Radio Kaikan building.

 

20170322_161542 by Billy Bennett, on Flickr

 

Poster with some Saber goodness on it.

 

20170322_174714 by Billy Bennett, on Flickr

 

It seems Amiami has a storefront in Akiba so we had to check that out. Here's some of the stuff from there.

 

20170322_185946 by Billy Bennett, on Flickr

 

All these girls are full silicone bodies.

 

20170322_185957 by Billy Bennett, on Flickr

 

20170322_190320 by Billy Bennett, on Flickr

 

20170322_190324 by Billy Bennett, on Flickr

 

20170322_190331 by Billy Bennett, on Flickr

 

After that bunch of shopping we retired for the day. It was lots of fun but wore us out.

 

Be sure to keep an eye out for the next day's photos!

 

 

 

Billy

Ugh... the more I see your photos, the more I want to visit Japan myself. Then again, I know if I went. I'd spend every last dollar I have and max out ALL my credit cards. lol

I love seeing all the "city/architecture" shots! "Normal" things are so different there and it's so cool to see that stuff. Thanks for posting these along with the "tourist" shots (which are cool too!).

Ugh... the more I see your photos, the more I want to visit Japan myself. Then again, I know if I went. I'd spend every last dollar I have and max out ALL my credit cards. lol

 

Hee hee, good! It's an amazing place that everyone should try and visit at least once! As for spending, just make a list of what you're really after and set aside money for it, then find it. Once found, then any remaining money can go for extras. I made sure to set aside enuff to cover things I absolutely had to get as well as food and touristy things. Then I got another $500 in there for additional things to cover my butt. I only took one credit card with me and used it 2 times.... for things I wanted a warranty on or to cover me if something went wrong. Other than that, cash was king. As long as you save up enuff to get what you want and to do what you want, you won't have to worry about overspending as much. It's hard to not buy EVERY COOL THING you see but it can be done.

 

I love seeing all the "city/architecture" shots! "Normal" things are so different there and it's so cool to see that stuff. Thanks for posting these along with the "tourist" shots (which are cool too!).

 

Thank you! I really enjoy stuff like that and it's great that you do too. To me, it's the little things that everyone takes for granted that are different and neat. Things like manhole covers and street lights and brick accents.... all dull in most peoples eyes but pretty darn cool when they aren't what you're used to seeing every day! And don't worry, I have plenty more pics of things like this coming.

 

 

 

Billy

the amiami store is new. It wasn't there the last time I was in japan in 2015.

I really like the smaller drinks in the vending machines. I often can't finish one of the 'regular' size bottles in one sitting so I like when I can find the smaller ones cos a)they're good for a quick sugar hit and b)they're cheaper. Usually there are larger ones nearby or even in the same machine though.

 

When it comes to fast food ie mcdonalds, I know a lot of Americans complain about the size of the drinks on offer in Japan/lack of refills but they're the same as Australia. When I went to the US i was actually stunned at the goddamn bucket I got for a drink cup, how do you finish that?! (Let alone want refills after...) I guess if its something you're used to thats how it is...

 

 

Seeing the Ghibli photos makes me wonder if I should go again, it's been 10 years since my last visit so there's a ton of new stuff by now.

When it comes to fast food ie mcdonalds, I know a lot of Americans complain about the size of the drinks on offer in Japan/lack of refills but they're the same as Australia. When I went to the US i was actually stunned at the goddamn bucket I got for a drink cup, how do you finish that?! (Let alone want refills after...) I guess if its something you're used to thats how it is...

 

 

This was totally true, when I went to Australia for vacation I was so surprised what their "large" is there.

 

Large in AU - Small in US

 

Personally I don't mind it, I actually have an unhealthy addiction to Coke and the smaller drinks are a good break. I only wish America could have smaller sizes standard, but oh well that will never happen.

 

Also the quality of the food is actually better than in the US. Nothing there was as greasy as US versions are. I had my gallbladder removed and the fact that AU's food did no affect to it already shows it's much healther than it is in the US.

I really like the smaller drinks in the vending machines. I often can't finish one of the 'regular' size bottles in one sitting so I like when I can find the smaller ones cos a)they're good for a quick sugar hit and b)they're cheaper. Usually there are larger ones nearby or even in the same machine though.

 

I'm always thirsty and on the edge of dehydration when walking a lot ( seriously ) so I need to drink something often. Paying 120-150 yen for a TINY DAMN CAN got really annoying really fast. Yes, you could find larger drinks, often in the same machine, but I didn't like a lot of the drinks they had on offer because my taste buds are out of whack due to a bad bout of bronchitis ages ago. So I'm limited as to what I can drink and enjoy. The last time I was there in 2010, I found ONE machine in Osaka that sold Sprite. ONE. That's my man drink so not having that made me find another, which turned out to be Fanta Grape soda. I still knock those back at home and it reminds me of Japan every time.

 

When it comes to fast food ie mcdonalds, I know a lot of Americans complain about the size of the drinks on offer in Japan/lack of refills but they're the same as Australia. When I went to the US i was actually stunned at the goddamn bucket I got for a drink cup, how do you finish that?! (Let alone want refills after...) I guess if its something you're used to thats how it is...

 

As stated earlier, I drink a lot, especially when I eat. So paying 200 yen or more for a TINY LITTLE CUP of soda also got annoying really fast. So I used to buy a soda in a machine outside, carry it in with me and then drink that when I was done with the one that came with the meal. Or I'd just buy TWO large drinks and hammer them both. The girl at one McD's asked me 3 times if I wanted TWO drinks... it totally confused her. So yes, the super big drinks here ARE usable.... I drink a large at every meal at a fast food place because I need the liquid to rehydrate. And when I'm done eating, I refill it for the road.

 

Seeing the Ghibli photos makes me wonder if I should go again, it's been 10 years since my last visit so there's a ton of new stuff by now.

 

From what I hear they rotate things out often and they show different short films all the time so I'd say it would be worth it to go back there and check it out. Just don't plan to eat there or else you'll be waiting for 2 hours for a super expensive and super small portion of food.

 

Also the quality of the food is actually better than in the US. Nothing there was as greasy as US versions are.

 

We only went into a McDonalds once, a Burger King once and a Carls Jr. once and for the most part, the food was about the same as far as grease went. Now, they had some crazy toppings and setups for burgers ( that's why we went in the first place ) but the food was very similar to here.

 

As far as grease went, Mos Burger was pretty on par with the other burger type places. Even their Teriyaki burger was greasy IMO but it sure tasted good!

 

 

 

Billy

I found there was more care in assembling the food at the fast food places in japan instead of haphazardly throwing things into the container. The food was mostly the same in terms of taste. There were some adjustments for the locals though. Things are not as sweet or salty, the oil the fries was in tasted slightly different.

I found there was more care in assembling the food at the fast food places in japan instead of haphazardly throwing things into the container.

 

Oh yes, I definitely agree that presentation was a big thing.

 

The food was mostly the same in terms of taste. There were some adjustments for the locals though, things are not as sweet or salty.

 

Yeah, I found myself looking for salt often. I guess the Japanese palette doesn't like extremely sweet or salty items much. Now hot/spicy stuff is a different story....

 

 

 

Billy

Stores like that Amiami one would be my demise, financially speaking

I just love the looks of those full-sillicone darlings, even though they were not "moveable", right?

Stores like that Amiami one would be my demise, financially speaking

 

I know what you mean! It's very hard not to spend all your money in a place with so many nice things.

 

I just love the looks of those full-sillicone darlings, even though they were not "moveable", right?

 

No, they are very much movable! They have inner wire frames so you can bend and pose them. It's just a little harder to do and the inner wires can sometimes break so the bodies aren't really popular for those reasons. They still look wonderful nude or in swimsuits tho!

 

 

Billy