Japan Trip Day 5 Part 3 Volks Photos & Maricar

Ok, I've strung yall along for too long now so here's the main course!

 

We stayed in an apartment one street over from the main area of Akihabara and only 2 streets over from the Radio Kaikan building. This made it easy to walk over to Volks and use their photo area with Manami and Rin.

 

Odd thing about these photo areas.... they had 3 different ones in that Volks but you could only use ONE at a time. And you could only use that one for 30 minutes. And that 30 minutes included your time to set up your girls AND put them away/clean up the area when you were done. So if you didn't know what you were doing, you'd waste 10-15 minutes of your time just setting up and then taking things down!

 

When you first arrive to use these areas you have to check in at the register. They give you a piece of paper with a time on it and then walk you over to the area. They then ask if you have a Volks doll to use because they do not allow any other types in there. Once done, you can take as many pics as you want within those 30 minutes. And they watch the clock like hawks!

 

We had no one else there at the time we were there but since we could only use one area, we chose the one with a kotatsu and an outdoor scene with a tori and shrine setup.

 

As I said, Rin and Manami used the space and we had a pretty good time doing the typical pretty Volks photos.

 

151 by Billy Bennett, on Flickr

 

The setup was really cute and there were lots of nice props to use with the girls. I took a ton of pics because I pretty much had to since we had such a short amount of time there.

 

152 by Billy Bennett, on Flickr

 

153 by Billy Bennett, on Flickr

 

154 by Billy Bennett, on Flickr

 

Rin was playing with a PSP.

 

155 by Billy Bennett, on Flickr

 

Kitty!

 

156 by Billy Bennett, on Flickr

 

157 by Billy Bennett, on Flickr

 

158 by Billy Bennett, on Flickr

 

159 by Billy Bennett, on Flickr

 

The shrine area was cute and they had nice little umbrellas for us.

 

160 by Billy Bennett, on Flickr

 

161 by Billy Bennett, on Flickr

 

162 by Billy Bennett, on Flickr

 

163 by Billy Bennett, on Flickr

 

164 by Billy Bennett, on Flickr

 

165 by Billy Bennett, on Flickr

 

Rin gets in on the umbrella action.

 

166 by Billy Bennett, on Flickr

 

167 by Billy Bennett, on Flickr

 

The store was pretty empty so I snuck this photo of the their Saber display!

 

170 by Billy Bennett, on Flickr

 

Back to our girls now.

 

171 by Billy Bennett, on Flickr

 

M - "You better treat us to conveyor belt sushi and beer after all this modeling!"

 

R - "Oooo, that sounds yummy!"

 

173 by Billy Bennett, on Flickr

 

175 by Billy Bennett, on Flickr

 

176 by Billy Bennett, on Flickr

 

177 by Billy Bennett, on Flickr

 

So that's it for the traditional Volks photo area pics!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Yeah right!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

You think Manami would sit still and NOT be herself there?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

As soon as we turned our backs, she was back to normal.... rooting thru stuff and being her obnoxious, silly self.

 

 

"Hey, I heard there's money in these things!"

 

178 by Billy Bennett, on Flickr

 

R - "Stop that! You'll get us cursed or something!"

 

 

M - "Whaa? We need money for beers!"

 

180 by Billy Bennett, on Flickr

 

"Who runs Barter Town?"

 

"MASTER BLASTER RUNS BARTER TOWN!"

 

181 by Billy Bennett, on Flickr

 

"I got lots of funny looking coins out of that slotted box!"

 

182 by Billy Bennett, on Flickr

 

M - "Beer and sushi for all!"

 

R - "We're going to hell, I just know it..."

 

183 by Billy Bennett, on Flickr

 

M - "What's wrong? We did our job, let's go get drunk!"

 

R - "Get off me! Your huge boobs are mussing up my hair......"

 

185 by Billy Bennett, on Flickr

 

 

 

 

 

So I'm pretty sure that photo area has NEVER been used like that..... nor will it ever be again. LOL

 

 

After that adventure we headed back to the apartment to drop off the girls and then get ready for the Maricar experience! Their shop was also in Akiba so it didn't take long for us to walk there.

 

In order to drive these carts, we had to have our regular drivers licenses AND an International Driving Permit. All that is tho is a copy of your license in several languages so other countries know you're legal to drive. Easy to get and only $20 from AAA!

 

Arriving at the shop for our 6pm drive, we're greeted by this:

 

186 by Billy Bennett, on Flickr

 

That's what we drove thru the streets. They'll go a max of about 35-40mph or so and they have ZERO safety features..... no seatbelts, no helmets and no roll cage. Exciting! Also at the door were these awesome Evangelion statues of Asuka and Rei! They were so cute! And I think they were life sized too, that's Ed standing behind Auska.

 

187 by Billy Bennett, on Flickr

 

188 by Billy Bennett, on Flickr

 

189 by Billy Bennett, on Flickr

 

190 by Billy Bennett, on Flickr

 

They also had REAL U.S. SIZED DRINKS for a buck! I got a Sprite and slugged it.

 

191 by Billy Bennett, on Flickr

 

As you may or may not know, the Maricar experience lets you drive these carts on Tokyo streets dressed as different characters. There were lots of them to choose from but here's what we chose. Ed took Pikachu.

 

20170323_192452_001 by Billy Bennett, on Flickr

 

And I took Bowser.

 

20170323_192507 by Billy Bennett, on Flickr

 

Here's the thing tho, those suits were SMALL. Mine was labeled as XXL but I barely fit into it. I think their sizing of XXL equals our L so the outfit was tight and I was busting out of it all the time. LOL Also, that outfit had a tail on it..... it was stiff and got in the way a lot, I had to sit on it half the time to be comfortable, otherwise it poked me in the back too much.

 

That thing on my chest is a Go Pro camera. You could rent them for 500 yen if you brought your own memory cards ( which we did ).

 

After we got dressed, they led us to the carts and gave us a quick lesson on how to drive and operate them. It was pretty simple overall. They had a brake and gas pedal, turn signals, emergency flashers and everything. We originally thought these things had their own lanes on the streets or that they used bus lanes or something.......

 

NOPE.

 

We were in REAL traffic with REAL cars and buses and trucks! It was insane! We were set for a 2 hour tour but I was so excited and nervous the first 30 to 45 minutes, I didn't even take any pics with my phone! I did get a couple tho...

 

Here's the two guys that brought up the rear.

 

IMG_0794 by Billy Bennett, on Flickr

 

And another guy:

 

IMG_0800 by Billy Bennett, on Flickr

 

Some of the carts had neon lights under them, mine and Eds didn't. Anyways, we got to drive thru Tokyo and see some sights at night, it was amazing. We drove across Rainbow Bridge, got to race a train, nearly got runover by a Mustang Saleen and then finally made it to our halfway point, the island of Odaiba! We had to get new batteries for our cameras as well as refuel the carts and stretch our legs. I was really crunched into that cart so walking around for a bit certainly helped. We wandered around for a bit and took some pics of the area along with group shots of everyone in our group.

 

Here's a panorama of Odaiba.

 

20170323_192610 by Billy Bennett, on Flickr

 

Rainbow Bridge:

 

20170323_192656 by Billy Bennett, on Flickr

 

The Statue of Liberty! Don't ask. XD

 

20170323_192700 by Billy Bennett, on Flickr

 

Me taking a rare selfie.

 

20170323_192732 by Billy Bennett, on Flickr

 

Our group!

 

IMG_6604 by Billy Bennett, on Flickr

 

Me and Ed being silly.

 

20170323_214513 by Billy Bennett, on Flickr

 

Hopping back into the carts to head out.

 

20170323_192909 by Billy Bennett, on Flickr

 

After Odaiba, we went back across Rainbow Bridge and made a turn towards a big part of town. Two things in this pic to notice. One, is that the Tokyo Tower in the distance? YEP! Two, that's Piglet in front of me. Actually, that's Yoshi, one of our tour guides. There were two guides, one in front and one in back, to make sure we all stayed together and didn't get lost. When we drove down streets, we were told to go single file. when we stopped to turn or at a light, we got side by side in pairs. I was right behind the leader and Ed was right behind me.

 

The great thing about Piglet was that he would drive as fast as he could on open roads. I had to floor it to keep up with him! Due to his driving expertise, I nicknamed him "Piglet-Sama". I called him that when we got back to the shop at the end of the tour and his co-workers died laughing, calling him "Sama" and pointing and giggling at him.

 

20170323_194851 by Billy Bennett, on Flickr

 

Here's the rest of our group behind me.

 

20170323_194900 by Billy Bennett, on Flickr

 

IMG_0803 by Billy Bennett, on Flickr

 

So yeah, Tokyo Tower at night! I had never seen it all lit up before, it was really awesome.

 

20170323_195055 by Billy Bennett, on Flickr

 

I thought "Wow, we get to drive right by the tower! Cool!"

 

NOPE.

 

We went TO the tower and got out for pics!

 

20170323_195521 by Billy Bennett, on Flickr

 

Our group at the tower.

 

IMG_6612 by Billy Bennett, on Flickr

 

Some of these photos weren't taken by me. Yoshi and Yousuke ( the rear guard guy ) ran around taking pics of us all during the trip. At the end, they emailed us all links to a site where they uploaded the photos they took of us so we could download them..... for free! It was awesome and we didn't expect it because we didn't see anything in their literature or on their website about it.

 

After we looked at the tower, we headed back out. Here's pics of us back in the carts and ready to ride. As you can see, that outfit and the cart were NOT made for my big fat ass.

 

IMG_6614 by Billy Bennett, on Flickr

 

Heh, Ed WAS Pikachu. A kid saw him there at the tower and yelled "Pikachu!" Ed went ballistic, bouncing around, yelling out "PIKA! PIKA!" and doing all sorts of silly poses for the kid. He made that kids day for sure, it was great.

 

IMG_6615 by Billy Bennett, on Flickr

 

IMG_6616 by Billy Bennett, on Flickr

 

IMG_6620 by Billy Bennett, on Flickr

 

We left there and headed to a spot I'd never seen but heard a lot about... Ginza. This place looked exactly like Blade Runner! All the lights and signs and streets looked like they jumped right off the movie screen.

 

IMG_6622 by Billy Bennett, on Flickr

 

IMG_6623 by Billy Bennett, on Flickr

 

IMG_6624 by Billy Bennett, on Flickr

 

IMG_20170326_070043 by Billy Bennett, on Flickr

 

Hee hee, I'm a goof.

 

IMG_20170326_070049 by Billy Bennett, on Flickr

 

Actually, we were told to act silly and ham it up for tourists and people at crossings and such. Anytime we stopped at a light, we drew a crowd. Everyone would cheese it up for people taking photos and waving. I growled at people, yelled at them and waved and smiled and grinned like the typical stupid American tourist. It was a total blast and I enjoyed every minute of it. For about $60 USD, it was extremely fun, totally worth it and I highly recommend it to anyone wanting a different point of view of Tokyo. You can do tours at night or in the daytime and you can do them for 1 hour, 2 hours or even 3 hours. I do NOT recommend doing the 3 hour tour as your ass and back will hate you for it. Those carts have little to no suspension so YOU are the shock absorber.

 

So there we are! One big, amazing, fun filled day in Tokyo!

 

There's more to come so stay tuned as we're only halfway thru my vacation!

 

 

 

Billy

This is definitely the best day.

I'd been looking forward to Manami antics in the Volks store ever since you said you were taking her to Japan lol. I still haven't taken pics in the Akiba store as the only time I've had my DDs with me when i've been there I was too tired to bother (which is a shame because they had a super gorgeous christmas set up). But I didn't know they were as strict with the times and gave you paper slips etc - I guess it gets a hell of a lot more use than the Fu kuoka one which is pretty much always free except for after doll events in the city because people tend to go to Volks with their dolls as they're in the area anyway.

 

I'd be too scared to drive in traffic but it'd be amazing to see. (of course I dont even have a driver's license so I couldn't do it anyway!) I like to think that somewhere, some guy was in a restaurant or something and looked out the window just he saw one of you speed past and then rubbed his eyes wondering if he was seeing things

Wow I WANT to do that Mario Kart thing one day! Thanks for sharing!

That looked like a blast. I just may have to start a bucket list.

By the way, as for whether the photo spaces have ever been used in such a silly way before I wouldn't speak so soon. I've seen some pretty ridiculous shenanigans going down, especially when alcohol is available on the set (like the new year kotatsu one at the ThanksFest last year which reminds me I still need to put up the pics for that...)

Also seen funny things like hordes of MDDs using props to beat up one of the super tall, smoldering super dollfie men but sadly I don't have pics of that

This is definitely the best day.

 

Ha ha! It was certainly one of our busiest days for sure!

 

I'd been looking forward to Manami antics in the Volks store ever since you said you were taking her to Japan lol.

 

Hee hee, I was too. She didn't get as out of control as I suspected she would tho. Maybe she was trying to be good since she was visiting her "homeland" in a way. Or maybe she was just tired from all the walking and photo taking from the shrine area. Either way, she did her normal thing and I'm glad she did.

 

But I didn't know they were as strict with the times and gave you paper slips etc - I guess it gets a hell of a lot more use than the Fu kuoka one which is pretty much always free except for after doll events in the city because people tend to go to Volks with their dolls as they're in the area anyway.

 

My guess is that since they are THE Volks store in Akiba and are usually super busy, they kind of have to be strict on it. But still, NOBODY was in there when we went and certainly no one else was doing any photos near us. I'm sure we could have pushed the time frame a little had we wanted to but I was worried we'd push it too far and get told to not come back again. I couldn't have that happen!

 

I'd be too scared to drive in traffic but it'd be amazing to see. (of course I dont even have a driver's license so I couldn't do it anyway!)

 

I was in such a state of excitement, terror and bliss that I felt a bit scared of doing it as well for the first 15 minutes or so. But I soon calmed down and things went really well after. And it was definitely amazing!

 

I like to think that somewhere, some guy was in a restaurant or something and looked out the window just he saw one of you speed past and then rubbed his eyes wondering if he was seeing things

 

Oh trust me, we got SO MANY double takes and people just stopping in the middle of the road to take pics.... there HAD to have been a few people who were just as you said.

 

 

By the way, as for whether the photo spaces have ever been used in such a silly way before I wouldn't speak so soon. I've seen some pretty ridiculous shenanigans going down, especially when alcohol is available on the set (like the new year kotatsu one at the ThanksFest last year which reminds me I still need to put up the pics for that...)

Also seen funny things like hordes of MDDs using props to beat up one of the super tall, smoldering super dollfie men but sadly I don't have pics of that

 

Wow, I had no idea! I figured with the way most Japanese collectors are and how Volks seems to be in store, they wouldn't do much of that. But I'm happy to hear those kinds of crazy things DO happen! This is a hobby after all and hobbies are all about having fun!

 

 

That looked like a blast. I just may have to start a bucket list.

 

Ha ha, nice! It was indeed a blast and worth every bump, bruise and penny it cost me.

 

Wow I WANT to do that Mario Kart thing one day! Thanks for sharing!

 

Cool! I hope you get to do it!

 

 

 

 

Billy

I've been looking forward to this! Manami was having a blast in that photo space but poor Rin had to deal with her lol Of course Volks would only allow Volks dolls in there, but I wonder if DD hybrids would be okay.. probably not right? At the most I can make my girl 40% DD on the outside. xD;;

 

That Maricar though! That looked crazy awesome, and the price is really reasonable too! Totally a memorable highlight for a Tokyo trip! I wonder if it'll last though, since Nintendo is suing them.

I've been looking forward to this! Manami was having a blast in that photo space but poor Rin had to deal with her lol Of course Volks would only allow Volks dolls in there, but I wonder if DD hybrids would be okay.. probably not right? At the most I can make my girl 40% DD on the outside. xD;;

 

Thank you! She did indeed have lots of fun in there! Too bad there were no cookies for her. And I think if you had a girl dressed so her joints could not be seen that an Obitsu body with a DD head could easily pass as a full Volks girl. I'm not sure if a non Volks head would be able to sneak in tho.

 

That Maricar though! That looked crazy awesome, and the price is really reasonable too! Totally a memorable highlight for a Tokyo trip! I wonder if it'll last though, since Nintendo is suing them.

 

It was amazing and I definitely recommend it to anyone. As for the lawsuit, the first one was shot down by the courts and Nintendo lost out. That was over the use of the name Maricar..... the courts said that Nintendo had never used that anywhere before so it wasn't an issue. I think this new suit is over the use of the character outfits like Mario and Luigi, etc. If Nintendo wins that then they can still use similar looking outfits, they'd just have to use different colors and change other details too. I think overall the business is profiting from the lawsuit because the guys there said they'd been VERY busy ever since Nintendo went public with this.

 

 

 

Billy

What a way to tour Tokyo, as video game characters!

Such fun pictures! Loved the little picture setups at the Volks, but personally, I like pictures of your girls "int the wild" more

What a way to tour Tokyo, as video game characters!

 

It was extremely fun and I'd love to do it again if possible.

 

Such fun pictures! Loved the little picture setups at the Volks, but personally, I like pictures of your girls "int the wild" more

 

Thank you very much! I agree with you, I like my girls out and about more than in a fixed place.

 

 

Billy