Tokyo Trip 2008: Day 1 Equals "Arrrgh"

December 27th, 2007

Computer access is really crappy this time for some reason, so if I disappear for days at a time, I did not fall into one of the 100 yen doujinshi bins at Toranoana and die. I just can’t get online.

Airplane left on time, arrived on time, the bus came on time, so of course we were stopped in traffic and arrived at the hotel extra late. And so, we learned that this trip will be all about “balance.” That is, for everything that goes well, an equal and opposite thing will not. :-) Like, for instance, internet access being sketchy.

We slept 12 hours straight and rose almost human. Headed right out to the comics stores to find a Comike catalog. In the way of such things, we found a zillion *other* things we wanted, but no catalog. Of course. :-) So we bought some other things. Who am I to say no to fate?

We dropped everything off in the room, wrestled with Internet access, won the first round, and decided to try our luck in Akihabara. Strangely, for all the times I’ve been here, I’ve never made it over there. Never been desperate enough, I guess. :-)

So off to Akiba we go. We stopped at Toranoana first, because that was the store we reached first and never left. I wasn’t kidding about the 100 yen doujinshi bins. But I get ahead of myself. First came the “adult” doujinshi section, which smelled like over-stimulated fanboys. I shouldn’t laugh aloud at the covers as often as I do, but I can’t help myself. Oh – no, wait, first came the bottom floor where we nabbed the last catalog. Phew. Then the funky level, then the other doujinshi levels ending up in me communing with the 100 yen bins. And then we couldn’t lift the bags, our feet hurt, we were hungry and tired. (Fair enough, since our bodies think it’s 2AM or so.) So home we went.

We’re planning on checking out the Catalog and waiting for our retinue to arrive. (Bruce, Our faithful minion, and the wife’s friend and her mother, who have *no* idea at all what they are about to get themselves into.)

See you next time the intertubes work!

One Response

  1. Rich says:

    I’ve tried both the Narita Express from Shinjuku to Narita, and the Keisei Skyliner from Narita to Ueno, and both were very nice trains. (The Skyliner is a bit cheaper.) There’s even room to stow your luggage in the back/front of the cars. Nicest part is that very few things stop the trains. The downside is that you have to get from the station to your hotel.

    I’ve been in the Toranoana in Akiba, and I know of what you speak. Of course, I accidentally went in on the Yaoi side of the building. I was wondering why all the women there were grinning at me. XD I was just in Japan in November, and I already want to go back. Soooo much fun. Depachika food rocks.

    I can attest to the random nature of Internet access in Japan in general. Sometimes you get a great connection, sometimes you don’t get any connection. (And one time the room I was put in specifically didn’t have internet, so I had them move me to a room that did.)

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