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!