Comments on: HOWTO Plan a Trip to Akiba

By: meronpan

meronpan — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 20:21:58 +0000

glad ya liked it ^^

i think i would actually say seeing the sights is best for a first trip. like… the first time i was in akiba i didn’t really know what to expect and i didn’t really understand what was so great about it. if i had planned a trip around it and had that outcome it would’ve been a colossal waste ^^;

sounds like your trip will be very well rounded. and with a whole week in tokyo you should have time to see a good number of things in addition to squeezing in akiba time ^^ I wish I could point you to a specific unagi place but all the ones i’ve eaten at were randomly encountered as I searched for dinner (i.e. i have no idea where i was) ^^; hopefully your hotel staff would be able to point you to something though…

if you’re not claustrophobic and aren’t carrying anything breakable, getting caught in rush hour might be fun to experience once. nothing like being packed into a train car like a sardine ^^;;; i think the morning rush hour is worst… it gets crowded in the evenings but i never remember seeing completely packed cars after people get off work.

By: lovelyduckie

lovelyduckie — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 19:57:19 +0000

You’ve really outdone yourself, I enjoyed reading that. It’s kind of ironic that I’m visiting Japan because I love anime/figures/manga but I have no specific plans to really buy any of that there. I also don’t plan on going to any cons. I’m going to go to see all the sights. Currently the plan is to visit Japan for 2 weeks, the first week will be spent on a tour that goes places outside Tokyo and the 2nd week will be flying solo in Tokyo. BUT I plan on visiting Akiba even if shopping isn’t my specific goal, I’m sure I’ll find something I want. I’ll be one of those that’s interested in delicious Ungai. I’ve also always wanted to try takoyaki.

The ONE thing I’m anxious about is using the public transportation during rush hours. I’ll def try and avoid it.

I have a few hundred dollars saved for my trip already, I plan on going in 2 years still. Tthe bonus I got this year would pay for a trip but…I’m going to stick to the plan and put that towards paying off my car.

By: meronpan

meronpan — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 06:56:57 +0000

alas i wasn’t able to get to the nakano broadway on my last trip due to being sick -_- though i did do a little research – looks like it’s just a couple blocks north of the nakano station – http://www.bwy.jp/map.html – west of shinjuku

By: meronpan

meronpan — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 06:52:41 +0000

Hahah, yeah I definitely avoid summer as much as possible. Though for people living on the US east coast, singapore, or other places that get their share of humidity… might not be so bad ? ^^;

luckily you only really need to go into 1 big store to get an idea of what they all have to offer ^^;

By: meronpan

meronpan — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 06:47:15 +0000

just takes some planning, saving, and vacation time ^^ though yeah… might be many years before everything comes together ^^;;

hmmm long lines/queues? i think that depends on when you go and where you go. shopping in akiba… sure you might have to wait in line at the register but it’s hardly ever long :P (well, unless you were to come on the release date for something big ^^;)

Events are a whole separate beast though… i went to wonhobby in 2009… that was horrrrrible. waited in line for like 3 hours… and the event space was so small… once you were inside you basically just stayed in line… but the line moved past the figures -_- I’m sure bigger events like comiket are different but from the coverage i’ve seen… you still have your fair share of lines.

i guess in my experience i usually don’t have to deal with long lines but let’s just say i’m definitely not surprised when i hear people having to.

By: meronpan

meronpan — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 06:39:33 +0000

hahah, glad you enjoyed it ^^

definitely quite a read for those not going anytime soon, but hopefully everyone’s chance will come ^^

By: meronpan

meronpan — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 06:38:19 +0000

no prob. hopefully you’ll get a chance to go soon ^^

By: meronpan

meronpan — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 06:37:53 +0000

ah yes, you’re right. though if i remember correctly they will charge you 210 yen or something to process the transaction -_- (*unless* you have 0 yen left on the card. basically they subtract the free from the balance of the card, then return whatever’s left (if any) of your balance + the 500 yen).

By: meronpan

meronpan — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 06:36:15 +0000

glad to be of service ^^ personally the years have been flying by… next year might come sooner than ya think :P

By: meronpan

meronpan — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 06:34:51 +0000

hopefully i remember these correctly…

book off is a used goods store – the akiba branch should have a pretty big selection. also some stores like k-books have a used section.

ishimaru … i thiiink has a used floor? (a music store)

also a store called… traders? i think… under the tracks (on the onoden side of chuuou doori)

key thing is to look for the characters 中古 – that means used.