Akihabara cont.

Capsule toy machines in Akihabara

Hello everybody, it`s been a while since ive posted a blog. I`ve been in hibernation over the past few days due to the fact im ill. I caught a coldy cough thing and today is the first time ive left the house for a little while. It was strange because while i was resting up in bed I was surrounded by `england` home comforts such as vegetable soup, `friends` dvds and my ipod. So when I left the house this evening It felt a bit strange being in Japan all of a sudden. I think ive lost all my Japan superpowers, but i`ll get them back.

Anyway, here`s the first of a few blogs I`ve been meaning to upload.

As Kalvin said we did indeed visit Akihabara. It is a completely mad place. Colourful, loud, busy and the best place to see the `weird Japan` you always here about in the west. Actually until visiting Akihabara I was yet to experience the darker, perverted under-belly of Japans animation culture. When you first visit this place you`re bombarded with huge posters of anime hero`s (many of which depict cartoon woman with large breasts and short skirts) they`re everywhere. Also, every street corner has a Japanese woman dressed in a french maid outfit handing out flyers.

It doesn`t take long to find your first anime/manga shop and it takes even less time to find the adult drawings, or "ero-manga" section. Every anime shop seemed to have an over 18 section. At first it`s kinda funny, drawings of naked women everywhere. Literally isles of the stuff. The trouble is once you delve a little deeper you uncover some very uncomfortable material. Walk around one of these place for more than 30 seconds and you wanna be out of there!

Anyway, Aside from the porn Akiharbara is a fantastic place! Bursting with energy and colour, it is the heart of `otaku` culture in Japan and the home of manga and anime.

Joey