Today I spared Marthese my pilgrimage to Akihabara, the nexus point of all Japanese nerd and tech culture, and ventured there on my own. The “Electric Town” district is full of 8 story buildings with unique technology, gaming and anime stores on each level. Obviously, I had a ball. Yotsuba & Danboard was a highlight, with toys and collectibles from many Japanese games I enjoyed (Danganrompa, Persona, Metal Gear Solid) as well as an entire level featuring Star Wars, Marvel and DC collectibles.
But the main attraction, my Mecca, was Super Potato. Hidden away up some dodgy stairs is 3 levels of retro gaming paradise. Floor to roof games from every console era you reminder, not to mention stacks of old Famicons, Sega-CDs and Virtual Boys you can pickup for quite reasonable prices! I held myself back from maxing out my credit card and settled on a few trinkets for some folks back home. Walked out of that building with a huge, nostalgic grin on my face. Even though Super Potato is an active store, it inadvertently doubles as one of the best museums of gaming in the world.
In stark contrast, Shimokitazawa is a hipster’s paradise, littered with second hand clothes stores and funky bars. This is where Marthese and I spent our afternoon, and it was the respite from the city we never knew we needed. While the South side of the tracks is quite bustling, the North side is calm and cool, where Marthese actually enjoyed shopping (she’s not often a fan) and even I found some t-shirts to buy. A lovely dinner at “Rainbow” was followed by a few drinks at Petit Garden, a gorgeous little bar with an almost fairytale cabin theme. Marthese and I drank Santory Whiskey and Ginger Ale while imagining a potential future where we lived in Shimokitazawa. An incredible afternoon.
Tonight, we don’t want to ever leave Japan.
Elias Rambles 