We stumbled across a true gem on the main Akihabara drag today; a store that sold only old Nintendo products and emulators. In amongst the Famicom and N64 carts my girlfriend spotted what's pictured above: this beautifully formed Bomberman multi-tap. ...Read More
Mandarake – a chain of otaku shops dotted around Tokyo and Japan – opened it's Akihabara superstore earlier this year, and it's clear why it's become it's flagship. Spanning eight levels, it's the first place to go for any sci-fi, ...Read More
Where do I start? Again, everything you've most probably heard is quite possibly true. It's a living, breathing Bladerunner set, part futuristic shopping district, part tacky tourist attraction, where funky dressed hipsters and short skirted schoolgirls mix with suited Hiro Nakamura ...Read More
If you want to escape from the concrete and steel for a day, bizarrely one of the best places to head to is the centre of Tokyo, and the area surrounding the Imperial Palace. The gardens are huge, and took ...Read More
Shinjuku seems to be littered with tiny pet stores and street stalls selling hyperactive puppies and kittens in plastic cages - simultaneously both one of the most disturbing and kawaii things I've ever witnessed. Hand written signs proclaim both the ...Read More
Just like all the stories you hear, manga is everywhere in Japan. There's racks of it in every supermarket and convenience store you pass, and at lunch times gangs of salary-men and students gather around to silently read it. Today we ...Read More
So we're here. Finally. Actually, we arrived about 48 hours ago, after what seemed like a week of travelling. Hellish. But, of course, with hindsight completely worth it. Shinjuku is everything all the cliches say it is - Akira, Bladerunner and ...Read More