More tales from Akihabara. The Gashapon machine. I caught the gashapon fever and it was sort of embarrasing, like discovering a new weakness. Maybe it was like discovering one liked to gamble in Las Vegas, which I wouldn't know because I haven't been there. And that sort of gambling is not as satisfying as a gashapon, I think. In a gashapon machine, one can get a toy from 100 to 500 yen. If you are particular about getting a certain one, then it gets expensive and it is a little like gambling. But I beat the system by playing only at machines that I would be satisfied with any toy I received. I guess this is where I am not a real otaku. In Akihabara there are countless of these machines, which can be found all over Japan. The beauty of Akihabara is that there are rows and rows of them in stores like Yodobashi Camera, or a little store with only gashapon machines.

I felt like I hit jackpot when I found a store that sold the gashapon toys without playing with the machine. Some of the toys were discontinued items, so I was able to by Dr. Slump toys. At the time I felt I was buying too much, now I wish I had bought more.

I love Akiba! I got in touch with my inner otaku (though some would say it is not so inner). Akiba is the shortened form of Akihabara. A part of Tokyo that is famous for its Electric Town, which sells anything you would ever need to build a transistor radio. One can also build a computer from components bought from this part of town. But this is not what draws me to Akihabara. It is its toys!

I love manga and anime, and they have stores that only sell character figurines. It was so much fun to go with friends who were also on the hunt of the cute.




The manga picture above is from I, Otaku by Jiro Suzuki.