“A man’s value is not determined by his annual income! It’s all about what percentage of that income he’s willing to spend on hobbies! - Akiba’s Trip The Animation, 2017”

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…Previously, Part 1 in Akihabara

🔞🔞🔞🔞🔞🔞🔞🔞🔞🔞🔞🔞🔞
🔞 It’s Akiba. You’ve been warned…
🔞🔞🔞🔞🔞🔞🔞🔞🔞🔞🔞🔞🔞

Won’t stop till I drop.

Mandarake

I always stop by the biggest second-hand store to see if there are any hidden gems.

Yes, this seems to be the right floor.

I have a sudden urge to get fit.

Do it for her.

Rare doujin from one of the key animators

When the one figure you were hoping to show up, doesn’t, haha…
I should’ve have bought that Lemon Syaro back in Osaka.

It was inevitable that e-sports bars would be a thing at some point.

Akiba Cultures Zone

Now entering…the Akiba ƵONE…

I love this departure store.
They sell second-hand goods here so there’s tons of variety from all across time.

Only the manliest books for men such as myself.

Jazz for the soul and woah that’s expensive.

Very smug Ai.

Akarin~

I didn’t mean for the photo to be out-of-focus but it’s fitting it happened to Akari.

Hey, remember this show? It was a thing.

Amiami

I’ve never actually purchased anything at Amiami despite browsing the site for a decade.

I was looking at display cabinets with this middle-aged dude who was talking to me about figures while I nodded along. Eventually he said “you don’t actually understand Japanese, do you?”

Just the bare necessities.

If you’re cold, they’re cold. Wrap them up.

Hey, I have this figure.

Syaro’s cheap…

Kotobukiya

Kotobukiya’s own store is always fun to visit. I already went to the Osaka branch this trip.

This is a game about warships.

Looking cute and edible.

Hey, I got that figure in the Osaka branch.

Damn kusogaki 💢

Very smug Shiro.

They left out Chiaki…

Remembering how that maid, Usagi, who served us in 2014 also liked Yayoi.
Remembering the cringe of going to a maid cafe.

Cute girl(male).

To the top!

Cute FAG.

Cute nazis.

The famed Godhand nips.

Japan will turn anything into a cute girl

Tsukumo

Very smug Shiro.

The last we’ll see of Tsukumo-tan…

😢

～ お知らせ ～
この度、マネージメント契約終了にともない

ツクモ マスコットキャラクター
『つくもたん』

の展開を終了することとなりました。

11年の長きにわたり、
ご愛顧いただきました皆様に心より御礼申し上げます。

「つくもたん」今までありがとうございました❗️🙇‍♂️ https://t.co/TryQwjXyhw pic.twitter.com/LCVdd33vkr

— ツクモ (TSUKUMO) 公式 (@TSUKUMOofficial) September 8, 2020

She’s not dead. Just retired.
Somehow, Tsukumo never owned the rights to their own mascot and they decided against renewing her contract. Such a shame, they could have capitalized on the emerging vtuber market.

I never did get the chance to buy any of her merch.
We tried once in 2014 but we were told that the item was for display only.

Oh, but the Tsukumo branch outside the station is actually dead though, along with the rest of the building. The one with those 4 flights of escalators you could see from the street.
So sad, we walked past that building so many times…

Never got to see the actual Tsukumo shop there though since they only moved in just before the pandemic hit. Talk about poor timing.

Photo by Tabi Kawasemi on Google Maps

That building got taken over by Sofmap later.
I’m glad they kept the escalators. It’s such an iconic Akiba landmark.

Don’t leave me, Windows 10-tan. I’ll never update to that bitch Windows 11.

Mulan

NEE-SAMA NOOOO

Damn inflatable kusogaki 💢

Duality of man.

¹⁄₁₀₀ scale

Everyone knows the best Ultraman is [insert Ultraman you grew up with].

Hey, kid. Want some chicken?

Koobu Inari Shrine

Cute little hidden (but not that hidden) shrine.

ONE DAY I’LL VISIT THIS TRAIN CAFE - He said for the 3rd trip in a row

A cosplay cafe/izakaya

I made a “My little operating system can’t be this cute!” joke in a previous trip but after looking it up, it turns out this cafe’s theme actually is inspired by the FreeBSD OS, whose logo is a devil. Or rather, they were inspired by FreeBSD-tan.

A crossdressing cafe.

Sugoi…

Left - Creator’s Cafe Akihabara Seisakujo
It’s like an internet cafe, but targeted at artists. There’s computers with drawing tablets for digital artists as well as desks/stationery for pen/paper artists. They also provide things like printing services for those making physical goods to sell at events like Comiket.

Middle - 発掘！グラドル文化祭 (As seen on TBS TV!)
It’s a cosplay cafe where you can hold photoshoot sessions with the gravure model maids.
You may use your smartphone if you’re a cameralet.

Right - teMpane, a mahjong parlor.
You play their own version of mahjong where they mixed in RPG elements like skills and classes. Of course, being Akihabara, the staff you play against are all maids.

Oh… Plum’s shop (the figure manufacturer) has already closed for the night.
I missed them last trip too. One day…

Toranoana C

What are the staff up to back there?

RIP, another store now closed in 2022.

Oh hey, it’s the artist that drew a fashion series inspired by fighter jets.

Oh hey, we took a photo of the same doujin.

>

Back before Fox Loli Oji-san gave up the limelight to stay behind the scenes.

Revolutionizing the industry with IT x Anime

Recruitment poster for Toranoana’s dev team. The company is run by kindergarteners apparently.
Huh, did not know Toranoana is also behind Fantia, Japan’s Patreon-like service.

Here’s your Chief Technology Officer for tonight.

This could be you!

Do you have experience in web dev? Do you want a 10% discount on all doujins?
Apply today!

Comic ZIN

This is how I found out Kaoru Mori finally released a new chapter of Shirley after half a decade.
Shirley, this is a sign of more to come. (lol nope, still nothing new in 2022).

Sega Arcade 1

RIP Sega Arcades, 2022.
At least this one is still around but now as a GiGO arcade.

CTO of Toranoana Junichi Noda’s wife, Chino.

＞◡＜

Woah, this branch is huge.
Much bigger than the tiny cramped one we always used next to the station.

Rhythm floor.

Spotlight on Rin.

Washing machine simulator still my favorite game.

Groove Coaster nowhere to be found yet Beatmania is still alive and kicking.

This new game looks fun. You dance and slide around on a slick floorpad.

Ongeki, the new hotness. I didn’t get to try it this trip, it was always in use.

It’s the end of Sega, zura~

Love Merci

Yes

"No"

Jiggle respectfully.

Flesh skirts, horrifying.

Lammtarra

This place is as cramped as I remember.

Used panties by a girl, right? RIGHT?

Oh hey, that bottom-right poster is TNSK’s, author of the rakugo anime airing as I write this (2022).

Gamers

If Gamers ever dies, then we’ll know the days of Akiba as the anime/games capital will truly be over.

Oh, but that Matsumoto Kiyoshi cosmetics shop in the bottom left is dead now.

F. They couldn’t survive without all the Chinese tourists buying up their taxfree skin creams.

Hey, kid. Wanna become a magical girl?

Pop Life Department M’s

Rubber pussies, locked and loaded, Sir

GIWTWM

Goodnight, Akihabara-chan

Woah, nice screen space reflections.

Minami-Senju

Ramen Hidakaya

Ahh, I’ve eaten at this place just outside the station so many times now.
Like, seeing an old friend again.

It’s not as good as I remember…
I guess my standards went up after eating at so many different places throughout Japan this trip.
Only ¥570 for the whole meal so still pretty decent all things considered 👍

Loot.
I was one of those Chinese tourists keeping that Matsumoto Kiyoshi alive.
Got another Yuru Camp keychain (that I never used) and a Miku shirt clip (that I already lost).

DON’T EAT!

I think this free Girl’s Frontline thing from that Touhou shop is an emergency ice pack.

Akiba West, completed. Tomorrow, we conquer the East.

Next time, meet-up with friends and the rest of Akiba…