Just Got Back From Tokyo

[The White Comet]

I went to Tokyo for a few weeks. While i was there i went Macross shopping and saw some interesting things. I got the This is Animation books for DYRL, Macross7, and Macross Plus Movie Edition. Also Macross Grafitti, Macross and orguss super plastic model Manual, and Macross 7 Program book all for dirt cheap. I also found a VF-2SS model for like $15. I went looking for the Yamato VF-0 but it was nowhere to be found. Saw one on display though, looked hot. There were tons of the steath VF-1 around. The box with it bundled with the fast pack is HUGE. I saw a 1/48 VF-1S for 4000 yen. I didnt buy it though because that just didnt sound right. The same store had a mint in box joke machine VF-1S for like $100. I thought that was bad until i saw behind a glass case the original transformable SDF-1 Macross toy in the box for like $1000. Thats when i knew i had to leave. Probably the most disturbing thing i saw was the Robotech Masterpiece veritechs on sale for about 10000yen each. Then i looked at the tag and it had robotech written in katakana. Thats something i never thought i would see. Why would someone in Japan buy these things?

[sketchley]

Long story short: foreign still equals trendy here in Japan.

Another way to look at it is, some (Japanese) Macross fan is going to see them and say 'neato, it's in English,' and pick them up.

[Wesker99]

So they can buy robotech toys at toy stores in Tokyo, but we can't buy decent Macross toys at toy stores in the US? That's no fair.

Nice finds though.

[big F]

While I was there I also found a couple of SDF1`s in boxes the $1000 price tag is about right, although out of my league.

I managed to spend just over $200 in about ten minutes on Macross books in Mandrake.

All of them mint and massively under the U.K/U.S prices. Most of my purchases were eaither Macross or Macross. This last time. Roll on the end of September for my next trip.

Edited May 28, 2006 by big F

[Zinjo]

Long story short: foreign still equals trendy here in Japan.

Another way to look at it is, some (Japanese) Macross fan is going to see them and say 'neato, it's in English,' and pick them up.

403052[/snapback]

The sad part is that the poor Japanese fan is going to honestly think (in his ignorance) that Macross translates into "Robotech" in English...

[sketchley]

The sad part is that the poor Japanese fan is going to honestly think (in his ignorance) that Macross translates into "Robotech" in English...

403312[/snapback]

Actually, no. Macross is written in English (or easily romanized into it) and a lot more people here are better educated in English than can be appreciated from their listening and speaking skills alone.

So, only the people who have lived in a box in a hole in the mountain would equate Robotech to being Macross in English.

[The White Comet]

One thing that made me feel good was some japanese dude came into the store i was in, grabbed a stack of valkyries and left. Its good to know that Macross is still alive in Japan somewhat. Another thing i saw that was cool, i was in the a train station and there was a huge poster with Minmay on it. I asked the chick i was with what it was for and she said it was an ad for a school that teaches how to draw anime and get into the business. Sorry i didnt have a camera on me.

[big F]

A shop assistant came up to me while I was there and told me I had and anime hair cut. When he saw the Macross gear in my shopping basket he just pointed at me and siad Roy Fockker you are him.

That made my trip, I was gonna get it all cut off but now I`m going to have to keep it.

[sketchley]

The reaction I get by most people that I meet when I mention Macross is "What's that?"

Among the ladies, if you mention Lynn Minmei and/or Marii Ijima, the chance of them recognizing it goes up considerably.

Among the men, if you show them any pictures of the VF-1, there is a strong chance that they'll recognize it.

Macross is alive and well here. It's just not that mainstream.

[eugimon]

The reaction I get by most people that I meet when I mention Macross is "What's that?"

Among the ladies, if you mention Lynn Minmei and/or Marii Ijima, the chance of them recognizing it goes up considerably.

Among the men, if you show them any pictures of the VF-1, there is a strong chance that they'll recognize it.

Macross is alive and well here.  It's just not that mainstream.

403390[/snapback]

This is very true, we get in japanese interns where I work and when/if they see my valks out they ask if it's a gundam or a transformer... usually they ask if it's something to do with anime... and then when I start to tell them about macross, they usually with respond with, oh, gundam is popular now. hah

random americans all go, "oh, robotech! I loved this when I was a kid."

makes me sad.

[big F]

if they see my valks out they ask if it's a gundam or a transformer... usually they ask if it's something to do with anime...

OR

"oh, robotech! I loved this when I was a kid."

makes me sad.

403399[/snapback]

Me too If I had a £/$ for everytime someone has said "you collect Robotech dont you" or "thats a cool Robotech sticker in you car" I would have so many more 1/48`s.

Hell Even my Mom Knows the difference and shes only ever seen one episode of Transformers

[Sumdumgai]

Uhm has anyone found supermarkets in Tokyo? My wife and I only found one, the only other supermarket we found was in an outlying town when we went to the Hijikata Toshizo museum.

Otherwise all we found were little mom and pop markets and of course all those wonderful combinis.

I liked kotobukiya in Akihabara, they had a number of Macross valkyries last summer. I've got to go back to Japan sometime.

[sketchley]

Uhm has anyone found supermarkets in Tokyo?  My wife and I only found one, the only other supermarket we found was in an outlying town when we went to the Hijikata Toshizo museum.

403467[/snapback]

Places to look:

商店街 aka: shopping streets. The Japanese equivalent of the Korean 시장 - market.

(Especially!) in areas away from trendy, shopping focused areas like 秋葉ã€æ–°å®¿ã€åŽŸå®¿ã€ãªã© (Aki(ha)ba(ra), Shinjuku, Harajuku, etc.).

Whenever I go to den-den town here in Osaka (the equivalent of Akiba/Akihabara,) I never see a supermarket. However, a few blocks over, in a more residential district, there are a few supermarkets to be found.

Keep in mind that here in Japan, there are two types of supermarkets: normal and ninja*. Normal are usually found in the suburbs. Ninja supermarkets hide in plain sight in the big cities. Sometimes you have to actually go inside of closed doors and up a staircase/escalator or two to get to them.

*Theyre not really ninja supermarkets if you know how to read Japanese カタカナ (katakana).

[myk]

$100 for an MIB 'Joke isn't a bad price...

[Mechamaniac]

I saw a 1/48 VF-1S for 4000 yen. I didnt buy it though because that just didnt sound right.

403045[/snapback]

4000 yen?. I would have totally taken that gamble. Hell, even if it was damaged, it would be worth it for the spare parts.

[azrael]

I saw a 1/48 VF-1S for 4000 yen. I didnt buy it though because that just didnt sound right.

403045[/snapback]

4000 yen?. I would have totally taken that gamble. Hell, even if it was damaged, it would be worth it for the spare parts.

404135[/snapback]

4000 yen = about $35-40 US. I agree with Mechmaniac...I would have grabbed it and modded it.

[GutsAndCasca]

I saw a 1/48 VF-1S for 4000 yen. I didnt buy it though because that just didnt sound right.

403045[/snapback]

4000 yen?. I would have totally taken that gamble. Hell, even if it was damaged, it would be worth it for the spare parts.

404135[/snapback]

4000 yen = about $35-40 US. I agree with Mechmaniac...I would have grabbed it and modded it.

404177[/snapback]

*raises hand* I have to agree. That Roy's head would be on my MG2.

[Macross73]

that not bad 4000 yen for a valk in almost any condition.

[The White Comet]

Well, buying it for 4000 yen is one thing. Fitting that damn box in my suitcase without getting rid of all my clothes is another. Besides, i had a date that night. I didnt want to be carrying that thing around. She might think im an otaku.

[sketchley]

On the date thing - who cares!

Most every shop in Japan gives a nice decorative bag to conceal purchases in.

As for the bigger worry - space in the suitcase: you could always send things by seamail. (Or airmail, if you're that rich and can afford not to wait.)

[1 VF-1 2NV]

Chuck the box and plastic tray, but keep everything else inside.

[The White Comet]

I guess if she asked what was inside the bag i could just tell her to shut up. And i think Japanese girls think its cute when a gaijin likes anime. But a Japanese guy who likes anime is creepy to them. When i was in Osaka five years ago the chick i was dating went with me to a toy shop. there were grown men in a back room playing with yu gi oh cads. She was so scared she wouldnt let go of my arm until we left.

[azrael]

Just say you were buying it for someone in the States and you didn't have time to drop it off where you were staying.

[sketchley]

Yes, here in Japan, white foreigners can get away with a lot of stuff that non-white foreigners can't.

One of them is the like of anime. At most it gets a 'that's odd' look, and then a shrug.

Believe me, there are much worse things to do than confess about being an anime addict and/or carry shopping bags with anime goods. The first one that comes to mind is leaving your chopsticks standing straight up out of your rice bowl. That'll lose friends fast.

[McKlown]

The first one that comes to mind is leaving your chopsticks standing straight up out of your rice bowl.  That'll lose friends fast.

Okay, that one needs an explination.

Edited June 1, 2006 by McKlown

[Zinjo]

Believe me, there are much worse things to do than confess about being an anime addict and/or carry shopping bags with anime goods.  The first one that comes to mind is leaving your chopsticks standing straight up out of your rice bowl.  That'll lose friends fast.

404554[/snapback]

Is that some sort of insult or something?

[sketchley]

http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e622.html

and

http://www.geocities.com/japanfaq/FAQ-Manners.html

[Zinjo]

Cool!

Thank you.

[The White Comet]

they have whats called the "harmony of the group". If you do something that disturbs the harmony everybody acts like somebody died. One time a buddy of mine armwrestled this japanese guy at a restaurant and their elbows went right through the table. It was the funniest thing ive ever seen. All the girls were quiet for the rest of the time we were with them.

[Sumdumgai]

I am a barbaric gaijin that looks Japanese.

Hot diggity damn it was amusing and not at the same time in Japan, everyone thought I was Japanese. But because I was with my wife who isn't asian, we managed to get along fine.

Heh, I didnt have to worry about hiding my anime related crap since she's into anime and manga too. So we went to a bunch of Mandarake shops (good god I went into forbidden territory just to keep my wife company in Ikebukuro, the Women's Mandarake, aka The Yaoi-only Mandarake... And K-books and the other shops, which werent all yaoi only thankfully).

Heh we managed to get a bunch of autographs at comike, including some artists that normally don't give autographs but made an exception since we were foreignors.

Man, I miss going to combinis for food, they were so cool!

And the subway system was so clean! The metro in Paris is dirtier than an unflushed public toilet (in fact line 14 has sewage leakage and literally has crap falling from the ceiling sometimes).

[ly000001]

I went to Tokyo for a few weeks. While i was there i went Macross shopping and saw some interesting things. I got the This is Animation books for DYRL, Macross7, and Macross Plus Movie Edition. Also Macross Grafitti, Macross and orguss super plastic model Manual, and Macross 7 Program book all for dirt cheap.

Just out of curiousity, did you find these at Mandarake in Nakano? I was in Tokyo for the last couple of weeks in May and saw the same books there, but strangely didn't feel compelled to buy them.

[JB0]

And the subway system was so clean!  The metro in Paris is dirtier than an unflushed public toilet (in fact line 14 has sewage leakage and literally has crap falling from the ceiling sometimes).

404671[/snapback]

*shudders*

[The White Comet]

It was in the mandarake in Shibuya.

Just out of curiousity, did you find these at Mandarake in Nakano? I was in Tokyo for the last couple of weeks in May and saw the same books there, but strangely didn't feel compelled to buy them.

406098[/snapback]

[Sumdumgai]

Underground Mandarake. I picked up the Star Wars doujinshi I took my avatar from there. Nice selection of stuff they had at that one. I picked up my CM collection Minmay and Hikaru figures there (the variant), although I was annoyed to find Hikaru was mising his hair... Then again I bought the pair just to get Minmay, so it's not going to kill me.

[Valk009]

Just on a note, I believe the CMs special variant of Hikaru does not come with the hair and his flight suit supposed to be glow in the dark

The last time I was in Tokyo I did manage to visit a few Mandarake. they are actually all over the place and the biggest I have been are the ones in Nakano and Shibuya.

The one in Shibuya is pretty erie as you have to walk down couple floors deep into the basement...and then a huge place filled with all kinds of goodies