Super Potato and The Unexpected Cherry Blossoms
AND I AM BAAAAACK! My last trip to Tokyo was short and a bit bittersweet, that's why I was looking forward for this 2-week trip to my favorite country!
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| The stark contrast of Pink stuff and Black stuff just shows how different me and Ken are 🤣 |
Lo and behold, our room. As I have mentioned, we stayed at &And Hostel Minamisenju. Our room is tiny, LITERALLY TINY, like we can only open our suitcases to get our stuff one at a time. As for the bathroom, there are communal shower rooms and toilets in each floor.
Does this mean it's a hassle to stay at a hostel? I don't think so. I understand people have negative notions about staying in Hostels because:
1. They are tiny.
2. You don't seem to have privacy.
3. People have watched the movie, Hostel.
But believe me, staying in a tiny room at a hostel is much better than a swanky one in Ropponggi Hills.
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| Photo c/o Ken |
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| A magnitude of ¥100 crane games you can try out in Sega Arcade's 6 floors worth of games. |
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| Me, already calculating how many ¥'s I have to spend to get this Darth Vader toy. |
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| The view you get to see from one of the many exits of JR line Akihabara station. |
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| Not sure why, but a lot of people stopped to take photos of these anime characters. |
I remember before when we were still casually dating, Ken mentioned that when he first went to Japan (for work) he was only able to roam around Tokyo for a day, and the only place he was able to go to was Akihabara. Even though that was the only place he'd really been to, he still felt 'bitin' or he didn't feel contented because of the short amount of time he spent discovering this magnificent place. This tiny piece of info was etched in my mind, that when I planned our itinerary I made sure to prioritize us going to Akihabara.
So what's in Akihabara, exactly? If you are into anime, toys, games, and gadgets, this is the place to be! There are a lot of shops that sells both brand new and second-hand toys and memorabilia, most of which are sorted out by fandoms. Just imagine Ken's reaction when arrived in this part of the city! HAHAHAHA!
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| That ending where he started touching his butt? Oh, that's an assurance that his wallet is still going strong! |
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| Crayon Shin Chan! |
For the toys, they have this system where you just write the code of the toy you wanted, then the sales associate will get the boxed item from their backroom.
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| Albums of J-Pop artists |
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| More toys! |
Near the Sega in front of JR Akihabara's exit, we stumbled upon this BIG shop full of toys, toys, and toys! There were a lot of stuff that are quite rare, and there are some items that are waaaaaaaaay more affordable compared to the ones sold in Greenhills!
There's this particular line of Figma dolls, I am not sure if they are called Little Armory, but they look very cool. I remember how Ken wanted to buy one of those girls in one of the shops in Greenhills, however they are quite expensive that's why Ken parked the idea of getting one. However it's a different story in this store in Akihabara I forgot the name of the store, I am sorry , because aside from the lower price, they have a lot of choices and even have a full line for the accessories, like clothes, furniture, and guns! Talk about Barbies for guys 👍
But Ken still didn't end up buying any 😒😕
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| Photo c/o Ken |
Next place was our main agenda, Super Potato. When Ken told me he wanted to go to Super Potato, the first thing that came to my mind was...
But oh no, Super Potato is actually a glorious building worth 5 floors of Anime, retro consoles, and rare game merch, where at the top part you can play different retro arcade games for a ¥100 coin while you can try on munching some weird rare Japanese candies.
Aside from being able to play on some of the nostalgic arcade games available, you can get yourself some retro gaming consoles like Playstation 1, and my first love, the Gameboy Color!- Heck, they even have a WIIIIIIDE array of games you can choose to play. This is perfect for those who had a Gameboy when they were kids but missed out on some really cool titles. As much as I would like to buy myself one, as well as Pokemon Ruby game for it, I decided not to be played with my impulsiveness because while these consoles are pre-loved, they don't come cheap!
In the end, we end up buying some stickers instead HAHAHA!
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| Photo c/o Ken | Eto yung photo na tipong ipapakita mo sa anak mo pag matanda ka na. |
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| Photo c/o Ken |
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| Photo c/o Ken |
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| Photo c/o Ken |
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| Photo c/o Ken |
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| Photo c/o Ken |
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| Photo c/o Ken |
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| Photo c/o Ken |
And finally, the most unexpected part of this day: Cherry Blossoms! After spending time in Akihabara, we decided to head out to Ueno park, mainly because we wanted make the most of our 72-hour unlimited train passes (not applicable to JR lines tho), and because I haven't been to that park.
Since we visited Tokyo in the middle of February I didn't expect to see Sakura or Cherry Blossoms, in fact I was sort of expecting to see snow instead hahaha! But lo and behold, great unexpected things happen! So while we were strolling around the park, basking in the sun and making the most of the golden hour by taking artsy photos, we stumbled upon this small part of the park where a small group of people are gathering to take turns in taking photos. From afar I was quite hesitant whether it really is a Cherry Blossom tree, since I have read in a couple of online sites saying that what usually blooms during winter time are plum blossoms, which look like THIS. But after scrolling for more info, I confirmed that YES, these are indeed Cherry Blossoms! 🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸
Though, even if they are Plum Blossoms I am still really thankful to have seen their beauty in real life 😉
Love Always,
Nicole 🌸
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| I shall see you in full bloom next year ♡ |
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