Sunday 9 June 2013

Travel Log: Getting my nerd on in Odaiba and Akiba


I headed out to Tokyo during the week to doing some shopping before I leave Japan. My calendar is filling fast with farewell parties and summer barbecues so I wanted to take advantage of my free time now to tick some of the things off the pre-returning-home-shopping-list. First stop was Odaiba in Tokyo Bay...


I think Odaiba is one of my favourite parts of Tokyo. You can see why this is growing in popularity as a weekend hangout spot among young people. Easily accessible using the monorail, large shopping malls in close proximity, open spaces for performances and relaxing, and a well thought-out and planned layout. Another of Odaiba's draw-cards is the giant Gundam replica at Diver City shopping mall. It was moved to its new home in 2012 from Shizuoka. You can always spot a throng of tourists gathered around the robot's legs marveling at its height and realism.





While there, I picked up some lovely faux flowers from H&M to wear in my hair at my little sister's wedding this September. Sweet!

After a spot of shopping in Diver City and riding around on the monorail aimlessly, I headed over to Akihabara. You can read in more detail about my past travels to "Akiba" here. Akihabara is home to all things nerdy. Specifically, I was looking to hit up the ever impressive Don Quixote building where AKB48 headquarters resides. 




I was looking for a bright purple cosplay wig as a kind of memento of my time in Japan which I could use for parties and cosplaying, etc. Don Quixote, however, let me down with a surprisingly small selection of purple wigs. Luckily, I hit the jackpot in a small side-ally cosplay shop.




Next stop was Loft near Tokyo Station where I decided to buy up on stationary, electronic doo-dads and travel accessories. We don't have anything as good as Loft back in Australia and it is probably one of my favourite shops in the world. If you want or need something, Loft has already thought of it, invented it and packaged it for display. 

It was just a short day trip to Tokyo but it was great to finally see the giant Gundam and get in some shopping too. 


2 comments:

  1. Odaiba is one of my favourite spots in Tokyo to visit for a spot of shopping and also enjoy the entertainment aspect of it with so many great restaurants and things to do and see. Love the Rainbow Bridge at night and the Statue of Liberty as well :)

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    Replies
    1. Agreed. I think Odaiba is an underrated neighbourhood in Tokyo.

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