Giancarlo Deleon Giancarlo Deleon
Lots of vendors selling anime and manga merchandise
Lots of vendors selling anime and manga merchandise

Travel

Akiba In The Morning

People watching, Gundam Cafe, and AKB48

event May 1, 2016
location_onTokyo, Japan

Travel

Akiba In The Morning

People watching, Gundam Cafe, and AKB48

event May 1, 2016
location_onTokyo, Japan

With a solid night’s sleep under our belts, we decided to head out to Asakusa. Before that though, we grabbed a bite to eat. Morgan had found a market nearby that not only had ingredients to cook meals, but a decent selection of prepared foods for us to choose from.

After purchasing our breakfast, we headed upstairs to eat. Back in 2009, I’d found this area after looking for a spot to sit down and enjoy some takoyaki I’d purchased on the main strip. This spot features a series of stairs where you can relax outside and partake in some people watching, or like in our case, chill while eating

Onigiri options

Although I didn’t get an onigiri this time, I loved the options I saw. It gave me ideas for later. That said, even though it was still morning, as you can see, lots of these little bundles of flavor had already been picked up to go.

A selection of different kinds of onigiris with different flavored fillings displayed at the market
A selection of different kinds of onigiris with different flavored fillings displayed at the market

Onigiri options

Although I didn’t get an onigiri this time, I loved the options I saw. It gave me ideas for later. That said, even though it was still morning, as you can see, lots of these little bundles of flavor had already been picked up to go.

Morning Energy

As much as I try to patron small local coffee shops, I didn’t yet have a grasp of the area, so we hit up a small market nearby. I found a Starbucks drink and small pork cutlet sandwich to give me some energy.

Starbucks espresso and a pork cutlet sandwich for breakfast
Starbucks espresso and a pork cutlet sandwich for breakfast

Morning Energy

As much as I try to patron small local coffee shops, I didn’t yet have a grasp of the area, so we hit up a small market nearby. I found a Starbucks drink and small pork cutlet sandwich to give me some energy.

Dope

Not sure if he knows what the word means, but I saw this gentleman walking around wearing a hat with the word DOPE stitched across the front and back of the hat. It was something to appreciate.

Man walking and wearing a hat with the word Dope across the front
Man walking and wearing a hat with the word Dope across the front

Dope

Not sure if he knows what the word means, but I saw this gentleman walking around wearing a hat with the word DOPE stitched across the front and back of the hat. It was something to appreciate.

Work Bound

Every few minutes, you’d see a group of people scooting their way to what I believe is either breakfast or work.

People on their way to work or wherever they need to get to
People on their way to work or wherever they need to get to

Work Bound

Every few minutes, you’d see a group of people scooting their way to what I believe is either breakfast or work.

Independent Vendors of Otaku Merchandise

As we continued to walk, I noticed an open area below that had a large number of tents and vendors. The vendors had all kinds of action figures, manga, and general merchandise from several otaku franchises. Considering the area, that was fairly appropriate. Akihabara is known for its electronics as much as it is known for being a mecha for anime and manga.

Strolling through vendors

As we began walking, we noticed a large area below us that had lots of vendors and a few people walking through looking at the merchandise.

People browsing through various vendor stands setup in the morning
People browsing through various vendor stands setup in the morning

Strolling through vendors

As we began walking, we noticed a large area below us that had lots of vendors and a few people walking through looking at the merchandise.

Vendors

Most vendors were selling various kinds of otaku merchandise. The selection of merchandise included, but not limited to: apparel, action figures, books, fashion accessories, pillows, and posters.

Lots of vendors selling anime and manga merchandise
Lots of vendors selling anime and manga merchandise

Vendors

Most vendors were selling various kinds of otaku merchandise. The selection of merchandise included, but not limited to: apparel, action figures, books, fashion accessories, pillows, and posters.

Gundam Cafe

Although we didn’t go inside, we had a great view of the Gundam Cafe and the line of people waiting to go inside. We were standing on a bridge overlooking the area and as I took I held the viewfinder of my Canon 5D to my face, something caught me eye. I noticed that a girl was trying to photobomb me by throwing up an unexpected peace sign. As soon as I took the shot, I moved the camera away from my face and smiled while I threw up my own peace sign to the group of girls. They laughed really hard because I suppose they thought they had been slick about it.

Gundam Cafe

Themed to match the popular ongoing Gundam series, this cafe appears to be rather popular.

A line of people waiting to get inside the Gundam Cafe
A line of people waiting to get inside the Gundam Cafe

Gundam Cafe

Themed to match the popular ongoing Gundam series, this cafe appears to be rather popular.

Photobomb attempt spoiled

…and she thought she was being real slick.

A group of girls waiting in line at the cafe while one holds up a peace sign
A group of girls waiting in line at the cafe while one holds up a peace sign

Photobomb attempt spoiled

…and she thought she was being real slick.

AKB48

Another spot we didn’t go into, but that surprised me for how many people were waiting in line was the AKB48 Cafe & Shop. It is themed after a popular Japanese idol group that goes by the same name. To be fair, I’m sure this place has seen longer lines, but that said, I also can’t really say that this was a busier than normal kind of day.

A Line with Lanes

I’ve noticed a trend in Japan that they tend to queue up in multiple lanes. I can imagine one single line would be inefficient and possible get in the way of pedestrians in the area. Spreading it out across lanes might make things easier to manage. The Japanese are so conscious of other.

A group of people make line in a series of lanes in front of the cafe
A group of people make line in a series of lanes in front of the cafe

A Line with Lanes

I’ve noticed a trend in Japan that they tend to queue up in multiple lanes. I can imagine one single line would be inefficient and possible get in the way of pedestrians in the area. Spreading it out across lanes might make things easier to manage. The Japanese are so conscious of other.

The Next Area To Explore

As we made our way to Akihabara Station in order to take the train to Asakusa, I took some final photos of the area. We headed down the bridge and entered the station to begin our next journey.

A Beautiful Day

A bright sunny day provided me the right amount of light to capture the detail from the building and bridge.

A building and green bridge close to Akihabara Station
A building and green bridge close to Akihabara Station

A Beautiful Day

A bright sunny day provided me the right amount of light to capture the detail from the building and bridge.

Interesting Structure

Took a photo of something that I thought looked pretty cool.Not sure of the significance, but it caught my eye.

Interesting visual structure beside the bridge
Interesting visual structure beside the bridge

Interesting Structure

Took a photo of something that I thought looked pretty cool.Not sure of the significance, but it caught my eye.

Akihabara Station

Per the Japan Rail Pass blog, “Akiba was the god of fire, and Akihabara means “autumn leaf field.”

Source

People going in and out of Akihabara Staiton in the Chiyoda ward of Tokyo
People going in and out of Akihabara Staiton in the Chiyoda ward of Tokyo

Akihabara Station

Per the Japan Rail Pass blog, “Akiba was the god of fire, and Akihabara means “autumn leaf field.”

Source

Mini Logo for Giancarlo Deleon
Mini Logo for Giancarlo Deleon

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