Kagehashi Japan (Day 8)

Japanese Cultural Dance | Akihabara | Ramen Cart

The first destination of the day was back to the Japan Foundation for a Japanese dance presentation. The professional performing showed us an example of a male, female and girl dance. He was surprisingly very good as a bouncy teenage girl.

The audience then got to learn one of the dances from him. I volunteered for the "flower blooming along the riverside" dance. The other one had something to do with a love letter and a girl confessing.

After going through a couple museums in Roppangi, we went to Akihabara, the electric and anime city! I was so excited to go there after hearing stories of multistory anime stores and maid cafes! In the above picture, you can see a maid peddling for business. I couldn't take an actual picture with her - I would have to pay oodles for that...

A Miku mural covering an electronic store.

Inside the Animate! store - a 6 story anime store that's very well-known. I felt like I was in Disneyland with the walls of manga, art books and merchandise. I bought a Pixiv and Madoka Magica artbook. I wanted the Psycho Pass one too but it was apparently sold out.

Psycho Pass, Persona 4 and Madoka Magica merchandise sections.

Capsule Machines, a cheap alternative to the store anime merchandise. I couldn't pass up a Yotsuba figurine for Luis. 

TC and I were on the lookout for a booby mousepad, so much so that we even asked our tour guide from the Japan Foundation to help us ask for one. We found a small novelty anime store on the same street with a whole rack (lol) of mousepads. It was a tad expensive thought - $30. TC and I ended up splitting it as a present for the Weenie Loft. 

Next destination - Kabuki Theater. It was absolutely gorgeous and so many old Japanese ladies in traditional kimonos.

The scheduled day ended early and lots of us still wanted to keep exploring, so we headed out for Akihabara after dinner.

First time riding the Tokyo subway. Two words: crowded and quiet.

Because we were foreigners in a country where we didn't know the language, a few of us made direction cards for everyone out of paper coasters.

Spotted a Madoka Magica movie poster - got so many feels.

A doujinshi shop where we saw some questionable material...

Hungry from our escapade to Akihabara, we got a midnight snack at an actual noodle cart outside the hotel. The man working there has been making noodles for 9 years. He thought I was Japanese.

Delicious miso ramen loaded with toppings. I crave this so much since coming back to the States.