Get yer Otaku on!

In recent years, Akihabara has become one of Tokyo's centers of Otakudom. There are tons of toy shops, gacha shops, and of course shops selling all kinds of manga, anime, and electronics.

I wandered into this building (the Japanese says "Don Quixote"!) for the hell of it and found a 7 story temple devoted to Lord Otaku. Check it out...

Enter the penguin!

I didn't know so many varieties of maid costumes existed! The floor was full of costumes for sale - most of them for maids, schoolgirls, and other anime staples.


Alright, I can't be the only one drawn to these deathraps like a moth to a flame. I usually hang around watching other people drop 10-20,000 yen to win a pile of candy. But sometimes I see a stack teetering on the edge, just ready to drop! Oh what a fool I am...

This siren pulled me in with temptations of cheap stacks of chocolate! Oh woe to the foolish one who fed this SOB. A lot of the time, the scooper didn't even pick up candy from the revolving floor. When it did, it started shaking, so most of the candy fell off!

Anyway, 500 yen later, I walked away with 4 small pieces of chocolate. I even gave the SOB the "shake of shame" and found that yep, the bags of chocolate were REALLY wedged in there against the plastic bubble and weren't about to tumble into the Score Box. Damnation!

What's an Otaku Mecca without tons of arcade games????

You're my guitar hero!!

Maid Cafe's are ALL the rage in Japan. Not surpringly, there are a ton in Akihabara, including one in the 7 floor Don Quixote building. Photos aren't allowed, so you have to be very crafty when taking pics.

Akihbara 48.... I have no idea what this is, but I discovered a mini theater on the top floor of the building. Some kind of singing and dancing show, I guess. Big sign said the performance was sold out, and several dozen eager fans were waiting in a line getting posters or something.

I guess the group is a big deal, since they had a ton of DVDs, CDs, etc for sale.