With really only a day to shop, we got up super early to get started. I first headed off to a nearby supermarket called Peacock. There were a number of items I was told to get, and with the help of my friend, we were able to get most of them in about 30-40 minutes. We went back to our hotel to drop it off before heading to our next location.
In Akihabara, our first stop was Yodabashi. There's a subway line that connects to the front, which made it super convenient to enter. My dad was looking for a santoku knife, mentioned that Yodabashi would sell these. I always thought of Yodabashi as a giant electronic department store, but lo and behold, we were able to find the kitchen supplies section. After looking at the variety of knives they had in stock, I managed to pick up one for him, while getting myself a santoku knife as well. (Hopefully this will encourage me to cook more at home... which kinda worked so far).
After making a few more purchases throughout the different floors, we headed back towards a Gundam store near the JR station that my brother mentioned. He was looking for a few Gundam to add to his collection. I don't recall the exact name of this store, but it was quite busy. There were a whole bunch of p-Bandai stuff (limited edition kits), which I can see why it was a huge draw for mecha fans. If I were still into building Gundam, this would be a paradise for me. I did enjoy looking at the variety of kits they had for sale, but thought either they marked up the prices by a large margin, or Gundam kits are just super expensive now.
Once purchases were done, we then headed to a bookstore, so that my friend can purchase some books. Unlike the other regions of Akihabara, this store wasn't full of tourists. There were literally floors and floors of different books, with all sorts of genres. Once he was done with his purchases, we headed back to the station. He was off to meet a friend of his, while I had a bunch of items to look for in different parts of Tokyo.
I first headed back to the hotel to drop off all the shopping before heading back to Akihabara via the subway. This was the easiest way for me to head off to Nakano Broadway (instead of taking a bus, I opted to take the Chuo line). Nakano Broadway wasn't as busy as I recalled, but there wasn't anything that I was looking for in the various stores I checked. Slightly dejected, it was off to Odaiba. It wasn't quite rush hour yet, so I was able to find a seat on the train for the hour ride. At Odaiba, my first stop was to check out Gundam Front (the large Gundam store on the 7th floor). It's gotten to be so busy that you need a reservation to enter the store. Unfortunately, all tickets were sold out (according to the person holding an English sign). With some time to spare, I took the time to wander around Diver City (the mall which Gundam Front is located). Out of all the times I've been here, I never really gave it a good look. Nothing did catch my eye however, so I headed outside to take a picture of the full size Unicorn Gundam. I was waiting in Odaiba for a while, since I had to check in for my flight the next day. (Being a standby passenger meant the sooner I checked in, the better the chance of getting onto the flight).
With about an hour to check in, I decided to walk around the artificial island for a while before heading back into Diver City to find a spot to sit. I ended up back at the cafeteria (after getting some rice balls, since that was all I ate throughout the day) and waited to check in. When it was time, I quickly went through the steps, taking about 2 minutes to complete. I guess I was too slow, for I ended up being 12th in line for the flight back to YYC.
With everything done, I messaged my friend to meet up for dinner. Deciding to go on the Yurikamome (instead of the Rinkai line that I took to Odaiba), I walked off to Daiba station. The ride was relatively quick, and I met up my friend and his friend at Nippori station. We walked off to an Izakaya through the various streets that make up Nippori. I've never been to Nippori before, but it was relatively tourist free. Once we found an Izakaya that could fit us three, we got in and sat down. It was a tiny bar, with perhaps enough seats for 7 people. There was an inner room that could fit a few more tables, but it looked relatively cramped too. Despite the lack of room, the food was good, and I was quite satisfied (despite not eating all day).
After dinner, which my friend's friend graciously paid for us (it was cash only and I didn't carry enough cash on me), we headed back to the hotel. Lots of travelling within Tokyo for me that wasn't as fruitful as I wanted it to be.
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