For anyone with even a passing interest in technology, animation, the future, ninjas or toys, the pilgrimage to Tokyo is a destination that should be top on the list. So to distract everyone from all the Comic Con chaos going on, I decided to make the sacrifice, and go through the necessary pain so that all of you wouldn’t have to. I took a two week trip to Japan to check out every toy shop, weird event, and designer exhibit I could find. The places below are shops and stops that should be mandatory for any pop culture junkies or self described otaku (geeks).
Me on the left, and my two foot tall Gundam figure on the right
Secret Base - Though Harajuku isn’t normally the place to go when it’s raining, it is worth going to Secret Base. These guys have limited edition rainy day vinyl that they ONLY sell on, you guessed it, rainy days. There’s no use trying to get one from Yumi on a sunny day. I begged, bribed, pleaded and whined to no avail. She knows she has the upper hand , and of course I ended up coming back the next day and getting the Rainy Day Skullwing. Check out the great Usugrow books and figures while you’re there.
Two more reasons to check out Secret Base is that the floor below is Bounty Hunter and across the way is now…
Erostika - If you’re a fan of Rockabilly, punk, 50’s/60’s surf culture or Big Daddy Roth then check out a Japanese take on it. It’s like a B-horror film reel exploded in this place. I was lucky enough to catch Rockin’ Jelly Bean (Mai Mai) and Jun on their last day at the old location. They’re now neighbors with Secret Base. Grab a GG Allin shirt and maybe some vinyl made by Rockin’ Jelly Bean.
Design Festa - Right down the block from Secret Bounty Erostika, is this two floor, kaleidoscope of original art. It has a community and organic feel and will give you some insight into what underground Tokyo has to offer. Plus they have food, drinks and coffee so it’s a great chance to catch your breath before you move on.
Kiddy Land - Ok, sure this sounds inappropriate for a full grown adult to be going to, but trust me it’s worth it. The basement housed all the “boys” toys and was home to a couple brilliant Transformers characters. First up was the full functioning old school Soundwave MP3 player. How rad would it be to walk around with a WORKING Soundwave! Along with that was the Optimus Prime speaker/Ipod dock trailer, and the Rumble and Frenzy transforming earpieces. That last one was kind of silly, but I give points just for the innovation. Up on the top floor is all the vinyl and manga/anime related stuff. I was surprised to find a decent collection of designer vinyl, and it was the only place I found the Batman/Joker Be@rbricks! Not only that, but they had tons of…
Tales of Agriculture - This shit is big over there, and for good reason. It’s a whole line of manga, anime, and toys based around cute looking bacteria and virus’. It’s pretty much the only program I’ve heard of to produce an adorable looking strain of E. Coli O157 (the only strain to cause bloody diarrhea).
E.Coli - Red octopus guy with big eyes
Thrash Out - The Koenji District is home to Gargamel headquarters and it’s definitely worth going to. There’s an insane amount of Gargamel prototypes, test copies, and single color trials. Checking out all the original toys is an incredible timeline of Gargamel creatures and there’s even some early kaiju rings and jewelry made by Kiyoka Ikeda. I scored myself the last red-headed Eaton and a GID Hedorah t-shirt as a couple of tasty souvenirs to remember. Talk about rare, this entire place is a museum and you’re guaranteed to see some things you’ve never seen before.
Ichibon Boshi - Right around the corner from Thrash Out is this amazing store. I easily could have spent the afternoon here. It’s sort of like the Championship Vinyl (from High Fidelity) of Japanese toys. It was closed until 2(ish), looked like a residential area, and the owner had his car parked directly in front of the door. Assuming you can find it, there’s a great collection of new and vintage kaiju and mechs including a great wall of Real Head figures. After I was done drooling over the Barbariman and friends figures, I scoped out the great selection of new kaiju from Charactics and Rumble Monsters. Some incredible Ultraman vinyl both new and old. The weirdest thing I saw there was the Japanese Spider-Man…and his giant battle mech? Apparently the Japanese Spider-Man battled the forces of evil in his own Giant Robo type suit. It doesn’t get any weirder (or better) than this place. One GID Godzilla later, and I was out the door.
“I get by because of the people who make a special effort to shop here.” -High Fidelity
Original Fake - I don’t think I need to say anything about KAWS, so I’ll just tell you how amazing this place is. We’ve seen the pix of the 10 foot tall Companion cut away, but nothing can do it justice like seeing it as soon as you walk down the steps to the shop. Even if you don’t want to buy a $200 cashmere polo, you need to check out this store and say hi to Sobata for me.
And That’s All Folks!
July 18th, 2008 at 6:05 pm
Awesome pics!
I’m soooo jealous. I am determined to finally make it to Japan next year…finances be damned. I just want to eat, drink, and look at stuff for about a week or so. Your pics have renewed my determination. Great stuff.