Extreme Shopping in Tokyo

Mangas, Maids and lousy gifts

Two hours, 25 euros in pocket, a mission: It is important to find the bustle of Christmas, the five most absurd memories of Japan. Predestined to be a hunting cart is Akihabara, Tokyo's favorite area of the nerds and fans of manga. The result is a disaster.

Japanese love rankings. Huge success, the department store chain "Ranking starting time" contact with the concept, always in the top five best-selling face powder, foot massage or towel in the country. The list of their products give the security to buy the right thing, because before they have bought hundreds of them.

For me adapt to local conditions, I'll make my own rankings: in the Top Five of the most absurd, bizarre, unusual souvenirs can be purchased in Japan for a total of 3000 yen (about 25 euros). As a source of inspiration is unsurpassed in terms of silly gadgets blog Tokyo Mango. There, shopping expert Lisa Katayama presents prefer things like plastic model of a cat was hit with the footprint of the tire, and red plastic innards. Or a key chain that mimics Klospülungsgeräusche access to toilets unfavorable accompanying noise to drown. The bar is high.

If there is a memory similar stresses, then in Tokyo's Akihabara district, known as the "Electronic City". The craziest shopping street of the city of pilgrimage of the nerds in the country. "Otaku" type of people who call here, the weaknesses in the areas of fashion appearance and social skills through a detailed knowledge of the characters from manga, trains or robots of compensation.

So my trip is still exciting, I feel in my home country of punctuality is a time limit of two hours. A fatal mistake.

16:00

I know my way in Tokyo, did not, so I hope for divine assistance in Kanda Myojin shrine in northern Akihabara. Strangely, traditionally goes to this temple, small wood panels, to write their prayers of visitors, manga girls smiling down. In a glass box watching a lion robot with a red head out of your body is balanced motor plastic flute pitched sounds from the speakers.

You can also spend money here. I get around 200 yen in the coin slot in the box, the lion thanked grated voice and shakes his head to the right. He pulls out a folded paper in a box and drops it in the fall of the output shaft: my horoscope.

"You will not go into the leisurely pace, so you can lead a peaceful life," is there, and: "A lot of money flying out the window, so you will save a lot." Well great, there's my shopping experience quick plan done exactly the wrong day. Fortunately, the Shinto religion before seen, that one can escape from an undesirable fate, if you leave your horoscope to a sort of clothesline.

I knot my future and buy another caution Omamori gold embroidered tent out in the temple. This teebeutelgroße talisman to bring good luck in money matters, and the consequent increase of 800 yen, about six euros. Before actually starts, I've spent a third of my budget to a good start.