During my vacation in Tokyo, I’ll be staying at a hotel in Ikeburo. It’s quite a big travel hub and has sometimes been referred to as the ‘female Akihabara’. Although I did see both men and women in every shop I visited, so not quite sure on the validity of that statement!  You may have seen on Twitter that when I arrived in Tokyo I was horrible sick, unfortunately when I woke up the next morning I wasn’t feeling much better so I decided to stay nearby my lodgings. Thankfully, there were heaps of shops to check out!

Pokemon Centre

My first stop with the Pokemon Mega Centre in Sunshine City Mall. While the place is called the ‘mega centre’ it’s actually not that big, so don’t expect a place the size of a library. That being said ,there’s heaps of awesome statues for photo ops and every nook and cranny is stuffed with Pokemon goods. You can also participate in the Pokemon Ichiban Kuji (Lottery) and get exclusive goods through a 620 yen ticket. The staff are incredibly friendly, and go out of their way to make everyone enjoy their time at the shop!

Last time I went to the centre I probably spent around $80, so I knew I had to be good this time! There were so SO many things I wanted to pick up. From the mystery boxes to the eeeveelution hoodies, everything was incredible. However I did cull my basked down to two items – a ditto version Alolan Vulpix and a mystery box.

Animate Shop

Animate is like the holy grail for otaku, the store has 7 floors filled to the brim with figurines, keychains, art supplies, cards and whatever your wildest dreams are. This is also another store where last year I spent a ridiculous amount of money, so I had to control myself. But ooh boy did that self control ALMOST go out the window when I saw the entire wall dedicated to ‘Uta no Prince Sama’. Thankfully I was good and only bought one folder!

To be honest the store can be a little bit chaotic, it’s like being thrown into the deep end of the pool but the water is technicolour, and you’re not sure if you want to breath or stay in and look at the colours. There’s just a ridiculous amount of stuff. Again, the staff are quite nice here, even though they’re super busy they do the best to help you out!

Otomate & K-Books

Haha yes, I did get VERY excited seeing the Otomate building in Ikebukuro. Unfortunately when it finally opened I found out it was a cafe and you needed to book online to enter. I also visited K-Books which is a fantastic place to buy some second-hand anime merch at a MUCH cheaper price, however the store was so small and cramped I didn’t really get a chance to look around.

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Hope you all enjoyed this post! I’ll keep my shopping and Otaku adventures coming :)!