The first stop for our third day in Tokyo was a visit to Yamashiroya Toy Store because we couldn’t get enough of toys from last night’s trip to Akihabara.
Yamashiroya is a 5-storey toy store filled with all kinds of Japanese and Western pop culture merchandises. It’s small, but jam-packed with goodies for any otaku, regular mainstream geek, or hobbyist.
Breakfast!
Daily, the hotel served us the following for breakfast, a meal of the following: macaroni salad, banana, tuna & chicken sandwich, onigiri with different fillings, hard-boiled egg, & free-flowing orange juice & coffee.
When traveling, a hearty breakfast matters a lot. It’s different when you leave the hotel stuffed than with an empty stomach looking for food first thing in the morning. This is one of the many things that I appreciate about our hotel aside from cleanliness and convenience (plus, their beds and shower are very comfortable). But mind you, here in Japan, everything is on time to the very minute. Breakfast is only available until the clock strikes 10a.m. sharp. No excuses. No special service for international guests. You need to get up early to have a bite.
Replenished energy for the day ahead!
This is the nearest train station from our hotel. To get there, it required us to pass by a quiet, residential area and high school.
Monk spotted on the streets! Check out his sandals!
Yamashiroya Toy Store.
Beautiful, assorted cellphone accessories. Some of them have designs based on the Chinese Zodiac. I’ve always been looking for Zodiac-inspired merch ever since I got into Zodiac-themed anime years ago (I was born in the year of the rat, btw). It’s hard to find them in the Philippines, but I guess the Japanese are huge fans.
I don’t believe on Zodiac predictions though.
The kimi doll in various costumes. Again, I am amazed at how there’s just so many choices for a single product available here.
I love these! Stickers of all kinds in adorable designs! My heart exploded, no joke.
The stickers were my favourite part of the shop….
Boruto, Naruto’s son. The movie will be released here soon and posters are everywhere.
Apologies! This photo is blurry, but who knew a supporting character for Ranma 1/2 had her own set of merchandise? This is Shampoo of the popular gender-bending series that aired decades ago. (It’s also a bit on the R-rated side of Japanese anime, if you were wondering).
Naruto & Sasuke 5ever.
Funko Pops!
Harry Potter wands and other merch.
Drumroll, please. Gundams! That big, white one is already sold out.
For hobbyists, this place is wonderful. These are paint used to color miniature food like the sample above them. I bet there are other shops with even more complete paint and art sets for the budding hobbyists/artists out there.
Star Wars.
We spent some time going through each floor of the building. There’s a specific kind of toys available on each one. For example, the first floor sells cellphone accessories, key chains, & small toys like it. The lower ground floor sells toys for babies & toddlers. If I’m not mistaken, the 2nd floor sold anime goods. From memory, 3rd floor was for hobbyists like Gundam, Funko Pops, Harry Potter, & Star Wars. And so on.
Outside, they sell little pouches with Japanese designs.
A temple on the street tile.
Sakura on the manhole lid.
Yamashiroya was so memorable, we went back on the last day.
To read the previous posts about Tokyo, please refer to the links below:
For Day 1 (Arrival): click here.
For Day 2 (Ueno Zoo and Park): click here.
For Day 2 (Sensoji Temple): click here.
For Day 2 (Tokyo Skytree): click here.
For Day 2 (Yodobashi Camera Akihabara): click here.
For Day 2 (Naruto Cafe and Anime Plaza): click here.
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faith
Faithful Journeys 