Shooting gamers of the world unite!

Shooting games (or STGs, as they are known in Japan), have always taken pride of place in game centers and the hearts of dedicated gamers. Who doesn't remember Space Invaders, the game that in 1978 started it all.

Unfortunately in the last 20 years STGs have become increasingly difficult as developers, in order to please hardcore players, have forsaken the casual players.

Recent STGs can be so complicated that they only attract those dedicated players (someone would call them maniacs) who are ready to invest a lot of time and money to memorize their amazingly intricate patterns (the hardest levels in some games can feature thousands of bullets on the screen at one time).
One such case is the extremely popular Touhou Seirensen ~ Undefined Fantastic Object (see screen shot below). 

If you are not familiar with this game, you only need to check out its LUNATIC level on You Tube to see what I'm talking about. I would never even clear the first stage but the overall effect is quite mesmerizing.


These games, of course, have their own loyal dojinshi fans as well. One such event is Hakakura Yahhou! that this year will be held on September 10 (11:30-15:30) at the Ota-ku Industrial Plaza, on the second floor (Small Hall). You can easily reach this place by train (check here) 
http://www.pio-ota.jp/english/pio.html

Speaking of the Tokyo Tower...

I've just finished comparing the Tokyo Skytree to the good old Tokyo Tower (see previous post) and here's some news on this ultra-otaku spot (that I covered in my guide, see p. 8 and p. 111).
Last month the Japan Manga Alliance (comprised of Kadokawa, Kodansha, animate, Shueisha and Shogakukan) opened a new shop in the Tokyo Tower Tourist Information Center.
Called animate JMA Tokyo Tower, the 100-sq.-meter shop stocks some 2,000 anime goods featuring some of Japan's best-loved characters (e.g. Pokemon, Doraemon, Ghibli, etc.).
According to the Nikkei Asian Review http://asia.nikkei.com/Life-Arts/Japan-Trends/Real-manga-shop-in-Tokyo-targets-tourists each publisher contributed about 100 million yen to the initiative with the purpose of tackling widespread counterfeits overseas.















https://twitter.com/animate_tt

Titans attack the Tokyo Skytree!

Even though I have covered the Tokyo Skytree in my guide (p. 131), I must confess I don't like it very much. For one thing it's too tall. And then, call me a nostalgic but I much prefer the old Tokyo Tower. This said, if you love Attack on Titan you may want to shell big money and pay a visit to the Tokyo Toohpick while it's hosting an Attack on Titan special event until July 14.
http://www.tokyo-skytree.jp/event/special/shingeki2017/

©Hajime Isayama,KODANSHA/“ATTACK ON TITAN"Production Committee. All Rights Reserved. ©TOKYO-SKYTREE



Starting from Floor 445's Tembo Galleria, visitors can see a selection of scenes from the the anime's season 1 and 2.

©Hajime Isayama,KODANSHA/“ATTACK ON TITAN"Production Committee. All Rights Reserved. ©TOKYO-SKYTREE

Of course there are plenty of limited-edition goods to buy while the collaboration menu at SKYTREE CAFE on the Tembo Deck Floor 340 features some interesting Titan-themed dishes.

©Hajime Isayama,KODANSHA/“ATTACK ON TITAN"Production Committee. All Rights Reserved. ©TOKYO-SKYTREE

Omu-raisu, sayonara!

Bad news for toy and figure otaku: Omu-raisu, the venerable toy shop that was the last stop in my Shimo-Kitazawa walk (you find it on p.63) has just closed. In business since 1988, this shop was rather off the beaten track but for many people it was nonetheless the best otaku store in the area. From tin toys and chogokin (die-cast metal robots) to sofubi and shokugan (candy toy) it had it all. Alas, life is hard for old-school toy shops.

Going to Makuhari Messe

Many great otaku festivals and events are held in Makuhari Messe, the massive convention center in Chiba (see "Other festivals and Events" in my guide). In my book I wrote that you can reach your destination from Tokyo Station. However there's a less time-consuming option you may want to consider, as reported in Tokyo Business Today  http://toyokeizai.net/articles/-/104523:


If you are in central Tokyo and want to go to either Tokyo Disneyland or Makuhari Messe by train, you must first get to the JR Tokyo station and change to the Keiyo Line. However, the platform of the Keiyo Line is far from the other lines that run through the Tokyo station. You’ll need to walk for at least five minutes inside this station even if you use the moving walkway.
Not many people know that the Keiyo Line can also be accessed from the JR Yurakucho station, which is the next stop from Tokyo on the JR Yamanote Line or the Keihin Tohoku Line. If your starting point is closer to Yurakucho than Tokyo, you should definitely get off at Yurakucho. Exit this station from the north end called Kyobashi-guchi, and walk across the street heading toward the Tokyo Kokusai (or International) Forum. In about four minutes, you’ll reach the entrance to the Keiyo Line of the JR Tokyo station. Strange but true!