Pickups from my recent trip to Tokyo.

[Jorge Galvan]

Justin! PILE IT ON MAN!!!! Love the GATCHAMAN/BATTLE OF THE PLANETS figure and I was, but am NOW gonna ask.


Did you see ANY SPECTREMAN merch???? I see my picks on ebay, but am hoping maybe, maybe you saw something super-rare!

Ditto for FIREMAN and MIRRORMAN!

Not too interested in any Ultra-TSUBURAYA merch as of now as I am DECADES behind in all the series' and would not know where to start!!


Here is a funny story. last year I didn't buy NOTHING at G FEST, The ONLY thing I was interested in was one of there...

https://www.ebay.com/itm/305555926110?itmmeta=01HXQRAAQPGS52547JFPPXF7XF&hash=item47248d6c5e:g:6s4AAOSwWqhmFiz5&itmprp=enc%3AAQAJAAAAwCWMOGSlwlZt%2BvMeEQWuijpWzqii2hXBm4y52O2qTJayfpXunSM%2BcGeZ7hXNPGSE4Z1aYnVDuVf5p8jXhvXOXyML%2FkJZwLCvHAQostoRB%2BRo9QwN%2BItXEFW%2BAsdmmiVKr04bFuyWgUZa1920nnyFOX23MOnxtiuxItDO3siZzS%2B5TfINlp3uWfm%2B1AEW7hMR0Ew4F9iNRPBOSJ%2BOZRXAHI4ptDnohSL0egKr0fzjIIj1ALKO2wRXQQ4GpVAg9BC16A%3D%3D%7Ctkp%3ABk9SR_irqfjtYw

https://www.ebay.com/itm/386933484125?itmmeta=01HXQRAAQPM2T44TXNBGVQ7PCE&hash=item5a17086a5d:g:4KgAAOSwnSBmHqCW&itmprp=enc%3AAQAJAAAAwA6qHuetVH15QYJjdRXKhjiktmqTl2RhjzdjCaVBg30Uuky3aNpptNjeXZelyCyT96Ldn1JU%2F3wkiUsx61rZFX3v7CY1mBi7IegI3rkLoweWLj6K%2***FDblTHzfiKE86T%2FvAo4%2BAOihloiXskskhM65pDO4mgPUTOEVV2Eyjsxz8lZmBwagfaSGeCEblRVNsjd%2Fs2v0bTOHsF4oHXRHazNFGKmDmHa%2BZEstYVuNFFi7OrXAi17miWZJMWF8hFarMgQ%3D%3D%7Ctkp%3ABk9SR_irqfjtYw

as you can see on is $300 and the other is $ 429. The one at G Fest was going for $110 and I passed on it went in Sunday to buy it and it was gone! It was there BOTH Friday and Saturday! UGH!!!


Should have pulled the trigger!!! yeah G fest is almost here (Groan...) OH and Im gonna have a Goira announcement over in the Monster section in a few hours!!!

[B-Lister]

So, there is a new set of gacha figures out that are miniature versions of vintage Tsuburaya vinyl figures. I was able to score a complete set:



I saw plenty of vintage Spectreman and Mirrorman items. Mandarake has a shop in Akihabara called CoCoo that deals exclusively in soft vinyl toys. They had a number of vintage Spectreman figures.

[Jorge Galvan]

FCK. Those MIrrorman & Fireman figures are SWEET!! I envy your journey. If only...

[B-Lister]

I pulled some doubles, but only one Mirrorman, sadly.

[Jorge Galvan]

AND... How were the people??? What is going on in Nippon right now??? Did you get a newspaper??? Why did you decide to go to the BLUE HOUSE????


I don't suppose you hit up any record shops????? Were you in SHINJUKU???? Also, I take it that US comics (DC/Marvel) are NOT highly thought of in Nippon. Are there even comic shops there???


Curious minds want to know!!

[B-Lister]

The people are friendly. Tourists can be a bit rude. Golden Week was the big news. I do not read newspapers. The blue box house is the house from Godzilla vs. Megalon and we always try to hit up a major location from Tokusatsu while in Japan.

I did indeed hit a Record shop. Recofan is right outside Mandarake CoCoo, and there is a Disc Union at Ochanomizu Station. We went to Shinjuku a couple times. Once to watch Godzilla X Kong. AmeComi have a niche following. The most well known shop is Blister in Akihabara, tho I haven't been there since my first trip.

[Jorge Galvan]

When you say that the tourist are "rude" is that solely Americans, or is it Europeans? Aussies/New Zealanders? Or other Asians?



Can you give an example you saw or had someone tell you?


Not familiar with "Golden Week" a national holiday???


Silly question, but I know there are McDonalds and KFC's in Japan, but if someone wanted a Corned Beef sandwich or a Deli style sandwich would that be impossible????? How is the Pizza there?????



Forgot to ask, but how is the TV there? I know NHK is big, We have the PBS/NHK news-Documentary channel on our DirecTV, but how many stations are there? I take it ABC,NBC and CBS are not Represented in Nippon.


Did you go by the TOKYO DOME? If you did, Is it as HUGE as they say it is?



OH. How was the FLIGHT & TIME CHANGES? Was it rough??? Even when I go to LA, the two hour difference takes me a day to get over.



What I love about NHK TV are the TRAIN Traveling shows and they are amazing. Even the cooking shows, where they show you all these insane PARTRIES!



Trip of a lifetime.

[B-Lister]

When you say that the tourist are "rude" is that solely Americans, or is it Europeans? Aussies/New Zealanders? Or other Asians?

Everybody. Very pushy. I tried to be aware of my own rudeness but must admit I am guilty of it myself.

Can you give an example you saw or had someone tell you?

Mostly folks cutting you off while walking in crowded areas, but I also have a severe knee injury and there was no empathy when trying to find a seat on the train.

Not familiar with "Golden Week" a national holiday???

Several. Anywhere from three to five public holidays, and occasionally more. It's traditionslly the first week in may and there are a lot of domestic travelers at that time.

Silly question, but I know there are McDonalds and KFC's in Japan, but if someone wanted a Corned Beef sandwich or a Deli style sandwich would that be impossible????? How is the Pizza there?????

You can get any cuisine you like if you're willing to hunt for it. Tokyo has amazing food. Japan likes their pizza SALTY. Justin does not like salty pizza. Huge conflict of interest for a country used to following the rules. Special requests aren't really a thing.

Forgot to ask, but how is the TV there? I know NHK is big, We have the PBS/NHK news-Documentary channel on our DirecTV, but how many stations are there? I take it ABC,NBC and CBS are not Represented in Nippon.

Only time I watch TV when in Japan is Sunday mornings, when Kamen Rider and Super Sentai are on. So not really sure how many stations.

Did you go by the TOKYO DOME? If you did, Is it as HUGE as they say it is?

Super Fest is held near there. It's big but I've seen plenty of arenas so it's hard for me to say.

OH. How was the FLIGHT & TIME CHANGES? Was it rough??? Even when I go to LA, the two hour difference takes me a day to get over.

roughest part about the flight is the anticipation. Really makes it feel longer than it is. Don't get me wrong, it's a long flight, but you'll manage. Bring a book. Time change hit me first night. My sibling and I were both up at 3am. Decided to go ghost hunting.

What I love about NHK TV are the TRAIN Traveling shows and they are amazing. Even the cooking shows, where they show you all these insane PARTRIES!

Japan Railway Journal is can't miss TV in my house.

Trip of a lifetime.

hope you make it one day.