Same, very glad I stumbled upon these videos, especially since visiting friend in Tokyo mid-January :>

It just popped up.

You have nothing to be nervous about and your trip will blow your mind-- it's going to be ten times better than you're expecting or even hoping. My top tip: all the 'cool' stuff, the beautiful stuff is in small stores down forbidding, narrow little alley ways. You'll poke your head down these dark, narrow lanes and see nothing but wheelie bins and random people flitting about and instantly relate them to lanes and allies in cities all around the world, perhaps deciding there's nothing down there just puddles of pee, vagrants and rubbish. Nay nay! Go, seriously, go down these alleys and go into places you pass, it will thrill and astonish you. It took me a while to wrap my head around this uniquely Japanese urban phenomemon and reprogram myself to deliberately duck into every narrow little lane I could. I was ALWAYS rewarded, no exaggeration. Also: the beautiful and cool shops, boutiques and coffee shops etc are in basements or up ugly stairs in what looks like apartment buildings. From street level you NEVER EVER know there's a beautiful boutique selling handmade items up there: from down there it looks like a 1970s apartment complex. Always go up stairs and have a peek. And don't forget to Google street-view an address you're hunting for, just so you can reassure yourself visually that yes, you ARE in the right place and the hipster coffee shop IS upstairs in the ugly grey building that looks like a 1980's abandoned dentist clinic in a residential area. You're going to have so much fun.

omg hell yeah 🫡

Hi Aky! I hope you'll watch more videos on shopping in Nakano Broadway and opt to include it in your daily itinerary one day. It's only a couple of train stops north of Shinjuku, walking distance from the station. It's got loads of second-hand goods, exquisite vintage manga, anime figurines and so many other hidden, ultra-quirky things to uncover. The atmosphere is decidedly flat and feels a bit grotty but the reason I recommend you visit Nakano Broadway BEFORE you go shopping for the above stuff in Akihabara and Ikebukuro is because generally speaking the Nakano stores sell their gear at considerably lower prices. That means that if you go to the flashier, more well-known areas FIRST you could end up spending too much money without knowing how much better prices could be elsewhere. So go to the 'cheaper' shopping mall first. I also would suggest avoiding buying "vintage" clothing in Shimokitazawa and Koenji as they're HIDEOUSLY overpriced and the selection of curated items in ever shop I went to was distinctly underwhelming to the point of being generic (how many early 2000s pastel-coloured windbreakers and denim jeans can I see before my eyes start glazing over? 😵‍💫). No bargains to be had there. They sell so much denim and trousers in worryingly tiny sizes that I was almost stunned by it, so you may wind up feeling as bored as I was after a few hours trawling their second-hand clothing stores. On the other hand, La Foret is A MUST. No question. That's where so many fantastic clothing concessions and stores are and worth every penny. Just one person offering a lesson they learned the hard way. I'm thrilled for you and sincerely hope your trip is a safe, healthy and full of life-affirming joys and unexpected triumphs. Bon voyage!

Ikebukuro is a really fun place to visit so do't write it off! It's always the city I book the most nights in when visiting Japan, I really like staying there and it offers so many interesting things for everyone.

as expected 😂😂 not sure if i’ll be trying this one!!

Thank you for mention this exhibit! I will be in Japan the last two days it is offered so I'm hoping I can catch it as well :)

@@elkeyes that’s amazing!! So glad there are people out there who still know RoV haha!