Roaming Around Ikebukuro

Ikebukuro is a poor cousin of Shinjuku as according to the Lonely Planet travel guide. However, I find that it is worth a visit for those Toyota cars on display at Amlux building. Ikebukuro has big shopping arcades too if you wanna avoid the over-crowded departmental stores at Shinjuku.

It is also a nice place to taste all the street food without having to fight for space with other tourists. You just need to queue with the local Japanese people to wait for your turn.

In just about 10 minutes, this arrived on my hand!

You can't really see what's inside as it was covered with loads of toppings. It was actually a takoyaki with corn crisps.

There are more flavours up for you to choose from.

As I walked along the streets, I spotted something crazy. They themselves called it crazy, not me.

Crazy or not, the food is more important. I'm loving those crepes with banana and ice-cream!

Alright, I had enough food to keep me going for the afternoon, so I explored further.

Then I saw something that I am obliged to put up for my good friend! She's a bit worried about me lately and I hope this will give her the relief. Thanks, Nee.

I think LV should advertise with posters of its fans and devotees rather than hiring some models to do it. I know Nee will volunteer!

I explored the streets in drizzle and occasional rain, so the sky was cloudy and groomy. The buildings were however as shining as ever despite the bad weather.

When the brightly-lit signboards were up, I knew that it was time I went home... I mean dormitory room.

Wordless Wednesday – Weather Phenomena

Men's Machines, Women's Tools

Amlux is a building near the JR Ikebukuro Station, showcasing the latest models of Toyota cars for the consumers. Everybody can try any model on display, but of course not test-driving. You would have to plunge down if you insist on test-driving one.

When I entered the building, I was first greeted by this F1 car on a revolving platform.

Oh gosh! Was I in Akihabara again? More video games? Nah, they are just driving simulators.

This hemisphere is the theatre showing the development and the future in green technology.

This is the latest 'Ninja King.' It'll probably hit Malaysian roads in one or two years.

X-men's car? Oh, I got it! Mark 10.

The Camry looks different from the Malaysian model. I wonder whether this will be the new model coming up in Malaysian market next year.

The Crowns have never been on the Malaysian roads for years.

I have never seen this before. It looks like a limousine.

Other than the big machines for the men, there are also small city cars for the ladies.

I was expecting more on the Toyota Racing Development (TRD) but unfortunately there was very limited information on it.

The last thing that caught my eyes was that dinosaur-like personal mover for the future.

Imagine that you are lying down while driving!

What has a robot got to do with cars? Well, they just need to tell people that they are in the forefront of the technology.

Gearheads' Heaven

If you think you are qualified to be a gearhead, wait till you get to Akihabara. There' definitely something that you have never seen before. At the rate of the new products are rolling out on the market, it is not a surprise to see a new product each day. Akihabara IS the place if you wanna know what's new in the electronic world.

Every shop that you step in, you'll surely find something that you've always wanted, but maybe there are too many zeros on the price tag.

Electronic gears are not only sold in shops, there are also street vendors.

There are also promoters everywhere on the streets. This is not a fish market, OK?! Fish mongers don't wear mini-skirts to work!

If you think that buying ready-made gadgets is not challenging enough for you, you can always turn into the small alleys to find all the parts you need to build your own gadgets.

Hey ladies! These are not jewelry! Don't be too excited when your husband brings some home.

Have you seen people sell computers on the streets? Only in Akihabara!

There are just too many shops and stalls to see. I could only explore a small part of Akihabara in one day.

The Virtual World

Electronic games have been part of my growing up since secondary school time. I still remember that my first TV game console was the Atari with only 4 colours and chunky graphics. Then I moved on to a 16-colour computer, followed by another one with 256 colours for electronic games. Then came the Sega Mega Drive and the Super Nintendo. Then I stopped on electronic gaming. I only play simple games on my computer nowadays. I've lost touch with the electronic gaming business.

Not until I visited Akihabara, I came to realised that electronic gaming nowadays are light years ahead of where my knowledge was! Those who are playing electronic games should be very familiar with the two giants in this business, Sega and Taito.

Entering any of these game stations is like entering a new world. Everybody is just so indulged in their own game.

There are even pods that one can enter to join a troop of robots to have a battle with the other troop. The control console is exactly like what you see in the anime series Gundam.

Not knowing how to play any of these games, I could just resort to watch the 'battle' in between troops on a big LCD screen.

I think a lot of people like wars and battles. They can't do it in the real world, they created the virtual world to satisfy their needs in this avenue.

I really don't know what this person was doing on the control console. Probably he was playing as a commander for some Gundam troops. There were squares on the console that the players placed their card, but I really don't know what they were doing!

I played Virtual Fighter 1 and 2, but now it has reached the fifth generation! The graphics and action are just miles ahead of what I knew about this game!