so today i took the train over to a neighborhood called akihabara, which is famous for its electronic/otaku stuff.  that means, well, you can guess i'm sure.  the easiest way to tell the difference, from a distance, between the aisles full of manga for teenage girls and the aisles of manga for pervs is the particular shade of pink.  the porn is a much lighter shade. although honestly i saw a lot of pretty suspect imagery on the shoujo covers as well.
 so watch out. there are multiple stores that have MULTIPLE FLOORS of manga.  And then there are the ones that also have toys.  And Then, there are the ones that sell used toys like an antique shop/flea market. I wish i could have taken photos in some of these places, but i'm sure i would have caused a scene.
i spent way too much money on natsume merch and my pile of manga is getting taller... and i haven't even gotten to osaka yet.  i have a few pictures, but for some reason this trip has been very un-photogenic so far. i think asakusa was just an easy target, and these neighborhoods are going to make me work for my pay.
maybe the longer i'm here, the less conspicuous i'll feel, because i'm not a photographer- so blocking the sidewalk to take pictures just seems like such an obnoxious tourist move.  i need to get over it.

also experienced my first earthquake a couple of hours ago.  it was over in less than half a minute and didn't actually seem very strong, but i was in my room and immediately started throwing all my valuable crap in my bag, about to run out the door when it stopped. the hotel owners said one of that level is a very common occurrence.  it spurred a train of thought that is perfectly simple and pretty obvious, but which had never occurred to me before that moment - i can't really wrap my brain around how profoundly it must shape the development of a culture when the earth moves under their feet like a living thing, on a regular basis... never mind the actual disasters.  we certainly don't have that going for us in the northeast.

also, in most recent news/disappointment, a friend of mine from new york has been touring with his band (asobi seksu- the singer is japanese) and they just happen to be playing a show in shibuya right now. i mean that literally.  i planned on going, but i thought it started later, so i totally missed my window.  that is completely ridiculous, and it's completely like me to waste such an opportunity, isn't it?  i was too busy sitting in a tiny cafe drinking a tiny cup of coffee, eating a very messy croissant, and studying to bother to come back to the hotel early and check the show times.  oy vey.
on that note, the oxford comma is dead!  long live the oxford comma!