Going to Japan Questions and Help!

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Sue
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Going to Japan Questions and Help!

Post by Sue »

Hihi,

I've been so busy with school haven't posted this question yet...

So I'm going to Japan for spring break and am wondering if it's worth it to go to any of the Mandarake stores for cels from Escaflowne, Utena and Narumon?
If those series are probably not avail. then i'm not gonna drag my poor parents there. This will probably be the first and only trip for them to Japan whereas
I am determined to go again sooner or later.

Help question:
We wanted to go to the Ghibli Museum but didn't know it would sell out far in advance.. We were hoping to buy tickets in a Lawson's when we got to Narita.
Am hoping someone in Japan could, if not out of the way, stop by and see if tickets are sold out for March 29th or 31st or April 1st.

Hopefully someone can help me out. :bawl

Thanks,

Kelly
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Rekka Alexiel
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Re: Going to Japan Questions and Help!

Post by Rekka Alexiel »

Hmm, that's probably on the Lawson's Loppy system. There's a Lawson's just down the road for me; I'll try to check it out for you once I get dressed.. :P
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Sue
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Re: Going to Japan Questions and Help!

Post by Sue »

Thanks so much Rekka!!! :)
I'm crossing my fingers it's not sold out.
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Re: Going to Japan Questions and Help!

Post by Rekka Alexiel »

Well, it looks like any of those days will be fine. They had times for 10:00, 12:00, 2:00, and 4:00.

I've never been to the Ghibli Museum before, but I would bet you could get tickets at the museum on the day. If not, you might need a little help finding where to find the tickets in the Loppy system. If you need any help while you're in Japan, though, feel free to let me know. I can PM you my number in case of any emergencies. :)

I'll be between the school years then, so I don't exactly know my schedule, but I should be free if you need help.
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Re: Going to Japan Questions and Help!

Post by cutiebunny »

Sue wrote:So I'm going to Japan for spring break and am wondering if it's worth it to go to any of the Mandarake stores for cels from Escaflowne, Utena and Narumon?
At least the last time I was there (2010), Mandarake has two cel shops - One which sells a lot of dollar bin stuff and another that sells higher end stuff. Oddly enough, I was able to find several TnN cels in the dollar bins, but, while nice, were not primo cels from the series. You can try to contact Mandarake about your visit and ask them if they have any cels from any of the series that you're looking for, but my experience has been that,if they do, it'll be ok shots and nothing 'special'.

I always thought Mandarake's dollar bins were a great way to find holiday presents for cel collector friends. The dollar bins do have some nice stuff, just generally from relatively unknown series. I usually just run in with a 5000 yen bill and see what I can get with it.

There's a couple of other stores that cater to production artwork. There's one close to Mandarake on the same floor that's run by twin_angels_xx from YJ. His store is full of many items that did not sell when initially listed on YJ (and usually for about 800 yen higher than their list price) but a lot of other things as well. I could spend hours just going through his sketches and some times you can find some odd stuff there.

I don't know if you're going anywhere else other than Tokyo, but I'd recommend skipping out on the Mandarake Osaka location if you're looking for cels only. The last time I went there, they had a couple of dollar bin cels, but nothing that I would recommend going out of your way for.

The largest Mandarake for artwork, Nakano, is located in the Broadway Nakano shopping center. It's mainly geared towards younger people, and a good stop especially if you like playing with UFO machines. There's a couple of stores that cater to that there. It's a couple blocks away from the Nakano subway station.
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Sue
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Re: Going to Japan Questions and Help!

Post by Sue »

Thanks Cutie! :bounce Going to Tokyo today so hopefully I can make it to at least one store. If not sounds like not a big deal from your past experience.

Kelly
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Re: Going to Japan Questions and Help!

Post by AR-99 »

Bumping this thread as I'll be in Japan in a month. I will be on a tour for 9 days then on my own for the final 5.

I will be looking for Eva merch in general (this is an Eva themed tour) and cels/artwork in particular. I know those can get very pricey so while I'm optimistic that I may find something or two within my budget, am also prepared to walk away if not. Other series I'll be keeping an eye out for are Ranma, Battle Angel/Gunnm (might be a tall order here as only 2 OAVs were released), Girls und Panzer, and School Rumble.

Akiba and Nakano are on the tour itinerary, so I will definitely be hitting up Mandarake in each location and the cel/genga shops in particular. Plan to come back on my own later if need be. Other than Anime Commit and Anime World Star , is there anywhere else in Nakano that would be worth a look to dig up my target series?

I'm also open to suggestions on where to find used books, media, and general anime merchandise. Mandarake and Bookoff I know of. I've bought some used goods from Surugaya-atoo but don't know if they have a brick and mortar shopfront.
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Re: Going to Japan Questions and Help!

Post by Gabe »

Since the tour is EVA related.
Do you visit Studio Gainax?
Probably the most EVA cels can be found at Mandarake Nakano.
Prices the last time as i was there had started at 40000 yen and went up into ****** for Asuka.
Take a look at Ikeburo also.
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Re: Going to Japan Questions and Help!

Post by Rekka Alexiel »

The Mandarake in Akiba and Shibuya have next to nothing when it comes to cels, pretty much the same with Nakano, although they have the largest selection and also larger display cases to show stuff. The last time I went to the Ikebukuro Mandarake, they had discontinued their stock on animation cels, so I don't think you can find anything there now. It's strictly for doujinshi and such now, I believe.

If you're looking for particular shows, you'd probably be better off scouring through the Anime Shop Commit store that's further down the hall from the Mandarake cel area. He's a bit more educated in the ways of animation art and what price to set stuff as... so a lot of his stuff is pretty expensive.

But all of that's not to say that you might find a treasure at any of the Mandarake stores, however. It can happen...just very, very rarely if at all. :P So don't get too disappointed if you don't find anything.
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Re: Going to Japan Questions and Help!

Post by AR-99 »

Gabe wrote:Since the tour is EVA related.
Do you visit Studio Gainax?
Probably the most EVA cels can be found at Mandarake Nakano.
Prices the last time as i was there had started at 40000 yen and went up into ****** for Asuka.
Take a look at Ikeburo also.
Not to Gainax or khara. We do go to Fuji-Q, Haknone, and the Evastore. It opens at Ikebukuro Parco on October 3 after relocating from Harajuku. So there may be stuff planned for Ikebukuro but it hasn't been announced yet.

8O on the prices, but that's what it is.

@Rekka:

Good to know, I'm keeping my expectations low for finding something Eva on the animation side that won't break the bank although it's my first choice, hence the backup series.

Did not mention that I do have a day trip planned for Yokhohama. However the roving Eva display that was at Sogo will have moved on by the time I arrived. I asked the tour company to plan out for me 5 days after the tour but here too, other than I'm going there for now, don't have the detailed itinerary in hand yet. What are you aware of that would be worth seeing that's anime related?
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Re: Going to Japan Questions and Help!

Post by Rekka Alexiel »

AR-99 wrote:Did not mention that I do have a day trip planned for Yokhohama. However the roving Eva display that was at Sogo will have moved on by the time I arrived. I asked the tour company to plan out for me 5 days after the tour but here too, other than I'm going there for now, don't have the detailed itinerary in hand yet. What are you aware of that would be worth seeing that's anime related?
I think Yokohama is the best in the Fall. Unlike Nagoya that's pretty much sunny and warm/hot from late spring through much of fall (unless a typhoon comes by, and of course, not including rainy season), Yokohama is usually cloudy and a bit chilly. Today's a gorgeous fall day with clear skies, though. :D

As far as places to go and see... well, there's not so much in terms of animation goodness, but there's plenty of regular sightseeing spots. If you watch any Jdramas, Minato Mirai is often a location spot on some shows. I remember when I was obsessed with the drama "Long Love Letter", which had some iconic scenes at the InterContinental hotel and such, it was really cool to actually see those places that were in the show. The whole area of Minato Mirai, especially the walk along the bay is gorgeous at any time of day--although I particularly like it at night because it's quieter and you get to see all the cool lights of the city and along the bay.

China Town is also a huge tourist area that's fun. If you've seen other China Towns in other locations, though, not much is different. xD These areas are pretty lackluster for me, unfortunately. But if you like the food, there's all kinds of restaurants and such there.

If you want to catch a zoo, Nogeyama Zoo is not far from Minato Mirai (about 15 min walk) where admission is free and they have some pretty decent animal displays.

Around Yokohama Station, though, there's really not much in terms of touristy places, but I enjoy going to the Bay Quarter for a meal outside if the weather is nice. They often have some sort of musical event going on on the main floor, which you can hear even from the 4th floor. There is, of course, lots of shopping areas around the station, though; so if you like regular mall shopping, this is a good place for it.

My schedule is pretty well packed on the weekdays, but if you need help or anything on the weekend, just let me know. :)
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Re: Going to Japan Questions and Help!

Post by Gabe »

AR-99 wrote: Not to Gainax or khara....
Sadly maybe next time. ;)

For Artwork the auction platforms probably are better since you can find more over there.
But sometimes you can be lucky and find something nice in the shops at Nakano.

Have fun in Japan.
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Re: Going to Japan Questions and Help!

Post by AR-99 »

What about the Jump Shop, although I see that Tokyo has 2 locations: http://www.shonenjump.com/e/jumpshop/ The Tokyo Station location also has the Tokyo Character Street nearby.

I am also hitting up Kamakura for a day. Not expecting to find anything anime related there. :wink:
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Re: Going to Japan Questions and Help!

Post by Gabe »

The one at Tokyo Station is smaller.
But anyway take your time to take a look.
They have some DB, Naruto and One Piece snacks/drinks as example but also other stuff.
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Re: Going to Japan Questions and Help!

Post by cutiebunny »

I went to the one by the Giants Stadium and they only have merchandise there for sale. They don't sell any artwork there.

Finding artwork, especially what you're looking for, is difficult in Japan. I've wanted to cry at certain manga stores in Akihabara because they display all these pretty shikishi and none of them are for sale. One of my friends went to this summer's Comiket. He sent emails in Japanese to 20 doujinshi artists prior to his trip to ask if he could get a sketch from them. Of those, only five responded that they would be willing to draw him a sketch. He managed to come back with nine sketches total as a couple of the artists thought his e-mail was a hoax and when he showed up to their booth, they decided to draw him something.
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