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Shibuya Walkthrough

Well, seeing how today was my last day of tests for the semester, meaning I am finally free, free, FREEEEEE to do whatever I want out here in Japan, PLUS it is not abominably cold, as it was during the winter holidays, I figured I might go and do some Tokyo-Cruising, as I had planned to do ever since the obligatory sightseeing tour back in September. And what makes for a better sightseeing tour for a videogame fan like me than going TWEWY-location hunting in Shibuya, Tokyo?

The trip from Minami-Oosawa to Shibuya is comparably cheap - about 350Yen - and takes about an hour using the Keio-Line and the Inokashira-Line, so I it was really no problem to go on a quick tip down there after class. One question, however, remained: Would my entirely TWEWY-based knowledge of Shibuya's layout be enough to navigate the area?

Much to my surprise, the answer was: Yes, actually! I am a person with a horrible sense of navigation, and yet, only by remembering the rough location of every area in the game, I was able to locate their real life equivalents with comparable ease - even if I initially faced confusion, due to the game's design and angles giving me a very wrong idea of the actual sizes and relations of the areas. Once I had figured out what the scale game:real-place actually looks like, however, I could easily find my way around without getting lost or confusing places. It was actually quite remarkable.

I visted the following areas today:

West Exit Bus Terminal

Statue of Hachiko

Scramble Crossing

109 Building (Real Life Equivalent of "104 Building")

Dogenzaka

Mark City (only outside; Real Life Equivalent of "Pork City")

Tokyu Main Store (Real Life Equivalent of "Shibukyu Main Store")

OK, now, let's follow my little journey with some photos and commentary under the cut~!

Seeing how my horrible sense of orientation is a vice I don't escape easily, I made my first blunder when I tried to leave the station at the Hachiko Exit and ended up leaving at the West Bus Terminal Instead. Not that it posed much of a problem. It's also nice to see the less famous areas.

Unfortunately, a large part of the terminal is currently under construction works, so I couldn't really search for the Moai statue and compare it to its TWEWY equivalent. Neither could I reach the Station Underpass. Fun Fact: You have to go through the JR part of the Station in order to reach the Hachiko Statue from the West Exit Bus Terminal, meaning this is an unseen area you pass through frequently in the game. Also, there are actually entrances to Mark City in the West Exit Bus Terminal and inside the station. More on that later.

Well, enough messing around, after this short excurse into the wrong direction, I quickly found my actual goal, the area of the Hachiko Statue!! Or... well... Actually more like...

...The Scramble Crossing, featuring the Hachiko Statue. Yeeeaaah, this was the first surprise I faced. These two areas are actually the same. The game makes them look like independant terrains, but, really, there is no seperating them. The statue literally located just right beside the crossing. I guess the only reason they are treated as two seperate areas in TWEWY is for dramatic effect, so the different meanings of the Hachiko Statue and the bustling crossing can be highlighted in different scenes without twisting around the angles too much. 

Then again, the game already twists the angles quite a lot as it is. Trust me when I say: These areas look a lot, LOT bigger in the game than they are in real life... In fact, even on my photos they still look bigger than they really appear when you are there! So don't let the pictures fool you... The area is by far not as intimidating as it appears on still pics, drawn or photographed.

View onto the Scramble Crossing from inside the Train Station. This was actually the first photo I took. The masses of people flooding across the crossing are really a sight to behold.

And here's Hachiko. The little guy is actually much smaller than you'd think he'd be. The statue is pretty much 1:1 on scale with a real dog of this breed, from what I can tell.

View from Hachiko onto the scramble. Surprise, surprise! Turns out there's actually a Men's 109! Yep, it's just across the street from the regular 109. I wonder if anybody ever bothered Neku telling that, or if he kept shopping at the women's store intentionally...

And here's the Hachiko Area as we know it from the game. The fact that you can see Hachiko itself is testimony to how small the statue really is. The whole area, really, is basically just the extended sidewalk before the scramble. You can see Mark City if you look in the direction of the statue.

And here'ss the scramble itself, viewed from a different angle. It's actually really an experience to be within these masses of people when the traffic lights switch to green.

And the scramble again, this time with a view on 109. The 109 building, too, really isn't as big as the game makes it look, but still quite sizable.

A look towards the Hachiko area from the other side of the scramble. It's really small, just a corner in the left side of the photo.

And some more scramble and 109. As you can probably tell already, I love taking pictures of this scramble. Or, to be exact, I love the scramble. <3

OK, next stop: The 109 building!

So, as I said before, this building really isn't as big as you'd think it should be from the game. And, a little fun-fact: It's literally just around the corner from the Hachiko Statue! Not more than 100 meters, I swear! Suddenly, the first day missions in the Reaper's Game seem even more laughable... The mission is literally "Go across the crossing". Goes to show how much of a rolecall these first days really are... And how blind Neku is for not seeing the giant "104" right in front of his nose when he is at the statue, pondering what to do...

You guys remember the "Outback" Café from the battle backgrounds at 104? I think this café is the real thing. It looked really nice from the outside, I didn't go inside though. Maybe another time.

One area that is actually much bigger than the game made it look is Dogenzaka, which is actually a rather long street hill-upways, right to 109's left, with a lot of important-looking buildings in it. It's actually quite a long street, encompasing the "O-East" (equivalent of A-East) complex. However, no matter how much I searched, I couldn't find the O-East concert hall... I guess I might have walked past it without realizing. Or I didn't go far enough. Either goes. Most notably, however, Dogenzaka is full of restraurants. Ramen, Ramen, Udon, Sushi, Ramen, Gyudon, Ramen, Random Italian Restaurant, Tonkotsu-Ramen, Mosburger, Udon, Ramen. If you're ever hungry and in Shibuya, this is really the place to go, trust me. Especially if you like Ramen. 

Oh, look, a Capsule Hotel! *snaps a pic*

I like to pretend that this is the real life equivalent of the closed down Shadow Ramen. Especially because just a meters further down the street, there's a more traditional looking Ramen restaurant. But that's just me being a fangirl.

I couldn't find the Udagawa Backstreet with the famous grafitti for my life. I probably didn't check enough, but after running past a strip joint, I felt too uncomfortable to continue my search and turned around. :'D

Oh, also, there's a LOT of Pachinko Parlors around 109 and Dogenzaka. 

And then there's the Tokyu Main Store.

Not really exciting, but I thought I'd take a pic. Tokyu is actually all around Tokyo and its suburbs. Whenever I saw its logo, it seemed familiar to me, with that big, red Q. Now I know why... It's the real life equivalent of TWEWY's "Shibukyu", with the big, blue Q for a logo...

And last, but not least: Mark City!

And yes, there is a reason I circled such a wide area.

You see, despite being an off-map area with only one connection in TWEWY, the real Mark City complex is a pretty giant mall with several entrances, which can be reached from pretty much anywhere around the station and Dogenzaka. It's actually quite impressive, almost more noticable than the 109 building.

Mark City Entrance near the West Station Exit.

View onto the Mark City Building from that same entrance.

Mark City entrance inside the station.

View onto Mark City from Hachiko.

View onto Mark City from Dogenzaka. This is the Canon entrance into the area in TWEWY. 

As you can see, while TWEWY's portrayal of Shibuya is quite accurate, the scales are a bit confusing, thanks to the stylized angles used. I can confirm now, though, that Square did an excellent job actually capturing the feel of the city. The real life Shibuya and the Shibuya in the game have pretty much the same atmosphere, romantization or not. And it's really quite fun to go around and compare the areas to what you have seen in the game, even if you're not into shopping (like me, I really am not a big shopper. XD).  It's definitely a nice area to visit, bustling of people with many different styles and very loud and lyrical, but still with its own flair. And the city's size is by far not as intimidating as TWEWY makes it seem. If you are ever in Tokyo, check it out~

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An Ichimatsu Doll @ Tokyu Square. I love the design of this one.

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Girls' Day dolls @ Tokyu Square. These are put out on girls' day and supposed to bring the girls in the house good fortune, especially in marriage.

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A Kintarou doll, as they are put out on May 5th, boy's day in Japan. This one was spotted in Tokyu Square mall in Hachiouji. Much too expensive to buy, of course.

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neriede replied to your post: I cannot describe how much I want this...

You would look super cute in it. :> How much are the individual parts?

((Not that much, but I can't do try ons today, so I'm gonna come back to see if they still have it, like Tuesday or so. :-3 ))

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I cannot describe how much I want this outfit. Like, the whole thing. I feel like it was made for me. I am not usually into clothing shopping, but...

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You would think that this is the entrance to a crime scene or something, what with the yellow bands saying “keep out!” And all, right?

Nope. It’s a university entrance exam. They are doing this to keep third parties who could aid entrants in cheating out.

I couldn’t make this up if I tried.

[neni-nipponica]

"Japanese People hate Anime" and Other totally baseless Myths based on Generalization

Let us clear up one thing to begin with:

No, saying you like Anime will, contrary to popular belief, not get you scorned and avoided as a "fat, antisocial Otaku Manchild" in Japan.

Now, do the Japanese *love* Anime? Let me answer this with another question in response: Do the Americans love Cartoons?

Reducing a whole nation down to the collective "The Japanese" or even "The average Japanese adult" is never a good idea and this whole myth is just another example of why. It is true that Japan is not the Anime-Mecca that Weaboos expect it to be - not by a long shot. There is not merchandise behind every corner and you will likely not be overwhelmed in crazy cosplayers on the street or people walking around with Hatsune Miku Keychains on their phones (though, there are enough people with Anime keychains regardless.) Going to Akihabara will probably satisfy your Fanboy/Fangirl needs, but how about the rest of the country? This can be answered with a nice, big shrug.

See, there is truth to the myth that japanese adults find Anime juvenile in one way: The recent prevalence of Moe-kei Anime, which focus more on cute, bouncy (in more than one way) girls to satisfy the viewer's needs than on an actual plot. It should be obvious to see why the likes of such works are *not* everyone's cup of tea. And why being a fan of those will get you weird stares. And YES the reputation of Anime as a "genre" (if you can even refer to Anime as such, I prefer to only use it as an umbrella term for "animation created in Japan) has, indeed, suffered from such very fetishism-oriented productions. Thank you, Kyo-Ani. 

However, is it embarrasing to be watching Anime in general as an adult Japanese person? Maybe in some circles, but the general answer should be: No. It depends on WHAT you're watching. But watching Hayao Miyazaki? Shingeki no Kyojin? Eden of the East, Detective Conan, insert various Jump-properties here? Maybe Madoka-Magica will probably get you some weird smiles due to the drawing style and the animators' weird (and most likely intended) fixation on panty-shots and Mami's breasts, but all in all, depending on where you are, there is no general shame in liking well-made animated Japanese series or movies, as long as everyone knows they focus more on actually telling a decent story than making you oogle girls in miniskirts or shirtless males. The great majority will still avoid greatly associating with the Character-Shipping, Merchandise-buying, Cosplaying Fanbase, but you will definitely find a nice number of Non-Otaku japanese adults who watched and enjoyed Shingeki no Kyojin (and maybe even Madoka Magica). Sure the general majority isn't *crazy* for Anime, but do you see people in America run onto the street in masses and scream praising hymns to "Frozen" into the air? Point made.

It may be because most of us have minimal interaction with japanese people, but a lot of us westerners seem to view the Japanese Nation as a collective, rather than a gathering of individuals. And while some may come and draw out social-psychological arguements for this now, I will always find this to be a grave mistake. "The Japanese" do not have a hive mind. "The Japanese" do not exist. You will find Japanese who hate Anime, Japanese who love Anime, Japanese who hate certain Anime and love other Anime... The exact same spectrum as everywhere else. The distribution may differ, but even then, saying that "The Japanese love Anime" or "The Japanese hate Anime" is a statement that says exactly nothing. The people I have met here in Tokyo in the past 4 months are incredibly diverse and so were the people in the theaters when I watched "Kaze Tachinu", "Madoka Magica: Rebellion Story" and "Persona 3 #1". So while you can talk about tendencies, you can never generalize.

It's the same with the Myth "Japanese People hate Foreigners" or the myth "Japanese People do not understand Western Culture". It depends on where you go, who you met, how you behave. You can't put all Japanese or even groups of japanese into drawers and expect these to be universally applicable. Sure, there are definite cultural differences, but even the strengths of those vary from person to person. If you go into a neighbourhood used to Exchange Students, like Minami-Oosawa (a beautiful place, with an Arcade and a nice Merchandise Corner in the Department Store) you will lead a fairly happy life as both, a foreigner, and an AniMangaGames-Fan. Now, for people who are planning to go out to the rural areas? It probably looks far different there. But, to quote the legendary words of Morishita Yuya-senpai: "Tokyo is a different Japan".

If there's one thing Japan has with Anime that Western Cartoons don't have in the west, it's extremly dedicated merchandising; the Japanese firms are just more ready to go to greater lengths to satisfy (and exploit) the fans than the western companies (exception: Disney) are. This says nothing about the public's acceptance or even opinion of Anime. It only says that the Japanese Fans just get more stuff and we all wish Merchandising in the west would take a page out of that book. (Or not. I mean, we all like our wallets, after all.) But aside from this heavenly-hellish merchandising? Really, liking Anime in Japan is neither the norm, nor a general stigma. 

So, Non-Japanese Anime-Fans planning to go to Japan: Relax. You will NOT be burned on the stake for your hobby and you will not be pointed and laughed at as a strange Otaku-manchild as long as you don't flaunt your fanboy/girlism in front of people with no interest in it. 

Just don't go onto the street in a Hatsune Miku Cosplay, with a Soul Gem around your neck, wearing 3D Maneuver Gear. Trust me. It's for your good. 

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And it was good~

I can say in all honesty that this is gonna be my first time eating fried squid.

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I can say in all honesty that this is gonna be my first time eating fried squid.

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Are you planning to watch Persona 3 the Weird Masquerade?

Ahahahaha, now? You have no idea how quickly these tickets sell out, do you? :'DIn all seriousness, though, I discussed it with Mio when there were still tickets and when we saw the tight schedule and the prizes for tickets, we decided that waiting for the DVD would be better and more comfortable. And cheaper. Much, much cheaper. 

Call it a waste, but this is just a thing we don't have time and money for during days where there are lectures. 

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This is the loot of today's trip to COMIKET. I am so glad I found plenty of Ace Attorney and Persona. I even bought some HanaKuma Dojinshi after checking if the content was fully platonic (which it was) these things are just too cute!! The NaruHana Dojinshi in the lower middle is a late Christmas present for a friend who should know herself who I mean. The Touhou Artbook is for my boyfriend.

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One more picture of COMIKET. This is just one several halls and outdoor sales areas here. Just so you get an idea how gigantic this event is. I already bought myself broke on MadoMagi, Ace Attorney and Persona stuff, and each of the areas of these fandoms was big enough to warrant it's own store. It's pretty amazing.

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See and behold. COMIKET.

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Hi there. I heard it gets really cold in Japan. Is that true at where you're at?

Actually, the temperature here is the same right now it would also be in my home country around that time of years, which is a few degree above freezing. And people keep saying that that's unusually cold for Tokyo. Japan covers a lot of different climates. Hokkaido is incredibly cold, while Okinawa is tropical like Hawaii. So you really can't generalize.

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I went to watch the Persona 3 Movie again, this time with Mio from next door, and it was awesome.

When I came here, I was afraid I wouldn't find any friends, because of my Social awkwardness, but Mio and I get along like Curry and Rice. We fooled around at the capsule-vending machines before the movie and got some buttons (Yosuke and Rise for me, Teddie and Elizabeth for Mio) and when we were at the movie, we shared our popcorn and laughed at Junpei a lot. Generally the whole ride to the movie and back was nothing but talking between us, we talked about ourselves, our families, some cultural stuff, but then mostly fangirl talk and it was glorious. So GLORIOUS.

After the movie, we went to Animate in Ikebukoro to buy Merchandise (which was Mio's idea and she is awesome), where we both expressed our displeasure at how the store was playing all of P3's and P4's soundtracks as background music, yet had only very little Persona merchandise in stock. (amongst ourselves, of course, not to the clerks). We went around, spotting which series we knew and which we didn't, expression shock at the prices of Square Enix Merchandise (JESUS, SORA, ARE YOUR ZIPPERS MADE OF GOLD??) and, finally we actually spotted THE INFAMOUS PERSONA 4 YU&YOSUKE ALARM CLOCK. Yes, the one that wakes you by enacting Yu and Yosuke having a sleepover. Unfortunately, I couldn't buy it - it turned out my credit card has hit it's monthly limit, since I transfered a lot of cash to my Japanese bank account. Sigh. Oh well, it should be back up by next week. Mio ended up insisting to lend me some money to buy some other stuff, though. ;__; I need to repay her as soon as possible. She's really an amazing friend.

On the way back to the dorm, we were just talking and exchanging knowledge, and I ended up showing her my RP blogs and some of my fanworks. I had sung along with some of the songs in the store and since Mio said she really loved my singing voice, I ended up showing her some fandub-singing I did on my personal blog. She told me she'd buy a CD of that. I've never been so flattered before. Then, she read through half of one of my english fanfics, despite her english skills being about as good as my japanese skills, meaning reading is *tiring* for her. She ended up nodding off halfway through, but said she definitely wants to read the rest sometime. Good thing it was one of my one shots. :'D I want her to show me some of the Japanese Fandom sometime, too... Well, I guess, with going to Animate and so on, I am seeing some... We wanted to buy Persona Dojinshi in the Dojinshi section, but there were none, but she ended up taking an SnK one instead, and I grabbed myself a Ace Attorney: Dual Destinies Dojinshi I actually found (YES ACE ATTORNEY HA HA)

We spoke about voice actors and Anime dubbing in different countries, I even told her about the former horrors of 4Kids, which led to the following exchange (in japanese, of course):

Me: "...And when anybody would die, they'd change the dialouge to "They disappeared" or "They went somewhere else"."

Mio: "What? Why would you even...?"

Me: "Yeah, apparently 4Kids thought kids can't handle death, so they changed it. Don't worry, everyone thought they're idiots for it."

Mio: "That's really stupid, yeah. When a character dies, they're dead. They didn't just 'go' anywhere."

Me: "The most famous case is what they did with Yugioh. They said, those people went to the 'Shadow Realm'."

Mio: "Shadow Re---" *burst into hysterical laughter*

Me: "Yeah, exactly."

Mio: "That sounds unpleasant and creepy, actually!"

Me: "To a kid, who is probably exposed to death on the news every day, but never to otherworldy, unknown realms of doom? Scarier than death, probably."

Mio: "Yeah, I'd think so!"

Me: "Well, after some legal issues, though, 4Kids lost a lot of money to TV Tokyo and now they're not around anymore."

Me: "...Oh, excuse me. I mean 'They went to the Shadow Realm'."

Mio: *roaring laughter*

So, yeah. I had a good day. A really good day.

It's amazing to have great friends. 

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Hi, I started studying japanese and english (language and culture) this semester, and I was told that after getting my degree, I could teach french or english in Japan (if I get my degree in the first place, of course). I don't know what kind of job I want yet, but i'm interested. What do you think about it, do you know what kind of job you want? Didn't you say that you were offered a job as the assistant of a teacher, too? How is it like? (I don't remember if you accepted the job, though)

Hey there! Unfortunately, they never called me back about the job, it looks like a friend of mine got it instead. Apparently the reason is that I don't have a Facebook Page; they scout out the facebook pages of their applicants first, and since I don't have one, they must have skipped me... *deep sigh* Oh well, she needs the job more than I do, anyway.

As for me, I love doing translation work, but I think I am still too unreliable to do it professionally. I don't know about the working conditions here for foreign women, but given people woth a degree are always treated better, I wouldn't be too worried. The livestandards here are really not bad at all in my opinion, so you could probably live comfortably, if you find cheap accomodations somewhere! 

Generally, Japan is in BAD need of good teachers for foreign languages, so I believe you would have a good chance! If you are interested, I would try to go for it!