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Japanese Toy Shop

by Roy on August 17, 2006 07:24

Years ago when I was a little kid, I used to think Tokyo was a giant robot chogokin heaven and that there were anime shops and toy stores everywhere. I thought I could just get off the plane and buy as many toys as I wanted. To me, Japan was simply an anime and comic toyland. The reality was that there were not as many toy shops as one would expect in a country that produces and exports some of the coolest toys around. In recent years, with more adult otaku refusing to grow up and still playing with gundams (you know who you are) there seem to be more and more toy shops around that target these adult “hobbists.” Before that, the only places you could find “toys” were at the local toy shop like the one in this photo or at a department store (1) This shop is your typical mom & pop toy shop. It had a very carefully chosen and balanced selection of toys and gunpla. The owner made sure there would be something of interest to anybody from age 4 to 40 (2) Japanese Twister!! Placed just at the right height to catch the eye of adults ’cause everyone knows Twister ain’t just for kids ;-)