Back in 2023 I backed a Kickstarter called "Lets Go. To Japan!" which I received last year. And like a lot of my KickStarters, I have yet to get it to the table. Yeah, yeah, my Shelf of Shame is rather large. Must do better.
Anyway, as anybody knows me, I and my Wife often go to Japan. So this time I took along the Tokyo cards from the afore mentioned game to see what score I could drag up from visiting places in real life and get a final score. Now, to clarify, I am only scoring the card scores, not the bonuses, and only if I have the cards on me. I did go to a number of places where I could have scored extra points but I didn't actually have the cards on me at the time as I had either forgotten them, or the visit was an accidental wayside which was unanticipated.
So to kick things off... Welcome to the Imperial Hotel.
We didn't stay here. This time we stayed at the New Otani Hotel in Asakasa, but last time we went to Japan we did stay at the Imperial Hotel for a month. The Hotel is right next to Hibiya Park which is where the photo was taken from.
It is located right next to the Imperial Palace itself (hence the name) where the East Gardens are open to the public...
Which is also very close to Tokyo Station...
It is also of course, right next to the most impressive shopping district of Ginza. Which leads me to...
Note to self. Don't let The Wife go shopping in Ginza. Damn. Too late. We went out with 2 suitcases and came back with 4 as well as sending stuff back by parcel post.
So I need to do my own shopping..
Ikebukuro...
(Which is home to the largest Gachapon Arcade)
Shinjuku...
(Which also has a very impressive Garden of its own)
Nakano ... wait, there is no card for Nakano which is a shame really as it really is a good place to pick up old and rare objects.
Anyway, where was I? Oh yes, shopping. Shibuya is home to the largest Don Quixote if you really want some oddities, but the Akiba one is better. Everybody knows about the Scramble....
And the most Loyal Dog...
Harajuku... (But I didn't buy anything - apart from Crepes, more of which later)
But for me, the best shopping place is definitely Akihabara...
Because I literally wrote the book on this. Can you believe that it's been 20 years since it was published? Pity that the Internet has made it obsolete now.
Japan is a complicated place made of of New Tech and Old History. It boasts some truly impressive old Shrines...
Kanda.
Meiji Jingu
Zojoji
As well as a few smaller ones dotted about all over the place. This one is in the backstreets of Akiba.
But for me, what truly stands out is the food. It is a foodie paradise. Whether it's a high-end restaurant, or simple street food, I put on 2Kg whilst I was out there. Guess I gotta work that off somehow.
Perhaps I could have scored the "Eat at the Best Restaurant" card multiple times?
On the subject of scoring, as I said at the start there are some places I went where I could have scored, but didn't. So my score is lower than it could have been, but never mind. It's all about playing the games anyway. Which reminds me. If you ever want to play some games whilst in Japan, then I really recommend that you join the JIGG - Japanese International Gamers Guild. They have regular meetings all over the country and are really welcoming to newcomers of all skill levels.
So, the final score....
71
No comments:
Post a Comment