The World’s Anime & Manga Capital – Tokyo, Japan

Konnichiwa! 

こんにちは!!

Japan or Nihon (日本) which I like to call it is one of the most exiting countries on earth to visit! The country has a long and amazing history, fascinating culture and architecture and breathtaking natural scenery such as the famed Mount Fuji and Cherry Blossoms. The people are friendly, polite and respectful and are always willing to help out. However, if you are travelling to Japan, it is best to know a bit of Japanese as most people do not speak English.

Asakusa Kannon Temple in Tokyo

Bullet Train passing Mount Fuji

Cherry Blossoms in Tokyo

Tokyo Skyline with Mount Fuji

Tokyo Skyline with Rainbow Bridge and Tokyo Tower

I have always been fascinated and interested with the Japanese culture and their way of life in particular, the Japanese popular culture – anime, manga and video games. Whilst there are many places to visit in Japan that I have found amazing, in this blog post I am primarily going to be focussing on my #1 location that I have found amazing in Tokyo, Japan’s capital and largest city. This place is none other than Akihabara, located in central Tokyo!

Akihabara, Tokyo

Akihabara, Tokyo

ARE YOU A DIEHARD ANIME, MANGA, OR VIDEO GAME FAN? Then you must visit Akihabara! It is the place I would definitely recommend out of all of the places in Tokyo for those who love anime, manga, and video games. I have to admit; I myself am an Otaku and have found it amazing, so anyone who is a fan I believe would definitely have a great time shopping for anime goods in this district! It also attracts many people cosplaying their favourite anime, manga and video game characters! You may even see your favourite character that is being cosplayed! So a definite must visit if you would love to see costumes! Where else in the world will you be able to see people cosplaying on the streets?

Merchandise

Maid Cosplayer handing fliers on the streets of Akihabara

American Actress Kirsten Dunst Cosplaying on the Streets of Akihabara

Otaku attractions I would recommend in this district would be the maid cafe. Maid cafes are themed cosplay restaurants where waitresses not only serve food such as tea and cakes, but they engage in conversation and games with their customers with the same respect as if they were serving a master of a house. Wouldn’t it be nice to experience what it feels like to be the master of the house? 

Maid Cafe in Akihabara, Tokyo

More Maid Cafes in Akihabara

More Maid Cafes in Akihabara

It is not only about anime, manga and video games though! The district is widely known for its electronic shops hence it is called the ‘electric town’ as it is the world’s largest electronic goods district. You can buy products ranging from robot pets and toys, gadgets, portable music and many more!

Electronic goods in an Akihabara Store 

So come to Tokyo, Japan and visit the Akihabara district! I guarantee you would definitely have a great time having a look at goods if you are an manga, anime and video game fan! If you are not, just come along and have a look! There is a bit of everything for everyone!

Happy travels and keep travelling the world!

~Stephen T~

The City of Lights, the Arts, Romance and Love! – Paris, France

Bonjour to everyone reading this!

France is located in Western Europe and borders between Italy and Spain. The country enjoys cool winters and mild summers. However, along the Mediterranean, the climate ranges from hot summers and mild winters. The capital of France is Paris, and the official language is French, so knowing a bit of French would be a definite must before travelling there! (which I need to brush up on!)

So I haven’t been to France before but I am planning to visit the city of Paris early next year! I have friends who have been to Paris and they say it’s AWESOME! So in this blog post, i'm going to share my thoughts with you guys and gals what I think of Paris and what I will be doing when I visit there!

So one of the reasons why I would love to travel to Paris (I’m going to be controversial here) would be because it is the creative capital of the world and a city of inspiration! Having studied art in high school and being one of my favourite subjects, it would be an EPIC experience to visit the Lourve, one of the famous museums in the art world!

Louvre Museum

While my friends who have been there told me the line to enter the Louvre museum may take forever to get in like hours... it is worth it! Famous artists from the art world have works exhibited in the museum such as the famous Mona Lisa by Leonardo Da Vinci. There are approximately 35,000 pieces of art works exhibited which are displayed over 60,000 square metres of space.

Eiffel Tower

The architecture in Paris also seems very fascinating! Some of the famous monuments include;

- Eiffel Tower
- Arc de Triomphe
- Notre Dame de Paris Cathedral

Arc de Triomphe

Notre Dame de Paris Cathedral

I would definitely visit these architectural monuments and they are some my top things to do when I visit Paris! I know there are also endless things to do in Paris! From shopping, fashion (well I’m not a fan of shopping and fashion but to those fashion and shopping frenzy people out there, Paris is the place to dig out goods), to the arts, bustling cafes, food, and many more!

Au Revoir! Happy travels and keep travelling the world!

~Stephen T~