hontou ni sou omou?

Within two hours, I was literally left with just enough coins to get a train to the nearest Citibank ATM. orz

TBC [Edit: Updated at last!]

Arrived at the Big Sight Yurikamome station around 1145 hrs and there was this snaking queue from the Big Sight that wound back through the station and towards the Rinkai station before turning back into the main approach to the convention centre.

Despite the huge numbers, the queue moved continuously at a steady pace and I entered the building itself within 15 minutes.

The tunnel connector between the main entrance and the East halls had a low ceiling and plenty of glass. With the blazing summer sun and masses of bodies, it was abominably hot and humid but after another 10 minutes of so, I reached my main objective of East 4-6 halls to search combing through the MariMite doujins. My basic methodology excluded ‘For adult only’ doujins as a negative criteria and preference given to circle stalls that were fronted entirely by women (assumption was that they were the artists/circle members). I also looked for non-lolified art though chibi was ok.

Konata and co’s resting area in the ComiKet episode!

Heading towards the West halls, I saw the moving queue up to the open air cosplay area.

The moving line (two by two) into the West hall (especially the commercial booths). Simply amazing how this was just moving and moving and moving. It felt like people were being disgorged like water from a waterfall over the edge of the escalators. In West 4 hall with the commercial booths, there were hordes of people queuing for new TYPE-MOON games and other merchandise, such as the Saber plushie for the Fate/Tiger Colosseum game at the CAPCOM stall.

Because there wasn’t enough space for all the people queuing, the staff had arranged holding areas outside. Each 2×2 queue formation had a leader board stating clearly (in Japanese and often with illustrations provided by the booth) what they were queuing for and a ‘This is the end of the queue’ sign at the end which would be held by attendees who would then pass the baton to others who joined the queue. Like airport controllers, staff would coordinate with each other to move these 2×2 blocs of people through the crowd as soon as space became available inside (with a sign saying: This is NOT the end of the queue at the booth. The queue is outside. Or the like.) - you’d see a procession lead by staff shouting ‘Let’s! Let’s! Let’s!’ (telling the queuers to follow and for the rest of the crowd to make way). I was simply in awe at how they managed such large numbers of people with so smoothly.

Fleeing from the Big Sight after my first day. Was completely broke. Had no money even to buy drinks from the vending machines - thankfully, I could refill my used bottle from water coolers or even the very clean station toilet taps!

This is a sign for the Metro but this situation actually happened quite a lot at ComiKet - guys will normally have big backpacks and/or huge hand-carries. Girls will have luggage trolley types. Lots of collisions all over the place but everyone just takes it with the territory.

Tried to see some work by Makoto Aida at the Mizuma Gallery at Naka-Meguro before the place closed but was sorely disappointed that I couldn’t enter the rooms on the 2F and 5F - both were locked and no response to knocking. It didn’t help that the building had a rather run-down and even sleazy feel to it. Quite a contrast to the Tolman Collection!

What a day! Phew! Shirt and towel were completely soaked through. Follow-up post on figurine purchases that evening at Akiba and a rundown on figurine shops in the Radio City building.

Slice of life:

Kobeya breakfast again. Fish (mackerel?) croquette and coffee-milk this time.

Ten-don from the eponymous chain, out from the JR Akiba Electric City exit, past the curry place on your left and the seven flours of cosplay on your right, turn left and it’s the first food shop under the rail bridge. Basic ten-don (JPY 500) with a prawn, squid, fish, long beans, pumpkin on rice. Jyo-ten-don (JPY 580) comes with two prawns, half a long eggplant, pumpkin and something else… Free flow of cold barley tea to quench a thirsty throat on a hot day.