Tokyo – Akihabara and the world's largest electronics store

We are, as you may know, modern type people, and that means that we travel with a plethora of gadgets — phones, tablets, laptops — that are really only happy when provided with internet. And, obviously, being housed by a university in tech forward Japan means that our gadgets are all very happy, with lots and lots of internet available, right? Lots and lots and lots of internet. Except the internet, though provided, is only provided through a single wired connection, which means lots of unhappy phones and tablets, and only one happy laptop at a time. Even worse, one of the laptops only had a European plug, and so it could only be happy for a very short period of time. Clearly, something would have to be done about all of these unhappy objects.

But what to do?

The world's largest electronics store to the rescue. After a metro ride into Tokyo and a few wrong turns trying to leave the metro station, we found ourselves looking up at a giant electronics store. First floor: phones and tablets, nothing interesting there
Second floor: school supplies, and more school supplies, and still more school supplies. Also some books about computers and computer languages, and probably some other things, but none of that mattered because: SCHOOL SUPPLIES!!! Whole walls of nothing but paper clips in every color and shape imaginable. Aisle after aisle of pens: gel, ball point, multicolor. Ones that you could fill up with the 3 or 4 or 5 or 6 colors of ink that you wanted. Brush pens for making Japanese characters. Scented pens, pencils, markers, and highlighters. Paper of every size and shape and color; plain, lined, gridded; thick, thin, bound, and loose leaf. Cards, journals, notebooks. All accompanied by endless renditions of the refrain of the Battle Hymn of the Republic.
Third floor: Hmm, good question. There were some scrapbooking type supplies, and some video game consoles, I think. In any case, Andy and Teddy disappeared for a while and there were some beeping noises coming from their general direction.
Fourth floor and fifth floor: These floors exist. At least, I believe they exist. To the best of my knowledge, we weren't ever actually on these floors, except as a means to get to the escalator to ride up to the...
Sixth floor: Toys! and videogames!! Also known as the floor of torture. Despite my agony, I did not turn over any secrets to the enemy.

And then, loaded down with a new cord for Carmen's laptop, a Japan friendly charger for the DS, and enough pens, pencils, and paper to open our own specialty store, but no router, we emerged from the insanity.

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