Anime Aunties Visit Japan

Day 4: Akihabara, Maid Café, and the Real Sailor Moon Shrine

Lynzee: Today we hit the otaku mecca: Akihabara. The area has changed post-pandemic and wasn't as bustling as I expected it to be. Still, I can't argue that this place had everything an anime fan could want, whether that's home appliances, retro video game cartridges, UFO catcher prizes on the cheap, or walls and walls of gachapon machines.

Our first stop was the Akihabara Gachapon Hall, which included rows upon rows of machines. All the popular series were there, but there were unique machines with unexpected prizes like bugs, lizards, and tiny desserts. We found one retro machine that had classic Trigun figures that Jacki and I had to try.

I ended up pulling Trigun Maximum Vash while Jacki got my boyfriend, Legato Bluesummers?! We traded because we're cool friends like that. We each tried out a variety of machines, and I got very excited when I spotted a Mobile Suit Gundam: The Witch From Mercury gachapon with acrylic standees. Would I luck out and get Suletta, Chuchu, or Prospera...?

...

I got the ultimate F-boy Elan Ceres. I guess that's the luck of the draw, right? All in all, our gachapon haul included: one sleepy Slowpoke, one sleepy Clefairy, Trigun Maximum Vash, Legato Bluesummers, a Power keychain, a Genya Shinazugawa cord holder, an Elan Ceres acrylic standee, and a tiny Charlotte Katakuri from One Piece. Each machine ranged in price from 300 to 500 yen, so we had to be really choosy. It would be easy to drop 5,000 yen in a place like this!

Out of coins and still, a full day left in Akihabara, we popped into a few shops like Super Potato, a multi-story shop full of retro arcade games and merchandise, and two Liberty shops. Liberty sells crane games and gachapon prizes on the first floor, matchbox cars and train models on the second, anime Blu-rays on the third, and adult games and magazines on the upper levels. Don't find what you're looking for? Just cross the street or go down another block for yet another Liberty store to browse!

We had a break before our next appointment, so we took the remainder of our time to head out on Steins;Gate pilgrimage. The sci-fi series heavily takes place in Akihabara, and this was the perfect opportunity for Jacki (Okabe) and myself (Kurisu) to recreate some iconic shots from the anime.

After finishing up our anime snapshots, it was time for the day's big event: at-home cafe! The staff arranged super premium maids, Chimu and Yuyumelo, to give us the maximum maid experience. There was plenty of maid magic to go around as we ate omurice (with ketchup art!), a matcha drink (with a fluffy panda!), and watched a full-scale dance performance. Chimu was very funny; she's the "tomboy" of the group and loves martial arts, movies, and major league baseball. Yuyumelo has a smile that can light up the whole room and exudes positivity.

Honestly, I'm sure some people are cynical about the appeal of maid cafes, but I came away from the experience with a lot of respect for the performers. I can also see how a place like this can be relaxing. It's a really harsh world out there, and it was refreshing to spend time with people who seemed genuinely happy. I'm also hugely sentimental, so when Chimu told me that this cafe was "my home in Japan," I legit almost cried on the spot.

Jacki: Moe, moe, kyun! The at-home cafe in Akihabara could not be described better than that. Wow, this has easily been my favorite part of the Japan trip so far! There's an epic dancing performance, the maids give you deliciously decorated drinks and food, and they're so sociable and sweet.

You go up the elevator and are greeted with the most adorable brightly colored hallway. It shows giant pictures of the maids. There are giant posters to take photos with them. Walls of photos of them if you want to get a postcard featuring your favorite(s). Basically, maids, maids, and more maids!

Each patron is considered a Master or Princess, and it's basically fun dining with a show. If you go to Japan, you have to attend. You have to go. These women are so talented. They're so entertaining and engaging. Their dancing and singing were impressive. It's such a warm, welcoming experience, like nothing I've ever seen.

It's so unique to Japan, and whatever your age or gender, you're going to find this enjoyable and highly entertaining. There were actually a lot of women in there, having a get-together with another friend or with a group of girlfriends because the aesthetic is just joyous and KAWAII!

Basically, I want to move to Japan and become a maid now. I need to send in an application because this was just the most fun I've had in a long time!

Lynzee:We'll have a larger piece about at-home cafes with all the details, but if you're in Akihabara and a maid cafe is on your list, I can't recommend this magical mansion enough. All the maids are really nice, and the environment is welcoming to all genders. The customers actually skew females; about 60% of the patrons are women. The staff shared with me that many are girls who are new to the Tokyo area and visit the café to talk to the maids for a "big sister" sort of interaction and get advice about make-up, fashion, and pop culture.

After we wrapped up at the maid café, I decided to head back to my hotel to pick up my phone before heading to another meeting. Jacki made her way to the real shrines that appear in the Sailor Moon anime and manga (for two total locations).

Jacki: All Sailor Moon fans can clearly recall when they were first introduced to the beloved show. Whether it was Saturday mornings or Toonami, they remember that distinct feeling in their heart when they saw the Sailor Scouts first come on screen.

For me, Sailor Moon goes a lot deeper than just some fun morning or evening pastime. My parents gave me a Sailor Scout shirt after one of their visits to Asia when I was in 2nd grade. It featured chibi versions of the characters, and I thought they were so adorable but also fearsome. I didn't know much about this group of girls, but I loved them.

When I went to school wearing it, I noticed some of the other girls in class laughing at me. I shyly put my head down and tried to walk by quickly. Then one of them came up and asked me, "Which one was my favorite?" I pointed to Sailor Mars. She said, "Really? You remind me more of this one." She pointed to Sailor Mercury. I so badly wanted to make friends that I agreed. 'Oh yeah, I can see that,' I thought! Not really? I mean, I had long black hair and was extremely angry all the time on the inside since my family and school life were far from fantastic. Even with their chibi faces, Mars looked overcome with wrath, while Mercury looked determined to just survive.

I am not sure why, but I totally immersed myself in the Sailor Scouts after that, particularly Sailor Mercury. I would watch it in the morning and in the afternoon, record it on VHS, read the fanfiction at the library, print out photos of them, and post them all over my room. When we went to Chinatown, I would stock up on Sailor Scout barbies, key chains, stationary, sticker books—whatever I could get my hands on, but particularly Mercury paraphernalia. In 7th grade, two of my friends and I pretended to be Sailor Moon, Sailor Venus, and Sailor Mercury; we wrote down all the lyrics to “Carry On” and made up fan dances and performances.

To say Sailor Moon was a part of my youth would be an understatement. It was my youth, and it's a huge part of who I am. To this day, at age 36, I still proudly have a wall scroll of all the scouts hanging up in my room. I am detailing all of this so you can understand that Sailor Moon was not just a hobby; it was my deepest love as a child.

So, if I am going to Japan for the first time, you better believe I am visiting the Sailor Moon shrines. “Shrines?” plural, you say? Most fans think Shrine and think Sailor Mars. Rei worked at the local shrine with her grandfather, and we saw it repeatedly in the manga and anime, whether the girls were hanging out or taking on baddies.

Apparently, the manga and Sailor Moon Crystal based their shrine imagery on Azabu Hikawa Shrine in Azabu Juban. The '90s anime used imagery based on the Akasaka Hikawa Shrine in Akasaka. You'd need a very good eye to really notice the differences; they look very similar in the manga/anime images. In real life, though, they're vastly different, and both are incredible to see, especially if you're a fan.

Azabu's gate, the stone signage outside, the red doors nearby—I immediately recognized it. When you enter the grounds, you get an overwhelming sense of peace, and when you see the different parts, you truly can envision the Sailor Scouts there! It made my little heart smile. There are many shrines like the Azabu all over Japan. Modern buildings surround them and take up a small space, but are beautiful and unique. I could clearly imagine Rei tidying up the temple and practicing martial arts in her traditional shrine garb at this spot.

The Akasaka shrine stirred a much deeper reaction from me. This shrine is immense, it's much bigger than Azabu, and it's got lion stone statues, giant gates, lengthy staircases, shadowy trees, and more. The instant serenity (ha, get it?) I felt after crossing the gate and the nostalgia wave when I saw the temple, statues, and stairs that I vividly remembered from the '90s anime was overwhelming, to say the least. I am not sure why this one hit harder. Perhaps it's because I personally feel more attached to the '90s anime, or because this shrine is just impressive on its own.

Walking around, I obviously thought a lot about Sailor Moon and my youth. So many years have passed since my Sailor Moon obsession was at its peak, but I haven't really reflected on why I was so passionate about the show, particularly over Sailor Mercury. Being at that serene shrine allowed me to reflect.

I didn't have any friends growing up. I really struggled with that (and still kind of do). The Sailor Scouts were kind of substitutes, and since I had no sense of identity and was very afraid to voice my opinion—someone aptly comparing me to Mercury? I latched on to it.

I remember having so much trouble talking to people and making friends. Even if that girl only talked to me once about Sailor Moon, it left such a huge impression on me. Knowing and loving something deeply somehow helped with the social anxiety and allowed me to connect with people, or maybe that's what I told myself as a kid.

I knew Mercury's birthday, astrological sign, and blood type (I actually knew all of theirs at one point). I knew how to say each of her attacks and every detail of her transformation movements and poses. It may sound strange, but I am so grateful. Sailor Moon may not seem like the healthiest addiction to many, but it allowed me to find myself and express myself, and to not feel alone.

So, who is my favorite Sailor Scout now? I mean, we love them all in their own way, don't we? But Sailor Mercury will always be my favorite deep down because she truly reflected my behavior and nature as a child, even though deep down, there was a fire of Sailor Mars eagerly waiting to break free. Sailor Mars and I are basically the same people now that I am finally embracing my voice and have a good sense of self: ambitious, aggressive, brutally honest, fashion-forward, and fabulous. I've also found myself gravitating more towards Sailor Pluto as I get older, the sagacious protector who is kind but a little beaten up and softer after enduring so much.

This was supposed to be a quick write-up about why you should visit the Sailor Moon shrines. It turned into something much more than that because I believe the shrines will just have that effect on you if Sailor Moon meant as much for you as it did for me.