Tokyo Haze #5

Another Tokyo Haze! Apologies for the delay but I've been busy with several other projects and so things have hit a slammer for a bit. To continue onto Day 5 after last time....

I went back to Akiba! Day 2 at Akiba involved seeing more of the shops I couldn't fully explore along with the infamous Nozomi shrine residing nearby. I headed to the shops lying further away from the main Akiba station which led me to the other branch of Amiami along with a few other things I wanted to check out from stores I noticed previously.

It really was a quick field trip to Akiba (I say quick but I ended up browsing for hours) before I made my way to Nozomi's shrine (Kanda shrine is its name).

Now, full disclosure and as I've said many times, I'm not a fan of Muse. I tried getting into it but I really could not. That being said however, it was still interesting to see a real-life place that inspired the location in the anime. Oh, and the fact that the mikos here wear purple ribbons instead of the usual red.

I should also mention that this shrine became very much more popular because of Love Live and thus, cue the anime items!

Aside from that, even when placing wishes, some people have resorted to designing their own wooder plaques instead of buying the available ones.

This one especially looks great!

All in all, it was an interesting experience. No doubt, if it was an Aqours focused one, I might be more inclined to join in with either making a wish or getting some sort of merch being sold. I'm not a Buddhist or Shinto and certainly not very religious but even giving a prayer might not be out of the question if it was for the whole atmosphere that these special shrines give out.

People can say what they want about this sort of 'thing' interfering with the religion and culture but when it comes down to it, this is what encourages a lot of people to come. This is also a great source of income for a shrine that can benefit from it. To me, it is what it is. I wouldn't be offended by this. Certainly not when the ones doing the representing are innocent school idols.

Can't forget the famous steps!

The day ended right after. Day 5 was pretty mellow and considering the amount of walking I had to do since I arrived (I was certainly not prepared!), it was a good break from it all.