L. M. Lloyd

I have to say, the most surprising and wonderful thing I found on my trip to Tokyo had nothing at all to do with anime. It was the store Tokyu Hands. This has to be the coolest store ever created by man. It is a little hard to explain, because it is such a weird concept, but I will do my best. First, you start with a huge department store. Each floor is devoted to a particular type of product, just like most department store. So far, nothing special. What is special, is the type of stuff they have. I have never before seen a store where I could buy a nice suitcase, some office supplies, a bicycle, a couple Gundam models, some custom laser-cut wood, casting resin, a vacuum chamber for casting, a nice messenger bag, and a new couch, all under one roof! It really is pretty breathtaking. Not only that, but it is some really cool stuff. Whoever is the buyer for Tokyu Hands, has a very interesting, and quite good, sense of taste. I saw more unique and interesting things under that one roof than you would normally see in any ten other shops. If you are going to Tokyo, check out Tokyu Hands. Just be prepared for a long slog, because the store in Shibuya is something like eight floors high, but hey, they have a restaurant in there, so you can take a break and get some food if it wears you out. I also checked out the one in Ikkebukuro, and it was something like seven floors, with a pet shop on top. It is really worth checking out.