The crowded open-air market on Nakamise-dōri near the Buddhist temple at Sensō-ji is a Tokyo landmark. Over 80 small shops sell a staggering selection of items in a location which has been active since the 16th century. Karli and I are touring the market with my friend and ex-coworker Terry and his wife Misaki, who are acting as hosts and guides for the middle part of our trip.
I'm not a huge shopper when it comes to travel souvenirs - generally I like to pick up a mug if I can find something suitable, if it survives the trip home a mug is a practical item that will last for years if you're careful doing the dishes, but most of the merchandise at the I ♥ SOMEPLACE level leaves me cold. However, as we make our way through the masses of people, a t-shirt hanging at one of the shops catches my roving eye.
For me, the recognition of Astro Boy (Mighty Atom in the original long-running - and incredibly popular - Osamu Tezuka manga*) is immediate. In its animated version, Astro Boy defined the look of anime* at its beginnings, and was one of the first Japanese animation exports to reach North American audiences, making its NBC debut in 1963, long before Sailor Moon or the Transformers. It doesn't hurt that the shirt says SCIENCE FICTION in large lettering, either.
Rather than attempt to turn against the tide in order to take a closer look, we make our way to the end of the market and return via a side route with much less traffic.
Once back at the store, I take a second look and discover that the image is actually a lenticular add-on that shows Astro Boy's internal structure and outer shell, depending on the angle of view. It's maybe a bit pricey at ¥3,900, but it's enough of a unique item that I'm willing to make the investment - provided that the woman running the store can find something in my size. I wait patiently while three women hold t-shirts to my back, examine my shoulders and debate sizing in English and Japanese.
As it turns out when we get to our hotel and I have a chance to try the shirt on, I'm comfortably snug in a Japanese XL, which in North America would probably hang a bit loosely on me. I might have even been able to wear an XXL in the unlikely event that they'd had one - even finding the XL involved a bit of digging around.
Sadly, this trend continues through the trip. Sorry, Colin - I know that you'd placed a request for a t-shirt or two, but Japanese sizes don't translate well (so to speak) to the larger North American physique.
- Sid
* Every now and then I need to remind myself that not everyone who reads these postings will be conversant with the specialized vocabulary of my interests - in other words, you may not speak Geek. Manga are Japanese comics, which are commonly published in more of a softcover format rather than the North American comic book layout. Anime refers to Japanese animation, which has always had a unique style and feel compared to Western animation. In terms of quality, anime compares to the Flintstones in the same fashion that the Mona Lisa relates to wallpaper.
