Comments on: Baba’s abandoned curiosity shop

By: MJG

MJG — Mon, 25 Oct 2010 04:53:58 +0000

Hi Angela, and there’s no shame in liking Harry Potter Agreed, the red brick and quaint style would make it an ideal location for a wand shop…

By: angela

angela — Sun, 24 Oct 2010 19:00:52 +0000

quite an embarassing comment but looks like it belongs along diagon alley or hogsmeade. If you understand this comment I am thoroughly ashamed, if you don’t, shame on you!

By: Seba Rashii

Seba Rashii — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 19:49:58 +0000

MJG – Maybe I saw them often because I like to wander around bizarre places! (I still do now but no vending machines where I am now sadly.) But they are around, just very well disguised or in places few people wonder but the knowledgeable! I wrote a post about vending machines a while ago, link below…

http://seba-rashii.blogspot.com/2009/09/appreciation-from-afar-vending-machines.html

Most of the pictures linked to are from the site below, including images of above mentioned machines!

http://www.photomann.com/japan/machines/

Worth a look if you’re curious!

By: MJG

MJG — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 15:06:25 +0000

Leni- Ah, good find! Cheers. A cool concept with a great facade to go with it.

Seba- I’ve never seen one of those things, would feel like finding some kind of nearly-extinct animal if I ever did.

Jonathon- Thanks for your comment, and yes I could probably follow up your ideas with success, if I spoke/read Japanese well enough and wanted to put the time in. I suppose my interest is a bit more passing than that. I don’t know what Kevin Cooney said about police boxes here, but I’ve only ever found them helpful and very nice. Maybe he had a bad experience.

Paul- Thrashed with a hammer? And why would they get shut down if they become popular, surely the owner would want more people to go frequent them. Unless they’re actually illegal or something? Black market vending machines?

By: Paul

Paul — Wed, 21 Jul 2010 04:05:20 +0000

Yeah, the prob with those vending machine locations is that once they get published and become a part of the fricking _tourist trail_ (no, really, haikyo too more recently) they tend to get shut down quickly, hence the mere hint. Not to matter anyway, the machines been thrashed with a hammer recently it seems so its just a vanity-photo opportunity anyway now, no joke birthday gifts for your friends and family. XD

By: Jonathan Fenny

Jonathan Fenny — Fri, 16 Jul 2010 19:23:50 +0000

Do libraries in Japan have old trade directories/yellow pages from say the 70s or 80s that you can consult? I suppose if you knew the approximate address you might find something.

From what I’ve heard from Kevin Cooney aka Tokyocooney the police in their police boxes aren’t too approachable.

If the local coppers were friendly/not busy perhaps you could ask about the property’s past.They’ll probably know what buildings are/were on their ‘patch’.

But I think asking the police might be unwise?!

Old residents will probably more approachable

Thanks for all your postings

By: Seba Rashii

Seba Rashii — Wed, 14 Jul 2010 21:48:30 +0000

MJG – In a word, yes! That’s one of the things I found when I looked inside the secret vending room…I read somewhere that they’re not so common these days apparently but I’ve only ever seen them here and Shibuya. There was also a DVD machine selling “adult material” although I didn’t look too closely at that as they’re quite common to see. Also the usual drink and snack machines too. I think I bought a green tea there!

By: Leni

Leni — Wed, 14 Jul 2010 03:47:32 +0000

I did a Google search of “Meikyoku Kissa Ranburu”. Apparently it’s a classical music cafe. Sounds like an interesting concept.

By: MJG

MJG — Wed, 14 Jul 2010 01:43:30 +0000

Seba and Paul- Now I’ll be just guessing wildly. A panties vending machine? The 8-bit imagery clue just leaves me more confused than ever. Ah well, perhaps I’ll never know…

Serizawa- Thanks for this, so it was a manga cafe?

By: Seba Rashii

Seba Rashii — Tue, 13 Jul 2010 08:50:42 +0000

Paul: Ha! I was right about the secret vending machine hall! I can’t remember exactly what the location is…somewhere in Waseda possibly, as that’s where I used to walk frequently?

But there were some machines of a nefarious nature there that did catch my attention. Any one got the location? That really did make me laugh even more than when I discovered where the same machines are in Shibuya. (Not where you’d think they’d be!)