December 02, 2001 CURRENT RUMBLE The Last Pilgrimage... Michael Grifka 12.02.01 10/20/2001 Go West Young Man (and a little south...) While Fukuoka is viewed as pioneer territory by absolutely grand zero of the Japanese populace, the city does seem to exist in some sort of parallel nation. Or at least, a peripheral one. Fukuoka and its immediate surroundings now house more than two million people, but the city still has a wide, spacious feel to it. Crowds move at a slower pace, locals are less reserved than their Honshu counterparts, and strangers treat each other more warmly than in the super metropoli of Osaka and Tokyo. Spur of the moment, with a borrowed JR Pass in hand, I hopped an early morningShinkansen train from Kobe and arrived at Hakata station two and a half hours later. It would be my final visit to Fukuoka, the place where I started my Japanese adventure more than two years ago. Stepping off the train, I felt an immediate sensation of closure. Sentiment aside, I had come for toys!! Fukuoka is the vintage toy hub of all of Kyushu. Collectors from the island's seven prefectures haul their treasures north to Fukuoka's flea markets, as well as the independent and chain toy stores. While Kyushu's population is relatively small, fewer collectors means less competition. With improved technology, communication, and the internet, true rarities and bargains no longer exist anywhere, but when a new haul of toys arrives, it may sit for a while... especially at the Mandarake!! Fukuoka's Mandarake lacks the frenzied atmosphere of the branches in Tokyo, and to be honest, I don't miss it. Here, I can browse the aisles of 4 different floors and examine manga, anime and cels, new and vintage toys , garage kits, video games, and even take in a karaoke performance by a CosPlay employee belting out the theme song to Doraemon. Leisurely. I know what I'm here for, and so I head straight to the fourth floor: vintage toys. There's an enormous collection of Takatoku and Bandai Valkyries , two overflowing cases of Chogokin, a great Takara display of Microman and Transformers, and a fair share of old kaijyu vinyl. I won't lie to you, though. The true treasures all belong to the Tokyo stores. There was zero Henshin Cyborg, no G1 Transformers, and the Valks were all incomplete or broken. The Chogokin selection was solid, and I eyed a few pieces that made my wallet tingle. Sadly enough, the only Jumbo in site was a beat up GodSigma, and priced to work at Mandarake longer than most employees. With the help of a polite clerk (doesn't happen in Tokyo, folks!), I selected about a dozen pieces to examine. The clerk assisted me in opening all the boxes, and realizing that I couldn't fully read the sloppy kanji notes on the price tag, notified me of each toy's imperfections. My hat's off to Mandarake and their staff. They're a class act! I settled on a standard Popy Daltanious, totally dead mint in a beat up box, a couple of obscure, but worn BaluAttack vehicles, and a loose pink Microman Lady Command. I passed on all the Valk stuff, was tempted by an original Megatron deadstock in the Microman box (too pricey), and couldn't find an original Ultraman Jamila, my current kaijyu flavor of the month. I did, however, discover a rare eight inch Nakajima Groizer-X hard vinyl in his box. I've seen the miniature and standard size die-cast, but never the vinyl. As I hauled it over to the register, I peered behind the counter to see a Popy JM Robot Factory God Mars box. I thought, it can't hurt to ask, right?? Sadly enough, a customer had purchased it on deposit the day before. I inquired about the price...32,000 Yen ($270) for near mint in the box!! WOW!! I had found the bargain, only to be a day late. Ahhh, shogunai, neh? It can't be helped. I finalized my purchase by explaining for the umpteenth time that foreign credit cards do so work in Japan... I checked out the beautiful displays of video games, advertising characters, posters and screen-used original costumes before leaving to explore the smaller stores of the city. Sad to say, but the stores I had frequented two years ago had all disappeared. Super 7, Canal Toys, On The Moon, Fukuoka Hobby...all gone, victims of a bubble long ago deflated. The only survivior was Takarajima, and he doesn't keep standard retail hours. In their place, I found store after gruesome store full of McFarlane Spawn rejects, overstock UniFive Jumbos, and Kubrick characters. After a solid afternoon of toy hunting, I gorged myself on Hakata ramen, the local specialty. It's super yummy, and I have no idea exactly what is in it. It's just damn good, and best not to know. My stomach full and the sun setting quickly, I hurried over to the 'Anime Basement' in a popular shopping center to visit the Tsurabaya Ultraman and Tezuka Osamu novelty stores. They're chock full of ridiculous, totally unnecessary but fun goodies like: Astro Boy cookies , Kimba socks, Baltan cork boards , and adult-size RedKing underwear. What can I say? I've got a monster in my pants!! After Mandarake, I was tapped, and played that famous consumer game, 'touch, but don't buy'. The sky completely dark and those crazy 'PM employees' of Japan's social entertainment industry making their way to the streets, I popped back on the Shink to Kobe. Back to the crowds, the hustle, the bustle, the guts and gritty insides of life in central Kansai. 11/20/2001 Phoenix, AZ Retrospect: Well, I've been back in the USA for three days now, the Japanese chapter of my life closed...for now. On my way home, I was selected at LAX for a random, computer-generated, federally-mandated thorough security search. LAX security opened all my luggage. They opened every box, scrutinized every toy, and harrassed me for not notifying them of the scissors in my carry-on. The search took two and a half hours. I missed my flight. It took me a full day to get home. Nobody bothered to say, 'Omatase-itashimashita', or: Unfortunately, I have caused you to wait. Welcome, back. Your dreams are your ticket out...  RUMBLE INDEX  |  CURRENT RUMBLE