
PlayStation VR, anime figurines, a hair dryer; you can get a lot for $5,000 in Akihabara.
Tokyo Otaku Mode‘s Otaku Prize Spin has some juicy prizes, including trips to Japan, free Japanese lessons, plushie collections, and even a Ladybeard body pillow. One prize they offered recently was goods from a $5,000 shopping spree in Akihabara.
“But I’m not in Japan!” you may have thought. That’s fine. Relying on Japanese otakus’ intimate knowledge of the neighborhood (and their outstanding morals), Tokyo Otaku Mode asked ten people to go on a $500 shopping spree in Akihabara for the winner of the grand $5,000 prize. The best part? They made a video of it!
Tokyo Otaku Mode recruited friendly-looking fellows straight off the streets, asking if they’d be willing to help run some errands for them. With $500 (about 50,000 yen) in hand, they hit the stores. Akihabara is well known as a haven for high-tech and anime-related goods, so shoppers came up with some pretty cool stuff.
▼ Among some of the more high-tech goodies were things like a PlayStation Vita…
▼ …and Virtual Boy, an old-school virtual reality machine from Nintendo.
Buyers also decided gadgets like a hair dryer and an ice cream maker were worth purchasing. There were, of course, anime goods such as figurines and T-shirts thrown into the mix as well.
When Tokyo Otaku Mode asked their volunteers to go shopping, they emphasized that they wanted buyers to find interesting items. Some groups took that to heart and shopped accordingly.
▼ For instance, here’s a bowl shaped like a human head. Feed your hidden zombie desires.
They also included a book titled “The History of Potato Chips in Japan.” Potato chips have been a big deal recently in light of the potato shortage that forced snack company Calbee to temporarily halt the production of Pizza Potatoes.
All said and bought, this was the final outcome: a pile of plastic and paper bags that covered an entire table surface and spilled over onto the floor.
▼ I shudder just thinking of the shipping costs.
You could say that Tokyo Otaku Mode’s giveaway not only shows us what cool things lurk in Akihabara, but also makes you think about what you would buy if you were asked to shop for a total stranger.
Interested in other shopping sprees? Take a look at how far will 10,000 yen get you in Harajuku’s fashion world with the aid of two teenage experts!
Sources and images: YouTube/Tokyo Otaku Mode, Tokyo Otaku Mode





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