On my first day here in Japan my husband promised to buy me a new phone so I would be able to keep in touch with my loved ones and be reachable in case of an emergency (though I’m sure he thought that I’m much more likely to get into some sort of trouble 😉 ).

Because he had to work the night before and only finished around 10am I was somewhat sceptical if he’d have the stamina to then go shopping with me but we agreed on meeting in Akihabara. Because where else would you go for a first look than the electronic mecca of Akihabara?

I didn’t have to wait long and only took a few snapshots before we started at Yodobashi Camera, one of the largest, if not THE largest electronics store I’ve ever been to. There are a few more large electronic stores in Akihabara and like in Germany, too, the range of goods is everywhere nearly the same. Each store has seperate parts for each phone company, as each phone company doesn’t just offer everywhere available phones but also individual ones. Though you can buy a mobile phone without a contract especially for new ones it’s cheaper if you buy it with a phone contract.

So when there are everywhere the same offers, why did we go to each and everyone of the large stores? Because even though the phone company contracts as such don’t change, there are always campaigns where you can get sale discounts or in-store points that you can use for something else and so on. So it not only matters that you find a reasonable contract form for you which covers everything you want to use; it’s also important to have a look at which campaign suits you best if you want to make a good deal. For everyone who knows my husband it shouldn’t come as a surprise that we spend A LOT of time on those stores while he tried to figure out the best deal for me.

Of course we had to stop for lunch in between stores, otherwise I might have revolted (I become hangry really quickly ^^”) so we grabbed some Sushi.

I have to admit, I admire his power of endurance because I would have said “A f**k it, I’m taking this one” and just chosen one. I remembered the process somewhat fuzzy from the last time I tried to buy a phone here while my semester abroad and it was even more complicated than I thought. But thanks to my better half I now have a great new phone (the Sony Xperia z3 for all technic enthusiasts) at the best price possible, which allowes easy access to everything I need.

More pictures from Akihabara

On our way we stopped at a drug store to see if we could get me something to stop the pain in my sore throat. I don’t have yet health insurance here so it would be difficult (and possibly pricey) to see a doctor so this was the next best option. I brought medicine from germany because of my cold, but even the normally very strong throat drops did nothing for me. The clerk there suggested something that I tried but I think in the end it was time and hot beverages that really made the difference.

Nevertheless, even though I originally had planned to not eat too much fast food I found myself on my first day in front of a McDonalds to taste the new Hawaii Edition Loco Moco Burger. Even though they never look like the pictures it was really not bad with the egg on top and the aromatic sauce. The sweetness and intense strawberry flavor of the Strawberry Pie were nearly too much (and I don’t even have the full capacitiy of my tastebuds right now). I think under normal circumstances I wouldn’t have been able to eat it all.