Japan Spring 2013 Trip: Day 5 - The Live Performance

I had another free day today so again, I decided to head up to Tokyo for some more window and actual shopping.

Day started off dreadfully, weather-wise. Just like yesterday, the rain kept pounding non-stop from Nagoya all the way to Tokyo. No fun.

First stop was Akihabara. This time, I did some exploring around Yodobashi Camera so I could escape the rain. There, I discovered one of the largest headphone and earphone stores I've ever seen, with a huge lineup in store, most of them available for you to try.

A few points of some of the models I tested below:

• Some of the more high-end, full-sized headphones like the Beyerdynamics and Shures really needed an amp to shine. Powering from an iPhone, they sounded rather tinny, but when plugged in from the store's own music unit, they were really nice.
• Shure SRH-1840. Great when mid-range and vocal performance is of the highest priority. Otherwise, forget it.
• Beyerdynamic DT250. I cannot believe these were only $120AUD. Looks non-descript but the sound is so enjoyable.
• Beyerdynamic DT1350. Boring. And these were supposed to be portable cans, yet they sounded a little tinny.
• AKG K550. This really needed an amp. Playing from my iPhone was horrifying, yet powering from the store system sounded okay. And even then I wasn't that good.
• Audio Technica A900X. Wow. So comfy, yet the sound so warm and lively. Even from an unamped source like my iPhone, they sounded much better than its closest rival, the aforementioned K550
• JVC FX700. Incredibly detailed, with great sound. Not sure if it's worth the $210AUD admission price though.
• JVC FXZ200. These were a far better bet at $130AUD. 90% of the FX700 at almost half of its price. Lively, energetic yet more detailed and controlled than my current (and already lovely) FXT90.
• Audio Technica CKM-99. Deep and warm but not lacking in treble and detail. A very different experience to the JVCs - it's not an airy, lightweight sound. Think sumo wrestler compared to a Muay Thai kickboxer. Surprisingly cheap at $80AUD.
• Radius Atomic Bass. Bassy. Like, really bassy. Detail and trebles, although pronounced, get lost in the bass. Hence the name.
• Sennheiser IEM-8. These were pretty good, but more costly than the JVC FXZ200 or Audio Technica CKM99.
• Couldn't get a proper fit with any of the Final Audio products. Just too thin and it sounded tinny as a result. A proper ear loop and a fatter bud may have helped, but the cables were too short for that to work.

If you noticed carefully, those prices are astonishingly cheap when compared to purchasing from Australia. Although it does help that the store sells mainly Japanese headphone brands, with some of the more Western brands (like Sennheiser, Shure, Beyerdynamic or Ultrasone) coming in at more "normal" prices.

Had enough audio testing, so I went up to Asakusa (and through the drenching rain) for a bowl of tendon (tempura rice) at Tenya.

Back at Akihabara, the weather finally cleared up. Much better for taking photos outdoors.

There, I continued my window shopping, although I did buy (another) Akarin T-shirt, this time from the SKE48 x Crewz series. Yup, I'm going to have a lot of T-shirts when I get back home.

Checked out both Trio stores at Akihabara and Nakano in order to help a friend buy him some stuff. Having (half-) completed that, I decided to go to Shinjuku to see if some of their book stores also sold what I wanted to find (and as well as being a good location to take the train back to Nagoya via Shinagawa)...

...of which my time ended up being extended by at least an hour more than I needed. Why? I came out of the station and noticed this rather small stage with a very familiar backdrop on it...

Judging also by the amount of staff, security and crowds starting to gather, I presumed it was related to Minami Takahashi's debut solo single. Turns out it was a guerrilla live. What a pleasant surprise. Because I seemingly arrived earlier before the crowds really started to become packed, I managed to get a fairly good position up front. (Of course, my height does help...).

And, after waiting for around half an hour, she finally arrived on stage, dressed in her Jane Doe outfit. Yes, she really is... short. (Sorry, Takamina fans XD). She performed Jane Doe, abridged, of which her performance live was okay - nothing really out of tune and generally fairly aggressive. Ambience aided by a front-row trio of wota (guessing they're Takamina oshi) who MIXed and wotagei-ed during the song; everyone else were just your casual fans and observers wanting to enjoy this special impromptu live. Of course, for me, it was great seeing her in person for once.

Soon afterwards, there was a bit of Q&A by the MC and then they brought out a birthday cake for her, since hers was coming up in a few days time. So they got us to congratulate and cheer for her, which was a nice gesture. Not long after that, she left the stage and that was the guerrilla live finished. A short, but enjoyable moment. Definitely felt lucky to have caught seeing her live. Now I can finally say I've watched the 総監督 performing live in person.

After that, I did what I originally set out to do and headed down to Kinokuniya and Book Off, to no avail. By then, my legs were tiring and my stomach growling so I went to the nearest Go Go Curry for some curry katsu.

Shinjuku at sunset really does look quite nice.

Breakfast: Fruit Jelly
Canned coffee of the day: Kirin Fire (3.5/5)