Carrying a doll around Akiba

So I'm not sure where to put this thread since it's not on topic but not off topic xD

 

I'm going back to Japan in May and am super excited! the first trip we got all the tourist stuff out of the way, now it's time to achieve some bucket list goals this time around. One of those is I want to spend a day in Akihabara with my DD girl, but I'm just terrified. Ideally I want to brave myself up enough to take her out in the open instead of a carry bag.

 

Have any of you ever done this with a DD or resin Volks doll? I really want to hear about your experiences with everything! Give me stories This is one of those things where I know I shouldn't care, because why (gonna be nerding out over other stuff anyway) but it's hard to get past. I saw dolls more than a few times in Akiba, but I don't really remember seeing them out on the street. Mostly in stores. Not sure if those people had a bag they removed them from or not.

 

I'm aware Volks doesn't want non Volks dolls in their stores and I won't be bringing any with me to JP in general, but I wonder if they'd be weirded out or unhappy if I had say my Peach Pai on my girl. Or if I should change it before I go.

 

I dunno, stories please! Good, bad or neutral

Baldylox is recently back from a trip to Japan with dolls. In the Photos area he posted a number of photo posts of his trips with some details about traveling with DDs. Check out those posts You can probably ask him specific questions about his experience.

Baldylox also posted photos of Manami in Doll Point, with her peachpai on. I guess if they're in clothes its okay but if you had your doll in next to nothing it could be an issue (and might be kinda weird in general.)

 

Akihabara is a pretty geeky place, so taking a doll around isnt too weird. Another place it wouldn't be so weird would be Harajuku - specifically around Takeshi ta street (thanks forum censor), because trust me, it wouldn't be the weirdest thing there (if you go there, tell me if you see an old woman in colourful clothes walking around with a boombox on her shoulder loudly singing along and dancing, cos I've seen her multiple times now). I have seen street fashion people carrying Pullips in Harajuku actually.

 

In most other parts of Japan, big dolls or anything remotely weird in public is about as weird as it would be in the West. The nice thing is that most Japanese people tend to mind their own business/ignore it when they see weird things (Australians are absolutely rubbish at this and its why I'd be hesitant to take mine out for photos somewhere back there, no matter how badly I wanna take Mel to the graffiti alleys in Melbourne :I) They might whisper, but it's incredibly unlikely anyone would come up to you and interrogate you about it, which is a common occurrence in the west. And since you're a tourist, no one is going to recognize you ever again (unlike me who has to at least make some attempt to keep up 'appearances', so my dolls only come out when I'm far from this town)

 

Anyway, when I take mine out I do still take the bag so I can put them back in it if need be, mine kinda looks like a tote bag mixed with a freezer bag that is the perfect size for a sitting doll.

My only advice is that carrying a doll around all day, even in the bag, is heavier than you expect even though they arent heavy themselves... my arm actually got a bit cramped carrying Miku all day at MagicalMirai)

(PS when are you gonna be there, cos I'm going to Tokyo in early May at the butt-end of golden week for DollShow and Dolpa)

As others have said, we went to Japan last year and stayed in Akiba. We took our girls out and about all over the place and no one said a thing to us or even gave us a second look! It was very fun and we got tons of cool photos with our girls all over Akihabara.

 

And yes, I took Manami with me into Volks Doll Point and she has BIG peach pai and they said nothing about it. AsianEd and I used one of the photo areas for 30 minutes without incident. We got lots of good photos and had fun.

 

We also took them to a small shrine just down from where we were staying. THAT felt a little awkward since some of the older people who were visiting gave us odd looks..... but no one said anything to us and we didn't get those "OMG DOLL PEOPLE" stares.

 

We hit up Danny Choo too at his Mirai Store. He had no problems with us bringing in Volks dolls. Of course, we spent a BUNCH of money with him and Ed bought a Smartdoll there too. LOL

 

And thanks to the dolls, we got to be on Japanese TV! We went to a sakura blossom festival at Ueno Park and brought our girls along. A TV crew came by and they were doing interviews on foreigners visiting and what they brought with them. They saw me and then saw the dolls and BAM! We got on TV! There's a thread here somewhere with pics and the TV show video too, I just can't seem to find it right now.

 

We weren't the only people out with dolls either. We met a couple from Russia who were in Akiba with a very large resin boy. He was really nice looking and when we saw them and they saw us it was like instant friends!

 

So please, please, PLEASE walk around with your girl out! Don't hide her, enjoy your time with her there! You might even make some friends!

 

 

EDIT: Check out these photos of mine with us out and about with our girls!

 

 

 

https://www.flickr.com/photos/balldylox/albums/72157679249187964/page2

 

 

 

 

Billy

Like stated before, thee little girls get heavy after a while. So be prepared. I took Miku out for free comic book day May of last year. I had a shirt that had to shoulder loops on it and I made a small loop with snaps that went around her thigh and the shirt's loop so she could sit on my shoulder. It kind of worked, but only as the messenger bag I brought to put the free comics in also trapped her foot to stabilize her. After the bag got full and heavy, it pressed her leg into my chest more, and got really uncomfortable. Plus by then she was sliding down too much and it wasn't working anymore. But it was fun, and people liked taking photos. One lady thought it was Sailor Moon. One guy did recognize her as Miku. A couple little girls told me they liked my doll and thought she was pretty. Rest were finger points to draw attention of their companions. Nothing bad, and we all enjoyed it. This year I plan to take Serena as Sailor Moon, so it should be fun. But I need to come up with a better way to carry her about.

Carrying a doll can get heavy after a while, and I prefer to have my hands free for shopping

 

Even with a doll bag, after I while it was bleepbersome with it over my shoulder.

Recently on twitter I've seen some people using Yuriqlo Clear Bags (or similar) for their DDs.

(yuriqlo_doll and 165DDmiku on twitter have photos)

It seems like an easy way to carry dolls openly, and easy to pick them up to pose for photos.

I'd like to find something similar for when I visit again as well. Last time I had no dolls with me.

 

While I didn't see any DD/BJD, I did see a couple with Pullip or those Living Dead Dolls in backpacks and at Harajuku Takeshi ta Street, but there no one would really bat an eye eitherway. :'D I think it is indeed more a thing about your mindset of having a doll out in public than the publics reaction. I've ony gotten comments or questions in positive or polite/neutral ways for other things (shirts, accessories), so next time I go I'll have at least one girl with me for sure. The photography potential is too high not to! It would be lovely to see any photos you'd take.

it's a busy place, i'd be afraid of bumping someone and knocking something off the girl if you are letting her sit somewhere out in the open. On the 2 trips I made to japan, I saw a few people with doll bags hanging around in akiba but never in the open.

so...?

do you bring your doll to akiba...?

 

this is my Momo in akina

Untitled by R.Rama Adhypoetra, on Flickr