I love Blue Archive. Among all the students, my absolute favorite is Neru Mikamo. This trip is the story of a Sensei so truly dedicated to Blue Archive that he booked a hotel in Tokyo and took a round trip all the way to Osaka the very next day.
When you love a game, there are times you want to look for its traces in the offline world. I was curious to see how the students I usually see on-screen would look waiting for me at local Japanese stores, and I wanted to participate directly in an event held in Japan. This time, I decided to follow that desire.
This was my second trip to Japan. My only previous trip was a visit to Osaka before serving in the military. Since it has already been six years since my discharge, it meant I was setting foot on Japanese soil again for the first time in quite a while. It was also my first time visiting Tokyo.
So, what was I going to do on this trip to Japan? This time, the answer was crystal clear: Blue Archive.
In Osaka, complete the stamp rally. In Akihabara, visit the official shop and merchandise stores. Also stop by the Problem Solver 68 pop-up store in Shibuya. And if I spot Neru anywhere, bring her back with me. Although it was a slightly unusual trip—booking a Shinkansen to Osaka on my very first visit to Tokyo—it stayed entirely true to its purpose.
Of course, having a huge passion for something doesn't automatically make you a seasoned traveler. Oversleeping threw off my schedule, and stores I visited often told me items were out of stock. Meeting the student I wanted outside the screen wasn't as easy as expected, either. Thus began the clumsy Japan trip of a Sensei searching for eight digital stamps and one small plushie.
Heading to Akiba without even checking into the hotel?
October 7. After arriving at Narita Airport, I took the Skyliner to Ueno, where my hotel for this trip was located. For the next few days, I would set off from here every morning in search of Blue Archive and return in the evening.
Before heading to the hotel, I dropped by Akihabara first. Even if serious shopping was saved for later, I wanted to walk down the streets I had only ever seen in photos and videos. Signboards and merchandise from various games caught my eye, and I spotted Blue Archive plushies on display shelves. On my very first visit to Tokyo, I was already looking for the familiar faces of my students.
After looking around Akihabara, I returned to Ueno and headed to the hotel. I ended up traveling back and forth between Ueno and Akihabara many times during the trip. Little did I know then that, after exploring Akihabara broadly at first, I would later spend my time hunting for a single small Neru.
Off to Osaka Solely for the Stamp Rally
The reason I decided to travel all the way to Osaka on my very first trip to Tokyo was simple. A Blue Archive stamp rally was currently taking place in Osaka, and I wanted to visit all eight locations.
The morning of October 8. I moved from Ueno to Tokyo Station and boarded the Shinkansen. I brought my Neru plushie along inside a clear bag. After placing Neru on the train table and taking a photo, I checked the Shinkansen tie-in event content on my phone. My Blue Archive itinerary had already begun before I even reached my destination.
About two and a half hours later, I arrived at Shin-Osaka Station. From there, I took a local train down to Namba. The rally route went through Namba and Nipponbashi, then continued toward Tsutenkaku, Abeno, and Tennoji. Traveling from Tokyo to Osaka wasn't the end of the journey; now I had to find each event location one by one.
The first stop was Little Osaka in the Namba Underground Mall. The student waiting here was Aoba. I found the standee panel, snapped a photo, and collected my first stamp. It was my second time visiting Osaka, but this time Blue Archive set my itinerary. Instead of picking tourist spots and shops on my own, I moved along the eight spots where the students were waiting.
Next was the Wanaka Namba Store, where Nozomi was located. After collecting Nozomi's stamp, I checked out the collaboration takoyaki. There were two options themed after Gehenna Academy and Highlander Rail School. Each was priced at 850 yen. Since this stop allowed me to collect a stamp and get a meal, I couldn't just walk past it.
After checking off two spots in Namba, I headed down toward Nipponbashi. At the third destination, Animate Osaka Nipponbashi, I met Hikari. While inside the store, I browsed the merch and bought a packable jacket. It wasn't just my stamp count that was growing—picking up Blue Archive-branded sauce katsu meant my luggage was growing too.
Walking further down past Nipponbashi, Tsutenkaku came into view. The Gehenna banner was fluttering on Tsutenkaku, and after snapping a photo of this impressive sight, I went into Tsutenkaku Wakuwaku Land to meet the fourth student, Iroha. Reaching this point meant I had collected half of the eight stamps. Time to walk a bit more to meet the rest of the students.
At Spa World, home to the fifth stamp, Satsuki was waiting. After finding Satsuki, I pulled out my companion Neru to take a commemorative photo in front of the event sign. I wanted to unwind my tired body at Spa World, but pressed for time, I held back tears and moved on to the next destination.
Next was Café Next to the Zoo (Café Doubutsuen no Yoko), where I met the sixth student, Ibuki. After collecting Ibuki's stamp, I ordered a drink and took a brief rest. I gathered my coasters and plushies on the table and took photos. After moving non-stop between shops and event panels, I finally took a moment to sit back and relax.
Leaving the café, I moved toward Abeno. At the Abeno Rakubas rally point located in Hoop, I found Chiaki. Having collected the seventh stamp, there was now only one student left.
The final destination was Animate Tennoji. Here, I collected Makoto's stamp, completing all eight locations. Starting with Aoba in the Namba Underground Mall and finishing with Makoto in Tennoji, searching for the students one by one brought me through various neighborhoods of Osaka.
As a completion reward, I received an Osaka commemorative medal. The result of searching southwards starting from Namba remained as a single medal in the palm of my hand.
After completing the rally, I returned to Shin-Osaka Station. Taking the afternoon Shinkansen, I headed back to Tokyo while eating an ekiben. It was a day that started in Ueno in the morning, toured Osaka, and returned to Ueno in the evening. Though my hotel was in Tokyo, the photos I took that day were filled entirely with Osaka and Blue Archive.
Meeting Our Students in Akihabara
On October 9, I explored Akihabara in earnest. Oversleeping delayed my departure, but this time I didn't need to catch a Shinkansen. Taking a local train from Ueno down to Akihabara, I visited the official Yostar shop first. Having collected stamps the day before, it was time to check out merchandise.
The store displayed acrylic goods of the students and Halloween-themed merchandise. I browsed other students in turn, but whenever Neru appeared, my eyes naturally gravitated toward her. Just being able to see and pick out merchandise of my favorite student in person at a local shop made it hard to leave the display case for quite some time. Inside the Yostar shop, they also seemed to sell take-out café drinks.
The total amount spent at the official shop came to around 220,000 won in Korean currency. My goal of seeing Blue Archive merchandise in person in Japan was fully accomplished. However, my Akihabara itinerary for the day was only just getting started.
After leaving the official shop, I explored Radio Kaikan and surrounding merchandise stores. For lunch, I ate at Spaghetti Pancho. Looking at the Japanese menu, I picked whatever caught my eye, which turned out to be a plate of thick Neapolitan spaghetti topped with a huge hamburg steak. Looking at the dish, I understood why "Mega" was in the menu name. I felt like I could finish it, but I worried about digesting it afterward.
After eating, I continued to explore the Akihabara area. Moving between merchandise shops and second-hand stores, I looked at goods from various franchises. Whenever I spotted Blue Archive, I stopped for a closer look and took another photo. Searching for who was where was the main entertainment of the day.
In the evening, I returned to Ueno and laid out the items I had purchased at the hotel. Seeing the acrylic goods and various items gathered together, the sheer scale of my shopping spree hit home. Afterward, I went out again to look for snacks to share at work and gifts for my family. As a traveler, I couldn't return home having only bought merch for myself.
Meeting Problem Solver 68 in Shibuya, then Back to Akihabara
Saturday, October 10. The schedule for the day was traveling from Ueno to Shibuya, then stopping by Akihabara once more. I had planned to explore Shibuya early and head back, but oversleeping delayed my plans yet again. By the time I arrived at the scramble crossing, past lunchtime had already come and gone.
First, I visited the Problem Solver 68 pop-up store on the 6th floor of Shibuya TSUTAYA. This event had generated buzz even in Korea due to Kayoko's daring outfit. The store displayed illustrations and merch for Problem Solver 68, though some of Kayoko's items were already sold out. I purchased three merchandise items here as well.
After exploring the Pokémon Center and Nintendo Store at Shibuya PARCO, I headed to Animate Shibuya. By chance, I came across a notice for the Blue Archive Autumn Fair that had started that very day. Even if the neighborhood changed, the game I was looking for remained the same.
After leaving Shibuya, I took the Yamanote Line to Akihabara. It was the route heading back via Shinagawa and Tokyo Station. Looking at the loop route map, I even commented, "This is basically Seoul Subway Line 2." It was around 4 p.m. when I arrived in Akihabara. The reason I returned to the neighborhood I had explored the day before was a small Neru plushie I hadn't managed to find yet.
Chibigurumi~ Where are you~ (in Konoka's tone)
Apart from the large Neru plushie traveling with me, I was also looking for a small Chibigurumi. It's a plushie size that's easy to hold in your hand. While there were stores displaying Blue Archive plushies, I had to check them one by one to see if Neru was among them.
On the Surugaya online store page, I found an item showing one last remaining unit in stock. However, when I asked the store staff directly, the answer came back that it was sold out. Next, at Namco, there were crane games where you could win plushies of C&C, the club Neru belongs to. I wondered if I might finally see Neru this time, but the label on Neru's slot read "終了"—ended.
To find Neru, I checked out other stores like AmiAmi, Lashinbang, and Mandarake. In Akihabara, where I had been curious about the entire street on the first day, I was now checking display cases in search of a single small plushie. The search continued even after finishing dinner.
Just as I was thinking it might be time to give up, I found a box piled with Chibigurumi in a small shop. Digging through it with a "last resort" mindset, Neru emerged, buried near the bottom of the box. The price was 1,980 yen. After wandering around hearing "sold out" and seeing "ended" signs, finding her made this plushie more welcome than any other merch.
Now that I had found the Neru I wanted, it was time to comfortably enjoy the final night. So, I headed to an arcade packed with crane games.
I struggled because I didn't properly understand the claw's movement range or how to target the box. Then a staff member came over, repositioned the box, and even explained how to win it using a translation app. Thanks to that, I was able to hold a Seia (Swimsuit) prize figure in my arms at the end.
Having found Neru and secured the prize figure, it was truly time to head back to the hotel.
The next morning, I ate hotel breakfast and packed my luggage. Taking the Skyliner from Ueno to Narita brought my 5-day, 4-night itinerary to an end. There was lost time due to oversleeping, and there were moments when I couldn't find the products I wanted. Even so, I collected eight stamps in Osaka, browsed tons of Blue Archive merchandise in Tokyo, and brought back the precious Neru Chibigurumi I had searched for so feverishly.
Looking at my travel route after returning home, a large round trip remained between Tokyo and Osaka, while overlapping lines crossed back and forth repeatedly between Ueno and Akihabara. Flipping through photos along that path, there were student standee panels, merchandise, and the Neru who traveled with me.
If someone asks what I did in Tokyo on my first visit, it would be quite a long story, but to the question of why I traveled all the way there, I can give a short answer: Simply because I love Blue Archive.
