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 search 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 stores in Japan, and I wanted to participate in an event held in Japan myself. This time, I decided to follow that desire.
This was my second trip to Japan. My only previous visit was to Osaka before serving in the military. Since six years have already passed 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 home. 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 a 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 stopped by Akihabara first. Even if I saved proper shopping for later, I wanted to walk the streets I had only seen in photos and videos. Signs and merchandise for various games caught my eye, and I spotted Blue Archive plushies on the display shelves. On my very first time in Tokyo, I was already looking for familiar students' faces.
After looking around Akihabara, I returned to Ueno and headed to the hotel. I ended up traveling back and forth between Ueno and Akihabara multiple times over the trip. Little did I know at the time that while I was broadly exploring Akihabara on day one, I would later spend my time hunting for a single small Neru plushie.
Heading to Osaka solely for the stamp rally
The reason I decided to travel all the way to Osaka on my first Tokyo trip was simple. A Blue Archive stamp rally was currently taking place in Osaka, and I wanted to visit all eight locations.
Morning of October 8. I traveled 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 tray table and taking photos, I checked out the Shinkansen tie-in event content on my phone. My Blue Archive itinerary had begun even before reaching my destination.
About two and a half hours later, I arrived at Shin-Osaka Station. From there, I took a 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 locate each event spot one by one.
The first location was Little Osaka in Namba's underground shopping center. The student waiting here was Aoba. I found her standee, took a photo, and collected my first stamp. Although this was my second trip to Osaka, this time Blue Archive dictated where I went. Instead of choosing tourist spots and stores on my own, I moved along the eight spots where the students were waiting.
Next up was Wanaka Namba, home to Nozomi. After collecting Nozomi's stamp, I took a look at the collaboration takoyaki. The menu featured two varieties themed after Gehenna Academy and Highlander Railroad Academy. They were priced at 850 yen each. Since it was a spot where I could get both a stamp and a meal, I couldn't pass it up.
After covering the two spots in Namba, I walked down toward Nipponbashi. At the third destination, Animate Osaka Nipponbashi, I met Hikari. Since I was inside the store, I browsed the merchandise and bought a packable jacket. Stamps weren't the only thing accumulating on this trip—my luggage grew as well after grabbing some Sauce Katsuwiches featuring Blue Archive artwork.
Walking further down past Nipponbashi, Tsutenkaku came into view. A Gehenna flag was fluttering atop Tsutenkaku Tower. After snapping photos of this impressive exterior, I went into Tsutenkaku Wakuwaku Land and met 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 remaining students.
At Spa World, site of the fifth stamp, Satsuki was waiting. After finding Satsuki, I pulled out my companion Neru and took a commemorative photo in front of the event sign. I wanted to unwind my tired body at Spa World, but as someone pressed for time, I held back my tears and moved on to the next destination.
Next was Café Doubutsuen no Yoko ("Café Next to the Zoo"), where I met the sixth student, Ibuki. After collecting Ibuki's stamp, I ordered a drink and took a short break. I gathered the coasters and plushies on the table to take a picture. After moving non-stop between stores and event standees, it was nice to sit down and rest for a moment.
Leaving the café, I moved toward Abeno. At the Abeno Rakubus rally point in Hoop, I found Chiaki. Having collected my seventh stamp, only one student remained.
The final destination was Animate Tennoji. Collecting Makoto's stamp here completed all eight locations. Starting with Aoba in the Namba Underground Shopping Center and finishing with Makoto in Tennoji, searching for each student led me through various neighborhoods across Osaka.
I also received an Osaka commemorative medal as a completion reward. The result of starting in Namba and hunting my way south culminated in a single medal resting in the palm of my hand.
After completing the rally, I returned to Shin-Osaka Station. I boarded an afternoon Shinkansen and 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 by evening. Although my lodging was in Tokyo, every single photo taken that day was filled with Osaka and Blue Archive.
Meeting our students in Akihabara
On October 9, I thoroughly explored Akihabara. Oversleeping delayed my departure, but this time there was no need to catch a Shinkansen. I took the train down from Ueno to Akihabara and headed straight for the official Yostar Shop. Having collected stamps the previous day, today was all about merchandise.
Inside the shop, acrylic standees and Halloween-themed merchandise of the students were on display. While I browsed through other students as well, my eyes naturally gravitated toward Neru whenever I caught sight of her. Just being able to see and pick out merch of my favorite student in person at a local shop made it hard to leave the display cases for quite a while. The Yostar Shop also appeared to sell takeout café beverages.
The total spent at the official shop came out to about 220,000 won in Korean currency. I had fully achieved my goal of seeing Blue Archive merchandise in person in Japan. However, my Akihabara schedule for the day had only just begun.
After leaving the official shop, I toured Radio Kaikan and surrounding merch stores. For lunch, I ate at Spaghetti Pancho. I picked whatever caught my eye on the Japanese menu, and a plate arrived with thick Napolitan noodles topped with a massive hamburg steak. Seeing the plate made me realize why "Mega" was in the dish name. I felt like I could finish it, but I worried about digesting it afterward.
Even after lunch, I explored the Akihabara area further. I moved between merchandise shops and secondhand stores, checking out items from various franchises. Whenever I spotted Blue Archive, I gave it a second look and took another photo. Searching for who was where was an entertainment in itself for the day.
In the evening, I returned to Ueno and laid out the items I bought in my hotel room. Gathering the acrylic stands and various merchandise together really made the scale of my shopping spree hit home. Afterward, I went back out to look for snacks to share with coworkers and gifts for my family. As a traveler, I couldn't just head back having only taken care of my own merch.
Meeting Problem Solver 68 in Shibuya, then back to Akihabara
Saturday, October 10. The schedule for today was heading from Ueno to Shibuya, then dropping by Akihabara again. I intended to tour Shibuya early and head back, but oversleeping pushed my plans back once more. By the time I arrived at Shibuya Crossing, lunchtime had already passed.
First, I visited the Problem Solver 68 pop-up store on the 6th floor of Shibuya TSUTAYA. This was the event that made waves even in Korea due to Kayoko's striking outfit. The store displayed illustrations and merch of Problem Solver 68, and 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 spotted a notice for the Blue Archive Autumn Fair that kicked off that very day. Even in a different neighborhood, the game I was searching for remained the same.
After leaving Shibuya, I took the Yamanote Line toward Akihabara. It was the route looping back via Shinagawa and Tokyo. Looking at the loop line map, I had the relaxed thought, "This is basically Seoul Subway Line 2." By the time I arrived at Akihabara, it was around 4:00 PM. The reason I returned to the neighborhood I had explored just the day before was the small Neru plushie I had yet to find.
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 of a size easy to carry around in hand. While there were shops displaying Blue Archive plushies, I had to check them one by one to see if Neru was among them.
On Surugaya's online store page, I found an item listed as having one in stock. However, when I asked a store staff member directly, the answer was that it was sold out. Moving on to Namco, there was a claw machine where you could win plushies of C&C, the club Neru belongs to. I wondered if I might see Neru this time, but the notice attached to Neru's entry read "終了"—Ended.
To find Neru, I checked other stores like AmiAmi, Lashinbang, and Mandarake. In Akihabara, where I had been curious about the whole street on day one, I was now scanning display cases in search of a single small plushie. Even after finishing dinner, the search continued.
Just as I was thinking it was time to give up, I found a box piled with Chibigurumi plushies in a small shop. Digging through it with a "last chance" mindset, Neru emerged from buried near the bottom of the box. The price was 1,980 yen. After wandering around hearing "sold out" and seeing "ended" notices, meeting her was more welcoming than any other merch.
Now that I had found the Neru I wanted, it was time to comfortably enjoy my last night. So I headed to an arcade packed with claw machines.
I struggled because I didn't properly understand the claw's reach or how to tackle the box. Then a staff member came over, repositioned the box for me, and even explained the trick using a translator app. Thanks to that, I ended up taking home a Seia (Swimsuit) prize figure.
Having found Neru and secured the prize figure, it was truly time to return to the hotel.
The next morning, I ate hotel breakfast and packed my luggage. Taking the Skyliner from Ueno to Narita brought the 5-day, 4-night itinerary to a close. There were lost hours due to oversleeping and moments when I couldn't find the items I wanted. Still, I collected eight stamps in Osaka, viewed a mountain of Blue Archive merch in Tokyo, and brought home the precious Neru Chibigurumi I had searched so hard for.
Looking back at my travel route after returning, a large round trip remained between Tokyo and Osaka, while overlapping lines marked the multiple trips between Ueno and Akihabara. Scrolling through photos along that path revealed student standees, merchandise, and the Neru who traveled by my side.
If someone asks what I did in Tokyo on my first visit, the story would take quite a while to tell. But to the question of why I traveled all that way, I can give a short answer: Simply because I love Blue Archive.
