Usually, I wander around in Akihabara searching for old Ma.K garage kits, but this time, as I was behind in the purchases of all the injection kits that had been released one after another for the past six months, I was also after them.
Since Luca, the Italian Master behind the incredible model kits by Kallamity, was also in town, we decided to coordinate our shopping sprees. We also had an appointment by the end of the day at Yokoyama-sensei's house, and Linc was to join us later in the afternoon. But it's still morning, and Luca and I had rendez-vous at a coffee shop, the one where I usually wait for the doors to toy hell to open at the beginning of a shopping day.
The day starts with lots and lots of coffee! (Picture courtesy of Luca)
We were in a building with many hobby shops crammed in on almost every floor, some of them so packed with merchandises that getting through is hard even for the thinnest people. I was stuck in the middle of such a place when the mobile phone I rented rang:
My brain: ?!?!?!?!?!?! That was quite unexpected! Apparently, Sensei ran out of ink and since he somehow knew I was in the Akiba area (Linc?), he called to ask me to pick up a color cartridge for his printer. Aye, aye Sir! Some more browsing and we decided to sit down a bit and re-energize ourselves. After running in circle in the food court of the Yodobashi Camera Building in search for a place that didn't have long lines of hungry customers, we landed at an okonomiyaki restaurant. Trying to decide which variety to choose... Vegetarian, meat, seafood...? (Picture courtesy of Luca)
We were greeted by Sensei and the official Ma.K mascot, Uran the cat. Mrs. Yokoyama was out and joined the party later. The first thing we did was to check the printer with the new ink cartridge, and behold, out came the latest version of a Melusine picture, which, if I recall correctly, was to be delivered the next day for the box art of the 3Q kit! Yokoyama-sensei is always glad to sign anything and everything we ask him to, especially when requests are from overseas fans to whom attending the many Ma.K events held here in Japan is not always simple. A fan wanted to have a SAFS box signed, but we decided to not stop there and asked Sensei to...
![]() The place is famous for their bowls of rice topped with unimaginable amounts of calories, which is very welcome when you are a student on a budget! (Picture courtesy of Linc and Luca)
Alas! The day was ending, and go we must! But before that, Mrs. Yokoyama kindly took this shot of the happy boys! (Picture courtesy of Luca)
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