On my first off day, I let myself sleep in before heading to Shibuya to explore Tower Records – one of my most favorite places on the planet.

Opening at 11:00 a.m. I was determined to finally figure out Tokyo’s railway system, I ignored the easy answer and skipped the taxi to travel the city like a native.

To my surprise, it was an easy trip—efficient, clean, and surprisingly intuitive once I relaxed and followed the signs.

Unfortunately, it was just as easy to spend my money as it was to get there.

As an anime fan, I’ve recently fallen in love with the music-themed Boys’ Love series Given, so I made it my mission to track down not only the official soundtracks but also any of the drama CDs that included music.

Among my finds were:

• Uragawa no Sonzai [CD + Blu-ray + Original T-shirt / Limited Edition Type A] — I absolutely loved this one, and the bonus T-shirt made it even better.

• gift [CD + Blu-ray / Regular Edition] — this was the soundtrack that first introduced me to Given; the music is beautifully emotional.

• Marutsuke / Fuyu no Hanashi [CD + Blu-ray / Regular Edition] — two songs that perfectly capture the heart of the series.

• Given 5 Live Edition Drama CD — another favorite, packed with the same passion that made me fall for the show in the first place.

I also grabbed two other Given drama CDs that didn’t include additional music—an honest mistake—but they’re still great additions to the collection. It’s a beautiful anime so, I have zero problem adding to my collection.

To round things out, I picked up physical CD versions of two ZEROBASEONE albums: CINEMA PARADISE and The 1st Mini Album: YOUTH IN THE SHADE. These albums came with so many amazing extras including:

1 CD, 1 Photo book (96 pages), 1 Photo Card (random out of 9 types), 1 Film Photo Slide (random out of 9 types), 1 Film Cover Case, 1 Envelope, 1 Film Mount (random out of 9 types), 1 Production Note (20 pages), and 1 Behind Photo Sticker (random out of 9 types).

The first mini album came with many similar items – which as a fan, I have to say are pretty neat.

I also made the decision to make Taylor Swift a part of my experience and picked up the Japanese edition of my favorite of her albums, 1989.

It was the first of what would become many trips to Shibuya over my remaining sixteen days in Tokyo. While I’m more of a homebody in the states, I found myself enthralled by the chaos and charm of Shibuya. 

There’s more to come from my 2025 Tokyo Adventure so… 

Stay Tuned!