Akihabara Milk Stand
You might think that Tokyo is a fast, modern, slick and polished world capital, but you don’t need to dig deep to find the old, dingy, left-overs of the city. As this almost impossibly old-fashioned milk stand in Tokyo’s busy Akihabara station proves, there is another side of Tokyo you seldom see in the tourist brochures. The milk stand called simply “Milk Stand” is on the platform of the Sobu line train, and I had to step dangerously close to the train tracks to take the first photo. Hand written signs showing their different drinks, mostly milk based but a few vegetable and fruit juices as well, most for the price of a single coin, to make the transaction as smooth as possible for harried morning commuters. I didn’t have time to stop and talk to the owner this time, but next time I pass I promise to try something on their menu. Which item do you think look the tastiest?
I have passed this station hundreds of times but never seen this milk stand before. When I showed the photos to Japanese friends before blogging them, they all knew instantly where the milk stand was. Apparently it is more famous than I thought!
Tokyobling's Blog 
Ah, I spy “Mammy”!! It’s a bit too sour-sweet for me but how natsukashii! Why not try the soy milk? Or the aojiru if you are brave! I’m curious; what’s the typical reaction of the Japanese people when you speak to them in Japanese?
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I love Aojiru, I think I’ll try theirs next time I pass by. It’s funny, when I was new in Japan people would try to speak English with me but after a year or two I must have started melting in properly because now almost everyone just talk to me in Japanese. Other than that I try to talk around the subject. It gets tiresome… haha…
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wow how many different types of milk can there be! O_O
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I know! I was so surprised as well. It would be fun to try a new one every day…!
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There’s one in Sakuragicho station also! (Outside the gate though)
I’m not sure if it still exists, but I remember my grandma used to buy me a chocolate milk or apple juice at this kind of stand when I was a little! ^^
I still love them!
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I have been to Sakuragicho hundreds of times but never seen it so it’s possible it’s gone by now… You have a kind grandma! Did she live around there? It’s a fantastic area of Yokohama! (^-^)
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I think you should try any milk that has a dollop of cream at the top! I miss that milk from Japan. How delightful this milk stand is. We shall have to seek it out next time, although I’m afraid we don’t go to Akihabara much.
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I’ll keep an eye out for it! And, you don’t go to Akihabara much?! I love it! Wish I had time to go more often…!
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I guess I’ll have to learn more about what there is there… the electronics only interest me marginally since we are usually on holiday and can’t take much back with us in our baggage. What else is good in Akihabara??
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Akihabara has the whole anime/manga subculture thing going on and any number of odd shops and stores selling things you’d never see anywhere else, at least not as a consumer. It’s best for just wandering around and looking at humanity! (^-^)
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I love this sort of place, I think it has character. I would look for a strawberry milk. I seem to like pink things.
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Character and maybe history too! (^-^)
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Oh yes history, but not the stuffy kind that you may find in museum of history (not that those are bad, but sometimes I wonder what it was like in real life), the kind that keeps evolving because it’s still functioning.
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I was at our local market today, and we went to get some real goodies there including “hommemade” milk products. This shop is pretty much different from our one – and sells every kind of milk based product much cheaper.
I still love more the family that comes on every monday with a truck playing a folk song about a cow 😀 so it is the cow-mobile >.< they sell other things as well like sausage and such ~<3
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Cow mobile? Is the sausage is beef then I guess it makes sense! (^-^) I love local markets too! I went ton one yesterday as well.
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I think there’s a milk stand at Ikebukuro as well. They sell Hokkaido milk in 750ml glass bottles that you can bring home =)
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Hi Matthew and thanks for the comment! I think I might have seen that one! I’ll have to take a closer look next time I pass Ikebukuro. That station is huge!
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