London Energy Drink Journey 2017

12 Hours of Comfort in ANA Business Class

For this London trip, I booked my flight just four days before departure and chose my accommodation two days before, making it a very busy but decisive journey that I can commend myself for being able to act so quickly. Although it was during the Obon season, I was able to secure a seat in ANA’s business class, so the 12-hour flight was incredibly comfortable. On the day of return, after hunting and sightseeing for around 18 hours a day and hunting for about 8 hours right before departure, I really wanted to enter the plane and collapse before anything else, more than the lounge. This was the first time I felt like that! I'm so glad I had a full-flat seat this time (ｕ_ｕ*)

The fact that I could enjoy such a long trip was mainly because of the long daylight hours. If it had been winter, I might not have enjoyed it this much.

The summer days in London are long, and the safety level is reasonably good, so I feel like it’s okay to stay outside until late at night (personally). It was still this bright around 8 PM.

Underestimating London

After arriving at Heathrow Airport, I moved to the center of London, Piccadilly, and went to my hotel. I left the hotel around 7 PM. The sunset was around 9 PM, so I walked through Piccadilly, Soho, Covent Garden, Big Ben, and even all the way to London Bridge. I returned to the hotel after 2 AM. For anyone familiar with London’s geography, this must have been quite a torturous distance, haha, I was exhausted.

Then I realized something: Rockstar wasn’t being sold!!!!!

I checked a lot of stores, but Rockstar was hardly available at all. Popular brands like Red Bull, Monster, and Relentless were barely stocked, and there were only a few small brands filling the gaps. Most general stores were about the same as Japan’s convenience stores.

The first store I found, CO-OP, only had the Destiny 2-design cans in Punch Guava and Zero, but no original Rockstar. There was no regular Rockstar either.

That day, I was able to secure the limited-edition Red Bull Gorillaz that had been released in June. I thought it might be out of stock by then... But I later found out that there were still plenty left, so there’s still a chance!

In the UK, not just Red Bull, but there are usually two types: the regular version and the one with a printed price. One of my goals was to secure both the original and sugar-free versions, which I managed to get two of each (*´ｪ`*)

Since I was hunting alongside sightseeing, I bought a few Monsters as well, making sure not to overload my bag. Since prices varied slightly depending on the store, I bought a lot all at once at the TESCO EXPRESS (mini store) which was still open past 1:30 AM.

At this point, after visiting all these stores, I realized I probably didn’t need more than one suitcase...

Hunting Alongside Sightseeing

Originally, I thought I’d finish my hunting within a few hours on the day of arrival, but in reality, it was a bit of a dud, so I continued hunting alongside sightseeing from early the next morning.

As I visited a few more stores, I found many deals on Hydro, Monster, and Red Bull editions.

By 8 AM, I had bought so much that I could no longer enjoy sightseeing, so I returned to my room for a while...

After putting down my purchases and lightening my load, I quickly went sightseeing. Museums, historical buildings, palaces... People who like these kinds of places could probably spend days visiting them. Public transport is incredibly convenient, and waiting times are surprisingly short, so I felt like I could see most places for less than 1,000 yen a day.

Shocked by the Overwhelming Amount of Energy Drinks When I Went Full Throttle

Once I’d done enough sightseeing, I decided to wander into a side street shop, and it turned out to be amazing.

Almost all Rockstar products were available here. I think I stayed in the store for about 30 minutes! At this point, Rockstar had become a big star in the UK, so I mainly bought the Rockstar cans I didn’t have yet. There was even a can from the UK’s Lucozade, which I added to my cart (I didn’t want to buy bottled drinks, so I mostly skipped those).

After realizing that there might not be another shop like this, I decided to buy everything they had and head back to my room. This was the moment I truly felt like I had arrived in London… (a bit late)

Divine Hunting Spots Keep Appearing

Once I got the hang of finding good spots, I decided to try an area that seemed promising... And it turned out to be such a jackpot that I laughed at myself!

Not only Rockstar but also Monster’s CoD was on sale in the back... for just 1 pound.

In another shop in the same area, Rockstar was available for an amazing 85p. They even had Destiny 2 and BAY WATCH cans.

This is when the true energy drink mania came out in me. I revisited the stores and areas I’d checked previously and quickly researched new places to go. Everywhere I went, I found something I didn’t have yet.

The interesting part was the Gorillaz edition. They had added the normal 250ml cans in the front while pushing the others to the back, which I rescued, haha! The CoD cans and this Gorillaz edition were discoveries in areas where I would usually overlook. That thrill is what makes this addiction so fun!

With pinpoint accuracy in my predictions, I went to another area the next day based on my experience, and that turned out to be right as well.

One of the best discoveries was a store where the 2016 Gears of War 4 cans showed up from the back. I couldn’t take a picture due to circumstances, but this shop had a lot of Rockstar cans as well. I already had around 20 different Rockstar designs from the UK, but it was still exciting to find even more varieties I didn’t have and to be able to purchase them (●´ω｀●)

I had already secured all the BAY WATCH series with limited flavors released in the UK through other routes, but I still wanted to find them locally!! So I was really careful when looking. And to my surprise, I found Beach Blend!! Though now that I’m writing this, I realized I didn’t take any pictures because the store didn’t have a good photo-taking vibe (^_^;)

I checked nearly 60 stores and found BAY WATCH in two stores. Other flavors like XDURANCE and Guava were found at a hidden gem supermarket (which I’m confident about).

It’s crazy that I couldn’t even find the original Destiny 2 Rockstar cans in over 10 stores that I visited in the UK, even though I checked the locations of Rockstar retailers. It was incredible! The local people also struggled to find Rockstar limited editions, and I discovered this while searching for stores. It's hilarious (*´艸｀*)

In the end, I couldn’t find the Destiny 2 original flavor, but I gave it my best effort! Hunting for energy drinks like this really showed me how much fun it can be. Especially during a short trip, I was motivated to achieve results because I had invested both time and money into the trip (；´∀｀)

This was the first time I went this far in energy drink hunting. I was so focused that I completely forgot to buy souvenirs Σ(・∀・；) If I go to London again, I’ll already know where to target, and next time, I’ll do a more relaxed, efficient hunt and spend the rest of my time relaxing.