A Video Guide To Akihabara

freaklabs writes "Tokyo Hackerspace just put up a video guide to Akihabara in Tokyo, an area that's densely populated with electronics components shops. We get a lot of questions about where to go over there and also requests for guided tours so we figured it's probably best just to put up videos, descriptions, and Google map markers. It was always difficult to tell people where to go, since the places are hard to find, so we're hoping this makes it easier for visitors to Tokyo that want to get their geek on."

Third Rate Shopping

[dorpus]

Having lived in Tokyo before, I've never understood what the fuss is about. Most stores in Akihabara are tiny, amateurish ratholes run by guys who have no idea what they are talking about, but act snobbish to cover for it. They sell obsolete software for hundreds of dollars, out of torn boxes in poor condition. Most of the stuff will only work on the Japanese electric grid, on Asia-encoded DVD players, or on computers with Windows Japan installed on it. Despite the sales clerks' insistence, it will have problems in the USA. And cameras, they will act like they never heard of a camera that costs less than $300. If I tell them I just want something simple, that doesn't have a million buttons and strange features on it, then they are deeply offended and just turn their back to me. It is the last place I would want to go to buy anything. Between Wal-mart or ordering off the internet, these kind of places serve no particular purpose anymore.

Electronics Paradise

[Anonymous Coward]

There is a place right smack in the middle of Sao Paulo, Brasil called Electronics Paradise that is just like this

I go there often and it is just as confusing

Re:Hmm

[timeOday]

But why do we need a big electronics bazaar nowadays? You can buy anything anywhere, including from home.

When I went to Disneyland recently I was disappointed all the Main Street shops are just the same, full of Disney trademark Chinese-made trinkets, with little differentiation even between themselves. I thought, 'is it just that I'm a grownup now?' But no, my kids didn't care for it either. Why? Maybe because they're a Disney store at every local mall, and because searching 'Disney' on ebay [ebay.com] returns over half a million results. I really think physical location has become less significant in the last 30 years.

Similarly, when I visited the Guang Hua Market [slashdot.org] in Taipei, I saw nothing I couldn't have shopped for much more easily online.

Re:akihabara is awesome!

[object404]

For those who want to live a little more dangerously, you should try Shenzhen, right beside Hong Kong. It's the new Akihabara and all the new bleeding edge mix & match gadgets the rest of the world hasn't seen before is there. It's now also the electronics manufacturing hub of the world since Everything now's made in China :)

Check these sites out for some of the goodies:
http://shanzai.com [shanzai.com]
http://micgadget.com [micgadget.com]
One of the most interesting non-knockoff gadgets to come out of there last month is the Apple Peel [micgadget.com], a smart jacket you can slip over an iPod touch that turns it into an iPhone.

Not everything over there is fake knockoffs and Shenzhen China's Shanzhai [wikipedia.org] garage hardware hacking & remixing culture is very interesting.

You should also check out the blog of Andrew "bunnie" Huang [bunniestudios.com], said to be the first guy outside Microsoft to hack the X-Box & wrote the book on it. He co-founded & created the Chumby [chumby.com] (open source hackable hardware gadget) and his adventures in Shenzhen [bunniestudios.com] are pretty cool.

Re:Hmm

[Darkness404]

The problem with online retailers is shipping.

Not only do you have to pay more for shipping it takes forever. Returns are also a pain, plus there is more of a chance that something could go wrong with shipping. Even with the best online retailers, returning a defective product could take a week or so, rather than just a few minutes with a physical store.

If my HDD suddenly dies in my desktop, I'd like to have a place to go to in order to pick one up that evening and be up and running by the next day rather than ordering online and waiting a week to have that machine in full working order.

Re:Third Rate Shopping

[bakarocket]

That's because it's essentially a tourist trap, both for tech nerds (who live outside of the country and don't know any better), and for anime geeks (who know better but can't stop themselves). There are good shops there, though. It sounds like you went to a bunch of shops that had "Duty-Free" written on the signs. Just like everywhere else, those types of shops are the worst to buy from. You need to hit the backstreets that run parallel to the main drag to find good deals. That being said, anyone who's looking for electronics buys online from kakaku.com now. It's cheaper, and you don't have to run the manga-nerd gauntlets surrounding every cosplaying female-equivalent in Akiba.

Akihabara's nice enough

[Anonymous Coward]

Just try to keep in mind that it's really more suited to the geek culture of Japan rather than the geek culture of America. Maid cafes and AKB-48 [wordpress.com] might have international appeal, but it's hard to imagine there are many slashdotters who wouldn't be surprised by Oimoya [oimoya.jp], self-described as the world's first idol-only shop, where—for a price—customers can talk to and take pictures of teenage and pre-teen girls who feature in DVDs that might best be described as soft-core porn plus clothes. (Not that I've watched any. Just follow the link to find some DVD covers.)

There are plenty of parts and electronics stores, but there are also many plastic model and figurine shops whose Gundam-related wares to non-Gundam wares ratio is much higher than might be expected.

Re:akihabara is awesome!

[Anonymous Coward]

mod parent up. Lived in Tokyo, live in China.

Shenzhen godzilla stomps Akihabara on everything geek except girls dressed as Sailor Moon and Manga. Google "SEG Market Shenzhen"

Even most East / Northern Chinese cities put on a better geek gadget market than Akihabara these days.

Sure - there is plenty of shanzai, but there is just as much wierdtech you wouldn't have seen online, or in a western city, or thought you needed. Ironically, the lack of IP protection, safety code enforcement, and easy access to manufacturing is spawning a world of innovation that just wouldn't be possible elsewhere.