Author:
Galina
19:36 | 04.04.2017
Heading:
Japan
700
400
There is an area in Tokyo that is considered a paradise for lovers of quality electronics and shopping enthusiasts. Today, the place is seen as much as a cultural center for otaku. This area is called differently. But most people know it as Akihabara. Officially, this neighborhood is called Soto-Kanda, part of the Chiyode district. Millions of tourists come here, attracted by the wide possibilities of this wonderful place, among them a large number of foreigners. Potential buyers look lustfully at shop windows, rummage through the stalls of street vendors, and meticulously inspect the goods. No one leaves Akihabara without buying something.
History of appearance
We will not go back to antiquity; it does not concern the current glory of the quarter. Only one circumstance is worth mentioning: in 1890, a station opened here. There were residential areas around it, which, by the way, have survived to our times, only rebuilt in a modern way. There was also a Shinto shrine called Akibajinja in this area. It was erected after a big fire that destroyed all the buildings here. Surprisingly, the temple still stands today, but it’s not easy to find it among the high-rise buildings covered with advertisements.
The current largest electronics district in the world began with a small store. It was opened near the mentioned station after the end of World War II. The establishment didn’t even have a roof back then. The goods were located in the open air.
The post-war period was very difficult for the Japanese physically and psychologically. The country had to completely change its usual way of life and change its worldview. Ordinary people began to listen to what politicians were saying, both in Japan and abroad. Therefore, many assembled radios on their own. And they came to this station for spare parts. By the way, it was very difficult to find spare parts elsewhere, there was a shortage in Japan at that time.
Local entrepreneurs realized that the main thing in their business is a sense of trend, in time to consider the main trend of changes in market conditions. Therefore, the inhabitants of the quarter were always a little ahead of other merchants. Here all the new products appeared on sale, which subsequently soared to the peak of popularity.
Akihabara entrepreneurs have been specializing for more than seventy years in electrical appliances, electronics, software, taking into account the Japanese flavor, and also, more recently, taking into account the interests of young people, in video games and paraphernalia inherent in the otaku culture.
History of Akihabara in Tokyo
During the Edo period in Japanese history, which lasted about three hundred years until the modernization period began in 1860, the area was called Ayoi and was inhabited by poor samurai. In 1870, a temple was erected here in honor of the Buddhist god who protects from fires - Akiba.
Soon the entire area began to be called by the name of the temple with the addition of Khara, that is, plain. The name was later transformed into the more lyrical Akihabara, that is, Valley of Autumn Leaves.
In 1890, a railway station was built here, and the name acquired official meaning. Soon, due to the convenient location, a local vegetable market appears here; computers had not yet been invented.
During the war, the area was bombed by American aircraft. After the war, a spontaneous market arose on one of the sites where former military men gathered to sell radio equipment. There was no TV at that time and radio was very popular.
In the 70s, the first music stores appeared here and people began to flock here for vinyl records. Then computers came onto the scene and immediately grabbed hold of this industry, which subsequently predetermined the development of the quarter. Akiba is a huge circle of shops and shops selling everything you can imagine in the field of electrical engineering.
It must be said that the number of anime fans today has already surpassed the number of visitors to Akiba who have other interests. But it is still possible to find the laptop, camera or any other similar product you need without any problems. But before moving on to the story about buying a laptop, I can’t help but say a few words about the popular themed cafes with maids in Akiba.
Giant supermarket or fan culture center?
In fact, it’s both. Travelers from all over the world come to Akihabara to admire the large stores where they can find everything they want from electronics, as well as visit the small shops. This place is considered by many to be a paradise for anime and manga lovers. And this cannot be denied. The area is constantly changing. It is probably more attractive not for its goods and entertainment, but for its amazing dynamism.
As soon as a promising idea appears somewhere in the country, energetic electronics entrepreneurs are ready to implement it in their ultra-modern quarter. Electronics stores could easily be turned into giant slot machine halls, and gaming maid cafes could be opened nearby. By the way, you can read about unusual cafes in Japan, including “maid cafes,” in this article.
This place can be called a world-class trend generator. For example, Beard Papa's cream puffs can now be enjoyed in 15 countries around the world. But these are rather side bonuses for local entrepreneurs. These people, if you look at the depth of their business, withstand the hellish pressure of the whole world. Maintaining interest in the area is not easy these days. They have to constantly compete not just with electronics companies, but with entertainment megacorporations. And despite this, the quarter remains a world center in the field of electronics.
Links[ | ]
- Media files on Wikimedia Commons
- Official website (Japanese)
Articles
- In Tokyo, a Ghetto of Geeks from Washington Post
- Top 10 Akihabara game stores Archived March 31, 2021 on the Wayback Machine
- Akihabara Guide @ Picturetokyo.com Akihabara Information & Gallery
- Akihabara - Tokyo
| Tokyo neighborhoods | ||
| ||
What can you buy?
In fact, everything is here. Despite the fact that otaku culture is now taking center stage in Akihabara, sellers of electronic novelties are in no hurry to lose ground. The stores are filled with gadgets, TVs, and robots. Although this is not what makes people travel. The main advantage of local traders is the wide range of goods and services offered. From the most unpopular diode to a super robot - everything is in local shops.
They are standing here. They are considered the main ones for offers and sales; more than 10 thousand people visit this store daily. But tourists are not recommended to take out their yen as soon as they see the desired product. If you walk the streets longer, wander deeper, you can find the same thing, but at a lower price. Shopping in this place is fascinating. It’s difficult to stop, as inviting lights flash everywhere, and advertising posters play their role.
Attention: local stores have a lot of specialized Japanese equipment. It is not suitable for European users. For example, it is designed for a 100 V network. If you plug such a device into our outlet, it will burn out instantly. Therefore, you should ask the seller for the technical specifications of the device.
By the way, there are shops here that are allowed duty-free shopping. To receive a discount, you must present a passport of a citizen of a foreign country.
Not everyone experiences an irresistible urge to shop. Tourists are interested in what they can see in this amazing place. There is a suggestion to visit a local cafe. Girls dressed up as maids invite you from the street to come in and enjoy the attention to their person. In the establishment, every client is not just a welcome guest, but a beloved owner and ruler (however, nothing indecent is offered or allowed here).
Even those who heard about otaku fan culture for the first time will be interested in exploring specialized stores and the world was created recently and is now in a stage of active development. Every day something new appears. What attracts fans even more is the opportunity to contribute to the development of this trend.
Many fans, sooner or later, try to come up with or remake another manga story themselves. This is probably what makes them so attractive to foreigners. Otakus are literally attacking the world. There are more and more anime fans, although otaku is not only anime, the word itself means a person who is interested in something.
For many, especially foreigners, Akihabara is a big point in the scheme of moving around Japan, everyone strives to get into this amazing electronic world.
Akihabara, Kanda and Ochanomizu, Ikebukuro
Akihabara is the world famous "City of Electronics and Anime" and one of the main attractions of Tokyo . From Ameyoko Market (located next to Ueno Park) to Akihabara, the path goes through large department stores where you can buy the latest Japanese technology. There are tax-free shops and shops with Russian-speaking staff. The most popular duty free shops are called Laox. The Akihabara area has changed over the decades, a trend that continues to this day.
Recently, Akihabara has come to be considered the center of Japanese anime culture, with the number of stores offering video games, manga, anime and animation-related products constantly increasing. In addition to regular shops, the Akihabara area has seen establishments such as cosplay cafes, where waitresses dress up as anime characters, and manga kissaten (“comic book cafe”), where guests can read a comic book, watch their favorite DVD, or simply surf the Internet.
For lovers of antiquarian books, we would recommend visiting the Kanda , located in close proximity to Akihabara. This area is considered the largest used book sales area in the world.
Ochanomizu is an area famous for shops selling various musical instruments.
Not far from Akihabara is Tokyo Dome with a famous amusement park.
How to get to Akihabara:
•next to Akihabara Station (JR Line) or 8 minutes walk from Akihabara Station (Hibiya Subway Line)
•8 minutes walk from Exit 6 of Kanda Station (Ginza Subway Line)
The Ikebukuro area has been known since the reign of Emperor Taisho, a place where people of art, artists, and artists gathered. The SUNSHINECITY complex is the calling card of Ikebukuro. It consists of 4 buildings. The 240-meter building, the Sunshine 60 skyscraper, occupies an honorable central place in the complex. The building was built in 1978 on the site of Sugamo Prison. There is an observation deck on the top 60th floor, which costs 620 yen per adult to enter. On the 4th floor of the separate building BunkaKaikan, there is a theater, and on the 7th floor there is a museum of the Ancient East. The tallest aquarium occupies the top floor of the WorldImportMart building and, in addition to aquatic inhabitants, there is a large collection of birds and insects. There is also a planetarium there. And on the 2nd floor there is a children's theme park NamucNanjaTownc with exciting attractions. The Ikebukuro area is a favorite place for locals to hang out; it is always lively and festive. Recently, many shoppers from Akihabara have moved to Ikebukuro, noting that prices for electronic goods are lower here. Several new, Japan's largest electronics stores have opened at the west exit of Ikebukuro Station, and to attract customers, the stores are running promotions, offering big discounts on all products.
How to get to Ikebukuro and Sunshine City Building:
•Ikebukuro station (JRYamanote, Saikyo, Shounan-Shinjuku, Marunouchi, Yurakucho, SeibuIkebukuro line)
Residential areas
They haven't gone anywhere. No one has evicted local residents to create another mega-sales or entertainment center. People live in houses located in Akihabara. If you move away from the main street deeper into the block, you can see calm courtyards, not hung with flickering advertising. The same temple is hidden somewhere here, protecting both lovers of modern electronics and manga fans from fires.
The Japanese - an amazing people - are proud of the Akihabara quarter. They are sure that this is a symbol of the creative and intellectual potential of their nation. It's hard to argue. Despite the fact that they sell electronics and fan culture products here, the place itself is alive.
It constantly generates something new, moves, develops, strives forward. And it attracts people from all over the planet precisely with this fervent energy of the desire for self-realization, the continuous excitement of achievements. And to make it more convenient for people to absorb the drive of real entrepreneurship, on Sundays even cars are prohibited on the main street. Go and enjoy!
And share your impressions in the comments. Were you able to feel in this interesting place the source of continuous drive that allowed a small open-air store to be turned into a world center for electronics?
