I woke up at around 8AM. I wanted to sleep some more since it was cold and all, but I was excited to go to Akihabara, the electronics and otaku district!
I had to come down to the lobby to get my clothes as I had to leave my big suitcase in the room opposite the reception. No big suitcases allowed in the dorms due to lack of space. It was a little inconvenient, but… oh well.This is the entrance to Kinuya HonkanThis street and the surrounding areas are choc full of bars and small eateriesSaw a lot of people riding bicycles, which was niceA few pachinko arcades on this streetThere was a queue forming outside this pachinko arcade. Some new game based on the Ultraman franchise was launching today.This is the entrance to the street Kinuya Honkan is located onRight across the road is Ueno station, one of the largest hubs in the Tokyo train network and a major interchange station. I always choose my hotels and hostels near a metro station.I went to a 7-Eleven to pick up some breakfast and coffee. I was amazed to see the variety of ready-to-eat meal boxes on shelves!I climbed up a pedestrian over bridge to get a look aroundTrains, it’s how most people get around in JapanThose were designated smoking baysI went back down and entered Ueno station (the black cars are taxi limousines)
I had installed the Tokyo Metro app which is super easy to use in trying to figure which train line to get on. To get to Akihabara from Ueno, first get on the Hibiya (grey) lineThese are luggage storage rooms which are coin operated (and I guess accept IC cards?)Akihabara was just one stop away from Ueno on the Hibiya line. The fare is 165 yen (₹90/$1.3/€1.2) [Fare calculator]The plan was to first go to Yodobashi Akiba, the largest electronics store in Japan. How convenient that one of Akihabara’s exits leads straight out to the store The ground floor is mostly mobile phones, tablets and accessories. All the major telecom operators of Japan have their own space here.Apple is quite popular in Japan too, but Android phones from Sony and Sharp are more popular than Korean brands like Samsung and LGBut first, I had to buy a SIM card for my phone
Unlike India, Singapore, Hong Kong, Thailand, Malaysia and a lot of other GSM countries, in Japan, a tourist cannot easily apply for a local SIM. Most mobile plans are contract-based and certain phone models are themselves Japan-specific. For tourists, the best thing in that case would be to buy the data only SIMs from providers such as B-Mobile.
I bought the 1GB plan as I only needed it for 9 days. Mostly to send messages on WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger and to use Google Maps. ¥3980 is around Rs. 2100/$32/€29
I decided to move on up. I went to the second floor, which was all things related to computing. PC parts, accessories, cables and even stationary.
So many graphics cards and motherboards were displayed in cases like thisWant cables of every kind? You get them hereThese devices are Japanese language Electronic Dictionaries which also give you Japanese-English translations. Why in the world of smartphones and apps would you need devices like these? I don’t know, but Japan is like that. Apparently sending faxes is also still a big thing in Japan’s offices.Plenty of Wacom tablets on this floorThe 3rd floor was watches……weighing scales…… and cameras.From the popular brands, to Polaroids, instant-print cameras…… to the super-expensive camera/lens brandsFrom Hasselblad, Mamiya……to Carl Zeiss lenses (look at that price tag!)Yodobashi Camera is what the company is called so it’s no surprise they live up to their reputation of stocking anything and everything you might need for photographyWant Pentax camera bodies in the colour of your choice?Lots of choice for tripods and monopodsAll the major brands are availableYou want photo paper too? Take your pickYou can even print your own photos using these kiosksAnd pick up telescopesSo much choice in every product categoryThe 4th floor was all home entertainmentTom Cruise is still massively popular in JapanYou even get furniture!They also have headphones and audio equipment on the 4th floorI was looking for a new pair of headphonesProblem is, when you have so much choice….… it gets so hard to chooseAfter trying out a few headphones, I really liked this one from Pioneer (SE-M531)… which was unfortunately out of stockThere was even this section where you could try out really high end studio equipmentRadios, stereos……and home theatersOnkyo, the popular Japanese hi-fi brandThe 5th floor was home electronics and white goodsAir conditioners with all sorts of fancy featuresSeems like twin-door refrigerators are the norm in JapanHow are pressure cookers used in Japanese cooking I wonder?Really liked these multi-function gas stoves Rice cookers and bread makers were very popular among Chinese touristsNever thought Panasonic made toilet seats, eh? So it turns out the buttons and the hi-tech gadgetry of Japanese toilets are in the seats. You just buy the seat covers and fit them on compatible toiletsThere is even a section for lights on the fifth levelAnd finally, to the 6th floor!
This floor is all video games, toys, Gunpla, model kits, hobbies, crafts… and more! I was stunned by the sheer number and variety of model kits available! From classic cars, airplanes – old and new – to battleships, trains and of course, robots.
The Japanese love their trains so much that they want to play with them at homeThere is sooooooo much you can do to further your hobby. You just need time, money… and space for all this at home!You can populate your model world with tiny people, houses, trees, cars, etc. It’s all available here!Ahhh Tamiya, the most popular brand of plastic model kitsYou have a whole variety of paints, acrylic and enamel paints, tools and equipment for hobbyists. It was staggering to see Lastly, you have a section dedicated to Gunpla and other pop culture figurinesFrom popular anime to Star Wars… there is so much to make you go, “If only I had the money for all this…”I checked out several Gundam model kits, noted down some prices and figured out what to buy before leaving JapanThis was a Perfect Grade Gundam model, the most detailed and the most expensive in the Gunpla rangeI finally moved on from the model kits area to video gamesThe Xbox One kiosk was showing the Final Fantasy 15 demo. Wonder if this game would help the console’s sales in Japan. Most people are going to play it on PS4 anyway.Japan made fighting games popular, so it’s no surprise you have many arcade fighting sticks available for saleThe PS Vita and Nintendo 3DS are still hugely popular in Japan and handhelds dominate over the sales of its console brethrenThe Nintendo sectionOver at the home video section, you have several DVDs of train videosBesides toys, video games, hobby kits, CDs & DVDs, you also get musical instruments on the 6th floorOh, and bicycles too
Trust me, these are just a few of the many, many, many, many items in store at every level. It’s crazy! I have never seen an electronics store quite like this.
On the 7th floor is Tower Records, a suiting store and above that are restaurants. Here is a complete floor guide.I went inside Tower Records. My favourite J-pop group is the one on the left (Perfume). The one on the right is a popular idol group, whom I just cannot take seriously.Korean pop is still relevant in JapanJapan is the second biggest music market in terms of revenue and one of the few places where CD sales are still going strong
I had lost track of time while inside Yodobashi Akiba. It’s hard not to! As a kid growing up in Bahrain, I used to stare at gadgets in electronics stores across Manama whenever my parents were busy shopping elsewhere. I’ve always been fascinated with technology, consumer electronics, and pop culture — most of it Japanese. And to think I was in the mecca of it all now. It felt great!
But it was time to leave… finally
I paid for the B-Mobile SIM and left the Yodobashi Akiba building.
Which by the way, looks like this from the outside
It was past 3PM. I needed to have lunch and then explore the rest of Akihabara. It was cold, but I was so looking forward to see what else Akihabara had to offer!
