Now that many of the smaller shops in Akihabara have been demolished, it looks like more and more places are opening up tailored for folks other than otaku as Akiba Blog reports. The Akiba Tolim building contains stores that are not typically "akiba" or "otaku" as you can see from the list of shops. Me wonders if Akiba will remain the otaku heaven that we all love and know...
Looks like a really good place to go. =D
it's just one building. Not going to change much except the scenery. No need to fret. Speaking of which, Danny will you be free end of May/beginning of June? If all goes well I can go home during that period.
No, they wouldn't dare to even touch the otaku HQ XD Some otaku are too unpredictable to make a risk of "destroying" their home
i hope akiba doesnt change too much...at least the otaku community. My precious gundams...wait for me!
I was thinking the same thing! Wait for me too!!!
Hmm... looks like stocking fetish otaku can now buy their toys AND their stockings in Aki. How convenient.
only 1 building in akiba is infected... lets hope this "disease" doesn't spread to the other places...
This must be a ploy to attract more women shoppers to Akiba :D
Well, Otaku's can be stylish too right?
I also saw some changes happening in Akiba on my last trip. They were doing some construction near the JR station. A big building was demolished on the main street (that had a Aso Bit City store in it). Now there are 2 big constructions on chuo dori. One of which has been going on for a long time, next to Yamagiwa (which is now a Sofmap store). I saw a few stores that closed down or changes owner since last year though. It's changing indeed, I hope it will still keep some of its charms, cause I liked it.
Well, I haven't been in akiba yet so I can't really say if it's a good thing or a bad. But, I guess it will a little bit of both.
Wow, looks like... Shibuya? Or was it Shinjuku? Definitely not Akiba though...
Anyways, too much open spaces... the otaku people will feel threatened. :P
well it'd be nice to attract some ladies to shop at Akihabara too no? :P
I'm sure the otaku culture remains much present and is powerful enough for the tourism, transport and leisure industries to leave it as is. I wouldn't want to go to Akiba with excitement and end looking dumb because all that would be left would be fashion stores!! :P
otaku culture can never be squashed. as for your question earlier about your photo. it's totally up to you as to what you want. i mean, it's nice to put a face with the words, but it's up to you.
Thanks.
sho' nuff.
You're right, by the way, do you remember, the article about otaku culture being the winning culture in Japan I gave you some time ago? That may support our opinion enough. ^^
You know, even if the Japanese government and otaku are in a love-hate relationship, the economic revenues are consequent enough to keep the current activity alive and its in current form. Why would the Gundam Statue be accepted if it wasn't the case? ^^
La virgen, such difference! Is good that shop like this exist there, but is imposible it makes a true difference... And of course freak can be elegant, jaja
although dont look like the old akihabara, they still contribute a bit. the first pic is a stall selling women's stockings for the otakus that have fetish for ladies athlete's foot, the second pic sells european style candy dolls and etc......
im willing to bet that this new building will go through a dramatic change within the next x years or so and all the clothing shops will change into costume shops
omg it's marks & spencers!
maybe it's all an elaborate facade for eroge shops... ^_^
I've been thinking when would one can't go to Akihabara anymore? I like the hobbies I have now but I know I can't keep them for rest of my life -_- Would 35 or 40 years old would be limit to be an otaku?
I'm well over 40 and I'm more of an otaku than ever. The lifestyle suits older geezers better than young ones in many ways.
OMG.. These shops have gone to the "dark" side.. XD
a place close enough to leave the misus while one is off to buy otaku goodies. ^^
Akiba will otaku town forever!!!!
Woah. Akihabara is looking nice. They can do that but they'll never be able to completely stomp out the otaku. I mean they were stomped out of one place before they can do it again ne?
it's not the end of the world...yet it's only in one building and not the whole district, right? but i doubt akiba will fall to the hands of "ordinary" people and besides there are other otaku oasis like Nakano Broadway
They got Baskin Robbins and a Kyosho store :D this will be great :D i think Akihabara should be abit more open , atleast one more mall of these and it should be fine the BOOK1st store would also add to it :D thanks for the updates Danny :)
It's worrying to see non-otaku retail taking over more and more of Akihabara, especially considering the rate at which it's happening. Glossy depaato are irrelevant to me. However it must be said that until the PC boom of the early '90's Akiba was home not to otaku, but people buying electrical and electronic goods. So change is something that has been going on for a long time.
I hope no one tries turns radical or something and bombs the new shops.
Not only the stores are closing, I have read on Reuters that the arcades are also closing in Japan. Not sure if these are centered in Akihabara, but I need some more time to figure out if what we know and love about Akihabara is going to disappear or just move elsewhere. See the Reuters article at http://tinyurl.com/23yo58.
