The Akihabara Experience

Sir when you came again here in Japan we can assist you in Akihabara, Bic Camera, Yodobashi Camera, Dice etc…., actually karamihan ng benta dito for domestic use kaya manual is in Japanese, but wait there is a language setting of LX3 and others gadget you can set it on English. Most Japanese salesman although they can speak English but they do not know that there is a language setting, Of course default setting is in japanese that is why they insist it is not in English hehehehe. That was my experience before, then now I enjoy buying here and sell them on line after setting up to english menu.

In Yodobashi, the 5% discount is for unionpay cards – to encourage Chinese tourists to spend. Bic Camera (Ueno is closest to Akiba) is generally cheaper than Yodobashi and also has a point card system.

I’ve not found any electronics much cheaper than elsewhere – the japanese market is very closed (hence contract phones etc) by language and you’ll find for example SONY products Japanese language only and more expensive than the english language version sold in say, Singapore.

GSM network in Japan very limited, 3G mostly UTMS 2100 so compatible but 90% of the phones you see there won’t work well elsewhere even if unlocked (and doubtful anyone outside Japan would have a clue how to unlock). Lots of carrier specific software although many have english option.

May vending machine po ba ng cellphones dyan?

wow sarap mag shopping jan!!

Be careful what model of second-hand laptop you buy. It may be a model that is available only in Japan and trying to convert it to English might mean you can’t even find the drivers to make it work.

Prepaid mobile : http://mb.softbank.jp/en/prepaid_service/

I disagree that electronics in Japan are the same price as in Manila. I’ve lived in Tokyo for 2 years before coming to Singapore and I can definitely say the prices are lower there.

English laptops costs more than their Japanese counterparts (by a large margin). Yodobashi doesn’t have the best deals in laptops, you have to go to that Duty Free store along the main road of Akihabara. Its got good deals on laptops.

Digicams – Yodobashi has some good deals, some with tempting packages and freebies.

I’d go for the manga’s and action figure!!!

Yeah… the Japs got a world on their own!!!

Hey Abe, don’t worry about the language barrier if you want Kinect – just make sure your actual GAME runs in English. You can search on NTSC-J compatibility, if you have an NTSC (US spec) console, like me.

Actually looking forward to a HK or Singa visit in the near future, will let me get a 220V power supply for my 360 slim. Microsoft took good care of me in Singa :D

dude, baka wag masyado wide open ang aperture para di blurry yung mga photos. F8 or F11 oks na.

my cousin bought me a second hand nintendo ds from japan for 3,000php only! and that was 3 years ago :D

For brand new items, price range from gadgets here and Japan are relatively the same. It was not the same say some 5 years ago. For Apple product, they have generally the same price range anywhere in the world and in Japan it is also kind of marquee in prices and they don’t resell Apple well below there worldwide prices. So don’t expect good buys in brand new items from here.

For cellular phones, you can’t really find prepaid or non-contract phones in Japan. By law, prepaid phones are not allowed. And even if you want a prepaid phone, you would still need to show the reseller your alien residence card for purchasing a phone with or without the contract. The japanese outlawed prepaid i think 3 years ago as they say that it is a source of crime. Having all numbers in contract means they can monitor all the movements of everyone, specially phone numbers use for crime. So it’s not really a good idea to buy a GSM phone in Japan and they also have a different network. Some phones though could be use for GSM and can be unlocked in Greenhills.

For laptops, another consideration is the OS language. Even for 2nd hand one. You don’t want to have a spanking new laptop but Windows is in Japanese. They say you could re install an English OS version and use the license of the OEM Windows, maybe for Dell or HP laptops. But well it’s quite difficult. Another issue is the keyboard. The Japanese jeyboard layout is a little different from the English keyboard layout. Yes the ‘@’ is not found in the shifted key of ‘2’. At the Apple store you can request for a change of keyboard layout for no extra cost. And the MAC OS X has different languages within the OS so you have no problems with the MAC, except that they are generally price the same as compared to that in the Philippines.

I think the real score of gadgets in Japan are the digital cameras. That is if you don’t mind the Japan branding of the camera. They generally are the same camera except that they have a different name. Like the IXUS which is IXY in Japan and Powershot in the US. And yes Yodobashi and Softmap prices for brand new items are somewhat more expensive, you can find more bargains on the little shops in Akihabara, if you know where to look.

For lenses, brand new one have generally the same prices, it’s the 2nd hand market you are after. For me my choice of 2nd hand lens shop is in Shinjuku. A shop known as MapCamera. This little shop just behind the plethora of Yodobashi in West Shinjuku has high quality 2nd hand lenses and tons of cameras. They sell lots of Leica RF cameras and other medium-format cameras. Leica lenses (2nd hand) will cost more than your brand new Canon 60D.