It was trade show time again 2 weeks ago as the Tokyo Amusement Expo 2008 (aka Tokyo Arcade Game Show) rolled into town at the Makuhari Messe. Compared to the Tokyo Game Show, which is the year’s video game event by excellence, TAE is a much smaller affair spread over two days and taking in just one of Makuhari’s exhibition halls. When TGS rolls into town, pretty much the whole of Makuhari is taken over, and the majority of Tokyo’s geek community descends on the Chiba town. TAE was quieter and smaller, which didn’t necessarily make it less fun.

For one you get more space to stroll around, taking in all the glory of trade shows: the scantily-clothed ladies, the suits eyeballing people from the sides, the stall staff looking bored or scared, the geeks willing to queue 2h for a five minute blast on a yet to be released game and the hordes of pervy old men with big cameras chasing the aforementioned scantily-clad ladies. The arcade show had the added bonus of also being swarmed by hundreds of kids, dragging their parents to various stands displaying the latest wares aimed at the younger market, from card games to UFO catchers to… well, really weird shit.

Continue reading »

Popularity: 4%

written by Laurent \\ tags: akihabara, computers, Japan, society, video games

Remember when you were a kid and the most basic toys could keep you entertained for days, or the most simple figurines could make your day? Now while collecting toys and figurines is definitely not limited to kids it’s not something I ever really got into so much since ‘growing up’, even if my inner geek as always craved for some.

And boy is my inner geek happy since I’ve moved to Japan and discovered the joy of gatchapons aka capsule stations. Gatchapons are small toys and figurines, which you get from a giant bubble gum dispenser style machine - put in some money, generally 200 yen, turn a big plastic handle and a plastic egg falls through holding your toy. And these machines are located everywhere - outside train stations, manga shops, video game shops, arcades, shopping centres… If you walk anywhere in Tokyo for 5 minutes chances are you’ll come across a set of capsule stations.

Continue reading »

Popularity: 100%

written by Laurent \\ tags: akihabara, gatchapon, Japan, Tokyo, toys

I spent part of the day in Akihabara today - the mecca for all things video game, anime and geek. We’re talking serious business here. If you’re a geek for either games, electronics or anime, or all three, then Akihabara is where you want to die - cos you won’t wait long to go to heaven.

I’d been to Aki a few times before, but only quickly and to grab some bits for the house. Electronics wise the place is amazing. The main part of town is dubbed Electric Avenue - and quite rightly so, alongside multi-storey buildings offering everything and anything are little stalls selling their wares, and all next to each other in an area no bigger than Camden town. It’s total crazyness and as much of a sensory overload as Shibuya, but for entirely different reasons.

Akihabara is not all electronics though - it’s also gaming heaven. The biggest and best arcades in the country are there, with floors dedicated to one genre. It’s insane, and constantly packed as well as incredibly noisy as all the arcades boom out their respective audio. And amongst it all are countless otakus playing, including a high amount of seriously talented ones (I guess that talented part depends on where you stand when it comes to games). Alongside the arcades are tons of video game shops selling anything you can think of.

Continue reading »

Popularity: 3%

written by Laurent \\ tags: akihabara, arcades, geeking, Tokyo, video games