unexpectedbowtie
Offline
Glasgow, Scotland.

I'm heading to Japan for 3 weeks in October - going to Tokyo, Kyoto, Osaka, and then back to Tokyo.

I'm sure there's a whole host of amazing chipmusic related gear that I'll only be able to find there, (as well as just general assorted geekery), but I've no idea where to start, so I thought I'd ask you wonderful people.

What sort of stuff should I look for specifically if I was going to bring stuff back? General suggestions of what to see/do/eat/etc are also welcome smile

Last edited by unexpectedbowtie (Aug 4, 2016 11:31 am)

The Laohu
Offline
Utah

Look out for my brother. He's the 6'5" redhead prowling the streets of Tokyo.

pselodux
Offline
Melbourne

Check out the Hard Off and Book Off stores, I found some good stuff in those places in Tokyo/Kyoto. There's also a cool synth store in the middle of Akihabara, pretty close to a Hard Off store.

If you like records, the Disk Union stores all over Tokyo are worth a look, for sure. I found a *lot* of Aphex Twin, Autechre and similar albums in those stores. So ridiculous.

Umm, other than that.. definitely give FiveG Synth Museum in Harajuku a look, it's amazing big_smile

As for other stuff.. oh man. I would go back even just for the food. I've been twice and only one place I ate at was substandard.. and that's really saying something, considering I tried places like Burger King and super cheap izakaya joints. If you like to drink, definitely go to one of the tiny izakaya bars/street bars and try to find somewhere that does "hoppy + soju" which is a super low alcoholic beer mixed with a generous amount of shochu. It's delicious!

n00bstar
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Montreal, Canada

Look out for Godzilla. According to Toho's series of documentaries, Japan has a pretty severe monster problem.

Nxtstep
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Wonderwitch.

mr.spastic
Offline
Cambridge, UK

Not really "chippy" but If you like synthesizers, check out FiveG, it is amazing.

someone in the chipscene after a pre-party in Tokyo told me about it. I went there with a friend, It is really great.

I will definately go back there if I get back to Tokyo. Its in Harajuku.

Of course Akihabara is the go to place for technology stuff. You can find places selling new and old stuff 'Junku' laptops, saw an abandoned Commodore 64 in an electronics shop, but it might have not been for sale, you can always try?

Last edited by mr.spastic (Aug 4, 2016 7:50 pm)

unexpectedbowtie
Offline
Glasgow, Scotland.

Awesome suggestions. I am a bit of a synth freak, so that's great.

Also a massive drinker, so any booze suggestions welcome big_smile

If anybody lives in or knows anybody in Japan, let me know. Would love to hang out with some locals... go to some gigs or something!

dsv101
Offline
Medina, Ohio

If you are into buying Laserdiscs, I got a dude in Niigata who can hook you up right. xD

SuperBustySamuraiMonkey
Offline
Madriz, Supain

Im going in september, any other recomendations? /shamelessly questioning

The One Electronic
Offline
Detroit

SEE U THERE BUSTY

Jazzmarazz
Offline
Michigan

I could use a wife

Nxtstep
Offline

I've heard Technics turntables are comparatively cheap, but can't say for sure.

VCMG
Offline
California

Seconding Hard Off and Book Off. If you have the time and really wanna try for some cool old stuff def check out locations farther away from the city center as well. I spotted a mostly-functioning DX7 at the Hard-Off in Mitaka once (it was gone after like a week though sad )
General anime goods are also usually slightly less expensive if you go to stores outside of Akihabara, unless you're looking for something super specific or niche.

If you wanna check out some less-touristy but also interesting spots in Tokyo I highly recommend Kichijoji and Shimokitazawa, they're both local-hip neighborhoods with lots of cool shops and eateries to wander around in that not as many tourists visit.
I also personally really like the Ochanomizu/Jinbocho area. Ochanomizu has a lot of musical instrument stores and Jinbocho has tons and tons of vintage book shops including ones that specialize in art/fashion/culture publications (might not be quite as fun if you don't know any Japanese though).

8bitcafe in Shinjuku is a cool bar and usually has a variety of small events happening throughout the year, although it looks like they haven't put up their October event schedule yet.
If you're into jazz at all I also recommend visiting a jazz bar, there's an old one right near the train station in Kichijoji called Sometime that has great local bands performing almost every night, and it's just a really neat experience.

As for food, you can honestly walk into just about any restaurant you see and the food will be great or, at the very worst, decent. Out of all the time I've spent in Japan, I can remember only 2 times when the food was just not good.

I'm not sure how busy he is around this time, but you could try giving aka_obi a call for people to hang out with in the Tokyo area. He's a chipscene/demoscene historian specializing in the C64 and knows english fairly well, and I feel like he might be interested in meeting other chip people.

Oh also Odaiba is super touristy and a little expensive but Joypolis is a fun amusement park to spend an afternoon at, and of course there's also the life-sized Gundam statue close by n all that.

I also have another friend living there right now who really (and I mean really) is in the know with all things chip-event, so if you want I can get you in contact with her through PM as well.

Last edited by VCMG (Aug 4, 2016 11:40 pm)

pselodux
Offline
Melbourne
unexpectedbowtie wrote:

Awesome suggestions. I am a bit of a synth freak, so that's great.

Also a massive drinker, so any booze suggestions welcome big_smile

If anybody lives in or knows anybody in Japan, let me know. Would love to hang out with some locals... go to some gigs or something!

There's also another tiny synth store opposite the Tower Records in Shibuya that I just stumbled upon when I was there—not as impressive as FiveG but they did have a couple of 303s for sale..

Too bad you're not going earlier, Square Sounds brings people from everywhere. I'm not going this year but I went last year and the year before; it's a great place to meet people.

Try to get into the Capcom Bar in Shinjuku, I think it's pretty close to Golden Gai (also worth a look!). Usually you'll need to book (they speak english at the door so it's not too difficult), but you might be able to sneak in if they have a seat free. Frans (Eindbaas), Chibitech and I were lucky and managed to chance upon it one rainy night and they just happened to have 3 seats free. It was one of the most surreal/cute/awesome experiences I've had in Japan, with game themed cocktails/food and little acts that the bar staff perform (and involve the patrons) depending on what you order (hint: order the Phoenix Wright themed meal and Ryu cocktail).

Shimokitazawa is my favourite area in Tokyo. I spent an entire day there, and then went back again multiple times. It's really great if you like just wandering around and looking at cute little stores. There's also a nice little bar tucked into a dead end street there (my Google Maps history tells me the coordinates are 35.662265,139.668768) with just the word "beer" on a little sign at the front.. they serve lesser known Japanese craft beers and have some interesting food (I had a weird "pizza" which was just a bunch of sliced lotus root with cheese melted on top, it was awesome). The bartender was very helpful, really knows his stuff when it comes to beer. Also the toilets are those ones with a sensor that opens the lid as you approach. It gave me a bit of a surprise when I walked in there after a few beers!

Also in Shimokitazawa is the Village Vanguard Diner, where I had possibly the best burger I've ever had in my entire life. Honestly it was perfect. Could have been the setting, but it is really worth tracking down if you're into burgers. Good beer selection too!
Actually, I generally found the burgers to be amazing in Japan. Freshness Burger and Mos Burger (and even Burger King) are waaaay nicer than what the fast food places we have here in Australia. Shit, even the convenience store food was great.

What else.. Oh! Space Station bar in Osaka also has video game themed drinks, and lots of consoles set up to play, if that's your thing. It gets a bit smoky in there but they regularly have chip gigs. I had a fantastically drunken night there; every performer gets to drink for free all night, which is bizarre but awesome. It's a bit of a foreigner's bar—everyone speaks english there—but it could be a good escape if you get a bit nervous/fatigued from speaking Japanese..

I really miss Japan; it's the only place I've been outside of Australia but it is fkn incredible. Last year I did get pretty burned out at the end of the third week, just because it was so intense. I think next time I go will be out of chip festival season, so I can visit some pretty places without feeling like I'm missing out on socialising with the chip crew big_smile

Last edited by pselodux (Aug 4, 2016 11:42 pm)

VCMG
Offline
California

Oh I almost forgot, there's also Akiba BEEP which sells and refurbishes stuff like the PC88, Sharp X68000, MSX, and other Japan-exclusive computers. I bought some european demoscene compilation CDs while I was there, haha. http://www.akihabara-beep.com/

dsv101
Offline
Medina, Ohio
VCMG wrote:

...which sells and refurbishes stuff like the... MSX...

One day I will own an MSX to be my designated gaming device for strictly this game: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tPTdL2twd7E