Checking out Akibaoo

Tokyo is a concrete jungle. A city of never ending roads, train lines and constant noise pollution… and I absolutely love it!

Below the sky-high towers of the mega-city, lies a vast number of hidden treasure shops, awaiting you to discover them and spend all your money there. Whether it’s a secret four-man bar on a side street where they sell the finest home-brewed beer, or going to the fourth floor of a derelict looking building, only to find clothing which is affordable and somewhat in season, you will eventually come across a store which makes you return time and time again.

Like all dungeons, there’s always a secret area to unlock, and Akibaoo is no different.

For me, a man who does not care so much for beer, and even less so for fashion, my own hidden gem was found back in 2009 when I stumbled across a hidden entrance to an otherwise usually very popular store. Lying in one of the more crowded areas of Akihabara, the store Akibaoo (あきばお～) is a traditional electrical store selling traditional electrical goods, sometimes second-hand, to many traditional shoppers. By carefully navigating past the kebab truck to the left of the main entrance, you’ll stumble across a sinister set of stairs to a basement. Don’t be frightened, I use the word sinister, because the first thing that will greet you is a picture of a particular internet bear on the stairways. It’s ok, he’s a normal internet bear in Japan.

Upon arriving below, you’ll see a series of figurines on the right hand side. Many of these figurines will be recognizable if you have ever played or researched the Touhou game series. These symbols help set the tone of the store. Memes, popular characters made famous by the internet, and in-jokes made from anime are plastered all over merchandise such as key rings, stickers, t-shirts, and tote bags; tidbits which make great weird souvenirs for the western wanderer.

Peek a little deeper and you will come to the real treasure of Akibaoo, the games. You won’t find the latest Gears of War or Metal Gear Solid here. What awaits you are underground cultural classics such as tough-love Touhou shmups and the bizarre, but oddly addictive, train drifting game Densha de D: Burning Stage.

A plethora of doujin games can be found on the shelves, some with high end graphical qualities, while others made as an ode to old pixel sprite art classics from years ago. There’s a genre for everyone here, even for fans of combat flight simulators, and most of it very affordable.

Although spiritually similar to its counterparts in the west, eastern independent game development is still, at the most of times, considered underground in Japan, and is yet to have its success stories such as games like Braid and Fez. That said, Japan has a rather unique take on internet subculture, so thankfully interesting stores like this stay can open, and in some cases thrive (for example Toranoana a well established doujin comic/game/music store), which means there will still be places for those gamers who like a little window shopping from time to time.