| Hey, guys! Do you know where I am today? Yes, that's right! I’m in Akihabara! Let's walk around and check it out! Akihabara is an area in Tokyo known for various electronics, gaming and anime merchandise. To be honest, I don't know much about those but I'm excited to find out something new. Let’s go! |
| 見て、メイドさんたち (Mite, meido-san-tachi.) “Look, people in maid costumes. |
| This is Akihabara Information Center. I'm a beginner when it comes to Akihabara so let's get a map first. |
| 日本語と英語 (Nihongo to Eigo.) “Japanese and English.” |
| We’re going to Don Quijote. |
| Welcome to Don Quijote Akihabara! Don Quijote is a discount chain store where you can buy many things including snacks, cosmetics, household goods, electronics and other things. UPLADY. |
| かわいいね〜 (Kawaii ne〜) “So cute〜” |
| Japanese people actually call it “Donki.” So what is special about this “Donki?” Well, there's a Japanese idol group called AKB 48 and their theater is on the top floor. AKB actually stands for Akiba which is short for Akihabara. This Donki also have a huge collection of anime and cosplay goods. |
| すごい肌触りいいよ。 (Sugoi hadazawari ii yo.) “It’s so nice to touch.” |
| カゴにもちょうど入りんじゃない。ホラ！ (Kago ni mo chōdo hairi n ja nai. Hora!) “I think it perfectly fits in the basket. Look!” |
| めっちゃ邪魔だな。 (Metcha jama da na.) “It’s such a hassle.” |
| If you like playing the retro games, this is the place you should come… |
| スーパーポテト (Sūpā Poteto.) “Super Potato.” |
| They have a huge collection of used game consoles and game cartridges to choose from. |
| ウッディポコ (Uddeipoko) “Woody Poco” |
| なんだろうこれ？ (Nandarō kore?) I wonder what this is? |
| いろんな色があるよ。 (Ironna iro ga aru yo.) “There’s a lot of colors available.” |
| PS2。PS2。これPS？[*] (Pīesutsū. Pīesutsū. Kore Pīesu?) “PS2. PS2. Is this PS1?” |
| たまごっち。(Tamagotchi.) “Tamagotchi.” |
| My favorite one: Smash Brothers! |
| They even have vintage arcade games. |
| 同じやつばっかり。 (Onaji yatsu bakkari.) “I’m just doing the same move.” |
| ヤバイ！(Yabai!) “Oh no!” |
| Here's our next stop. If you're into anime and don't have much time to go around, I suggest visiting Akiba Culture Zone. It's a department store full of everything Akiba. It has stores selling anime DVDs and manga, special collectible goods, figures and even 同人誌 (dōjinshi) or fan-made mangas. A lot of these are 中古品 (chūkohin) or second hand goods so you could buy original products for much cheaper. |
| すごいアイドルグッズ。 (Sugoi aidoru guzzu.) “Woah, so much idol merchandise.” |
| There’s also a store which sells Japanese idol groups’ merchandise. Here, you can also find ACOS, a store which specializes in cosplay. |
| 質がいい感じする。(Shitsu ga ii kanji suru.) “It looks like it’s of good quality.” |
| If you're more adventurous and would like to get a surprise every time, try doing “Gacha gacha” at the 秋葉原ガチャポン会館 (Akihabara Gachapon Kaikan). |
| We've also made a video about “Gacha gacha” so be sure to check that out as well. |
| Okay, there are a lots of electronic shops in Akihabara, selling computers, cameras, appliances, and other products, but if you're looking for specific electronic parts for your own project you should definitely check out the small electronic shops of Akihabara’s 電気街 (denkigai). 電気 (Denki) in Japanese is “electric,” and 街(gai) means “town”, so it literally means “electric town”. |
| Before we end, let's take a look at some keywords that you can use here in Akihabara! |
| 電化製品 (denka seihin) “electrical appliances” |
| アイドル (aidoru) “idol” |
| 劇場 (gekijō) “theater” |
| コスプレ (kosupure) “cosplay” |
| フィギュア (figyua) “toy figures” |
| 賑やか (nigiyaka) “lively” |
| 中古 (chūko) “used” |
| And that's it! I can't believe there's so many things you can do here in Akihabara. So how about you guys? have you been to Akihabara or do you want to go? Please tell us your favorite places in the comments. By the way, do you have any questions about life in Japan or Japanese culture? Go on the Ask Risa page, submit your question or topics you want me to talk about then we'll probably do a video about it. Thank you very much for joining me today. See you next time! Bye. |
Comments
Hide