Giant electronics store opens in Akihabara

The store, Yodobashi Camera, was offering rock bottom bargains but the doors opened early because of the number of people queuing up.

Yodobashi Camera is a Japanese chain but its close competitor Bic Camera doesn't have a presence in the popular electronics area of Tokyo.

Camera's Akihabara store has nine floors, with six dedicated to its own business while on the seventh floor is a Tower Records outlet on the bookstore.

On the eighth floor there are 24 different restaurants, while on the ninth floor there's a golf shop and place to practice your swings.

Parking space ? No problem at all. In the underground floors B2 to B6 there's room for 400 cars.

The new train line linking Tsukuba city and Akihabara has also recently started operation. Akihabara station has become a huge terminal, and while it's smaller than Tokyo and Shinjuku stations, it's still a big development.

Only time will tell who will survive in the new Akihabara. There is another big player in the electronics chain store business : Yamada Denki, though it is concentrating its business in the suburban areas. Having a store in Akihabara is, however, something of a status symbol, showing you can compete in the most famous electronics store district in Japan, and maybe even the world.

Here are some pictures from Akiba Watch. µ