Turns out I'll be in Tokyo for a weekend next month (extended layover from a business trip). Any suggestions on interesting audio or diyaudio things to do there?
I read some of the great pointers in this thread: http://diyaudio.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=8716&highlight=akihabara, so I'll definitely drop by those places.
Any good record shops?
Bruce
I read some of the great pointers in this thread: http://diyaudio.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=8716&highlight=akihabara, so I'll definitely drop by those places.
Any good record shops?
Bruce
I've heard that there all kinds of hard to get Japanese electronics sold everywhere over there, like kiosks on the sidewalk selling Denon and Marantz and stuff like that.
Oh and of course the awsome cars to drool over!
If you can see if you can find places that sell nice electronic enclosures, they have access to real cheap labor over there so you can find real high quality metal enclosures...maybe you can find a clone of some of the Pass Labs enclosures
Course bringing it back is another story
EDIT: Wow that Akihabara sound freaking cool!
Oh and of course the awsome cars to drool over!
If you can see if you can find places that sell nice electronic enclosures, they have access to real cheap labor over there so you can find real high quality metal enclosures...maybe you can find a clone of some of the Pass Labs enclosures
Course bringing it back is another story
EDIT: Wow that Akihabara sound freaking cool!
when I did investment banking I would get to Tokyo once or twice a year -- the Akhibara is a sight to behold, the hand tools are fantastic, you can buy anything electronic
while there aren't great bargains, some things in the department stores can't be had in the States -- you can buy very fine laquer ware, prints, etc.
and of course, if you have clients there's always the "piano bar" where you can spend a grand for a bottle of Chivas.
while there aren't great bargains, some things in the department stores can't be had in the States -- you can buy very fine laquer ware, prints, etc.
and of course, if you have clients there's always the "piano bar" where you can spend a grand for a bottle of Chivas.
Too bad about the vinyl shops. Should have guessed that it'd be a washout cost-wise due to the popularity of records over there. I'll still poke around to see if I can find any local stuff. There's a track from "Kill Bill" soundtrack by Tomayasu Hotai that would be pretty sweet to find.
Good idea on the enclosures. If I could find one of these I'd be a very happy man: http://myweb.hinet.net/home1/prbetech/A2case/A2case.htm
jackinnj: I'm definitely heading over to Akihabara, both for parts shopping and listening to some of the Fostex models that seem popular there. By the way, funny you mention that you used to be an investment banker - that's my current racket. Sadly no clients on this trip (there will be in South Korea though!)
Maybe I should bring data sheets to maximze the benefit of the two and half words of japanese I speak. "this ... uh ... buy ... uh.. please".
Good idea on the enclosures. If I could find one of these I'd be a very happy man: http://myweb.hinet.net/home1/prbetech/A2case/A2case.htm
jackinnj: I'm definitely heading over to Akihabara, both for parts shopping and listening to some of the Fostex models that seem popular there. By the way, funny you mention that you used to be an investment banker - that's my current racket. Sadly no clients on this trip (there will be in South Korea though!)
Maybe I should bring data sheets to maximze the benefit of the two and half words of japanese I speak. "this ... uh ... buy ... uh.. please".
>If you can see if you can find places that sell nice electronic enclosures, they have access to real cheap labor over there.<
Perhaps that was the situation 25 years ago, but today labor (as well as most other things) is damned expensive in Japan. You can certainly get high-quality work done in Japan, but you will have to pay through your nose for it. It's far easier to get cheap electronics, components, chassis and things of that nature in, say, Hongkong rather than Tokyo.
Due to the high labor costs, most of the price-sensitive stuff sold in Japan is made overseas, not locally. Pretty much the same situation as in the US.
Akihabara does have shops that sell DIY kits of things like amplifiers, CD players, speakers and so on.
For instance, you could try Wakamatsu:
http://www.wakamatsu.biz/
LPs in Tokyo are expensive but usually in very good condition, and the selection is wide. I would most certainly not call it a "no show", but I suppose that judgement depends on how much money you can afford to spend versus how much time you can afford to waste. Places to visit for LPs are Shibuya, Kichijoji and Shimokitazawa. Akihabara doesn't have very much in the way of vinyl.
hth, jonathan carr
Perhaps that was the situation 25 years ago, but today labor (as well as most other things) is damned expensive in Japan. You can certainly get high-quality work done in Japan, but you will have to pay through your nose for it. It's far easier to get cheap electronics, components, chassis and things of that nature in, say, Hongkong rather than Tokyo.
Due to the high labor costs, most of the price-sensitive stuff sold in Japan is made overseas, not locally. Pretty much the same situation as in the US.
Akihabara does have shops that sell DIY kits of things like amplifiers, CD players, speakers and so on.
For instance, you could try Wakamatsu:
http://www.wakamatsu.biz/
LPs in Tokyo are expensive but usually in very good condition, and the selection is wide. I would most certainly not call it a "no show", but I suppose that judgement depends on how much money you can afford to spend versus how much time you can afford to waste. Places to visit for LPs are Shibuya, Kichijoji and Shimokitazawa. Akihabara doesn't have very much in the way of vinyl.
hth, jonathan carr
I found one place in the back of MJ magazine that looks promising. They sell chassis for tube and solid state amplifiers at pretty reasonable prices (e.g. ~$150 for a Bryston look alike).
Only problem is that I can't read the address! I think I see the Kanji for Tokyo near one of the four telephone numbers provided, but for all I know the full sentence is "Call this number to find out why we do not have a Tokyo branch".
If anyone on the forum who reads Japanese could confirm if this is actually in Tokyo (and if so what neighborhood), I'd really appreciate it. Sorry about the quality of the attached scan.
Thanks for the suggestion of Wakamatsu and for where to check for vinyl. That sounds great, I'll add to the "to do" list.
Attachments
Tokyo is the only locale where I have been served mollusks which were still alive.
Don't forget Shinjuku.
One thing which I bought in Tokyo which is extremely handy are small pocket saws with exchangeable blades -- they will cut anything -- well I mean like fiberglas, aluminum, wood, bolts, blade retracts into the handle
Don't forget Shinjuku.
One thing which I bought in Tokyo which is extremely handy are small pocket saws with exchangeable blades -- they will cut anything -- well I mean like fiberglas, aluminum, wood, bolts, blade retracts into the handle
newguy,
The address you posted is a Tokyo one, and also in Akihabara - quite close to the station actually. I didn't know Laox had a "tokuhannbu" in any of their stores, but it's been close to 2 years since I left Japan. It's odd though; I checked out Laox's website and the "tokuhannbu" isn't in thier list of stores. A google.co.jp search under "laox tokuhannbu (in Japanese)" also ended with zero hits.
This store you posted seems to be a special section in Laox though, so it's hard to go just by the store names. It might be best if you could get a Japanese colleague to call the store up and confirm where it is. Best of luck.
Here's the list of stores on laox's website:
http://www.laox.co.jp/laox/shop_list.jsp
The address you posted is a Tokyo one, and also in Akihabara - quite close to the station actually. I didn't know Laox had a "tokuhannbu" in any of their stores, but it's been close to 2 years since I left Japan. It's odd though; I checked out Laox's website and the "tokuhannbu" isn't in thier list of stores. A google.co.jp search under "laox tokuhannbu (in Japanese)" also ended with zero hits.
This store you posted seems to be a special section in Laox though, so it's hard to go just by the store names. It might be best if you could get a Japanese colleague to call the store up and confirm where it is. Best of luck.
Here's the list of stores on laox's website:
http://www.laox.co.jp/laox/shop_list.jsp
Totally off topic, but aren't oysters on the half-shell live when served?
Sounds handy. It'd be nice to get some tools there. Definitely not one for the carry-on luggage back though.
Isn't that the where the redlight district is? Are we still talking audio?
Seriously, are the audio shops pretty easy to find there? Or are they tucked away inside large buildings?Great! Thanks very much for translating that, I really appreciate it!
I gather from a websearch and the link you provided that Laox is an electronics store. Weird that it looks more like a consumer electronics store, not an electronics parts store...
Thanks again for helping out with the advertisment. I'll definitely ask someone on the hotel staff to call ahead for me.
I attached a reduced version of the full advertisement, in case it's of interest to anyone.
newguy,
Now it's clear what the ad was for. The only name on the first picture was Laox, so I figured it was their ad. Looking at the second one, I see that it's a Suzurando ad (the map showing the location of a new store which used to be in the basement of Laox). This company has a number of stores scattered around the Akihabara area and their chassis/knobs are popular for DIY projects. The most convenient store will be the one on the 2nd floor of the Rajio Depato (Tokyo Radio Depart). Directions to the Rajio Depato can be found in the tnt article linked by Hybrid Fourdoor.
The tnt article is really very good, and you should follow all of the advice listed there. If there's one thing I should clarify, it's that you shouldn't go on Sundays because most of the interesting DIY stores are closed then. The Hi-End audio stores will still be open Sunday, so you should leave those till later.
One interesting store not listed in the tnt article is Noguchi Trans, located on the B1 floor of the Rajio Depato. Here you'll find low voltage R-core transformers in addition to the Tango and Tamura stuff. They used to carry a line of super cheap (less than 10 dollars) vacuum tube output transformers, but sadly those don't seem to be available any more.
If you check the prices, you'll find that there really isn't much that you couldn't find a cheaper alternative for in the 'States. Alps pots are around a third of the price, and naturally other Japanese brands like Tamura, Tango and Fostex should also be cheaper, but that's about it.
Next to Kaijin Musen (also located inside the Rajio Depato), you'll find another chassis store, and some of those chassis are really nice; there's a Volksamp chassis clone there that I had my eye on for a while, and there's these sexy, black, extruded aluminum jobbies too. Expensive though. Every time I went to Akihabara, I'd spend waay more than I expected. Even if you aren't going to buy anything, I'd say Akihabara's worth going to, just to see all the electronics.
Now it's clear what the ad was for. The only name on the first picture was Laox, so I figured it was their ad. Looking at the second one, I see that it's a Suzurando ad (the map showing the location of a new store which used to be in the basement of Laox). This company has a number of stores scattered around the Akihabara area and their chassis/knobs are popular for DIY projects. The most convenient store will be the one on the 2nd floor of the Rajio Depato (Tokyo Radio Depart). Directions to the Rajio Depato can be found in the tnt article linked by Hybrid Fourdoor.
The tnt article is really very good, and you should follow all of the advice listed there. If there's one thing I should clarify, it's that you shouldn't go on Sundays because most of the interesting DIY stores are closed then. The Hi-End audio stores will still be open Sunday, so you should leave those till later.
One interesting store not listed in the tnt article is Noguchi Trans, located on the B1 floor of the Rajio Depato. Here you'll find low voltage R-core transformers in addition to the Tango and Tamura stuff. They used to carry a line of super cheap (less than 10 dollars) vacuum tube output transformers, but sadly those don't seem to be available any more.
If you check the prices, you'll find that there really isn't much that you couldn't find a cheaper alternative for in the 'States. Alps pots are around a third of the price, and naturally other Japanese brands like Tamura, Tango and Fostex should also be cheaper, but that's about it.
Next to Kaijin Musen (also located inside the Rajio Depato), you'll find another chassis store, and some of those chassis are really nice; there's a Volksamp chassis clone there that I had my eye on for a while, and there's these sexy, black, extruded aluminum jobbies too. Expensive though. Every time I went to Akihabara, I'd spend waay more than I expected. Even if you aren't going to buy anything, I'd say Akihabara's worth going to, just to see all the electronics.
greyhorse,
Great stuff! Thanks for the continued assistance, it really means a lot - having never been, and being completely illiterate in Japanese, it's hard to know where to look for something so specific.
I'm definitely happy with the prices indicated in that MJ advertisment, and if the quality is good in person I may well end up bringing a package or two home with me. Shopping for enclosures/heatsinks over the web is frustrating - it'll be great to actually have parts in front of me to look at up close and pick up, etc. I don't mind paying a fair price for something like that, and with $/Yen where it is today I'm basically resigned to not getting any super deals.
Too bad that those super cheap output transformers you mention are no longer available. An entire store filled with transformers sounds pretty neat, I'm sure they'll have some really interesting items.
The items I'm most likely to actually buy (if any) are an enclosures, fostex drivers and maybe an inexpensive output transformer. The only problem with the latter is I'd basically have to pick a project before I go...
Thanks again for the great info.
How did you like living in Tokyo?
Great stuff! Thanks for the continued assistance, it really means a lot - having never been, and being completely illiterate in Japanese, it's hard to know where to look for something so specific.
I'm definitely happy with the prices indicated in that MJ advertisment, and if the quality is good in person I may well end up bringing a package or two home with me. Shopping for enclosures/heatsinks over the web is frustrating - it'll be great to actually have parts in front of me to look at up close and pick up, etc. I don't mind paying a fair price for something like that, and with $/Yen where it is today I'm basically resigned to not getting any super deals.
Too bad that those super cheap output transformers you mention are no longer available. An entire store filled with transformers sounds pretty neat, I'm sure they'll have some really interesting items.
The items I'm most likely to actually buy (if any) are an enclosures, fostex drivers and maybe an inexpensive output transformer. The only problem with the latter is I'd basically have to pick a project before I go...
Thanks again for the great info.
How did you like living in Tokyo?
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