I’m at the most dangerous shop in Tokyo – Yodobashi Camera in Akihabara.
Why is it so dangerous? Well, it’s one of Japan’s biggest electronic’s stores, and once you enter through it’s sliding doors you will be bombarded by so many sexy gadgets that it will be impossible to resist buying something, and before you know it your wallet will be empty!
You can try and fight the urge to buy – but it will be useless. The famous Yodobashi Camera song (which has verses sung in both Japanese and English) fills the aisles, brainwashing you – it’s said that if you play the song backwards there’s a message telling you that shopping there IS the meaning of life.
Walking past the E-Mobile-wifi-dongle-¥100-netbook displays you’ll be accosted by men standing on stepladders blasting out their special offers over loud speakers.
Even if you run out of the front door you won’t escape – there’s a cute girl doing an iPod demo who tells you, “if you stay until the end I’ll give you a free iTunes store card!” – Resistance is futile!
And even if you know all of these tricks and go in there like I do – with headphones and dark glasses – you will find youself going home with a Yodobashi Camera bag – as I have today. I bought a wide- angle lense for our video camera – we’ll be shooting our final podcast at the Ritz Carlton in Roppongi, and need to make sure we can get the high ceilings in.
Oh, and I seem to have a free iTunes Store card too…!
(the photo is two photos stitched together by the iphone – as you can see it’s not done a perfect job, but I quite like the effect! You can just see the Yodobashi maid on the wall at the very top …and a man picking his nose at the bottom – bonus!)
(This post first appeared on Dannychoo.com)
Ah yes the famous Yodobashi Camera Song, which they copied (no big surprise there) from the Americans…the tune is our beloved “Battle Hymn of the Republic” which we associate with the Civil War…. It would kinda be like McDonald’s using the Kimigayo as their new theme song, but then again that wouldn’t sell many burgers 😉