While I was walking through the backstreets of Akihabara this day searching for a device for audio recording I did some pictures. I haven't been there in over a year and yet, nothing much has changed (except that the Mac-Store moved to a more recognizable position nearer to the station. There are, however, 3 contemporary things i would like to mention.
First, there was a very heavy earthquake this morning and although I was still sleeping I felt the house shaking. Not just a bit, i was shaken in my bed too. But for some reason I did not thought about the event which only lasted for minute or so. Later the day, of course a lot of people asked me whether I have felt the earthquake which epicenter seemed to be in Miyagi-prefecture/Iwate-prefecture. It also had strong influence on the public transport system in Tohoku-area, because announcements in the trains signalized that the Shinkansen service in Tohoku area stopped due to the aftermath of the quite strong earthquake that also took the life of a handful people. For me, it was the first earthquake I felt and realized. Sounds unbelievable considering the fact that I have lived in Japan for more than one year so far
Second, back to Akihabara, or "Electric Town", how the signs on the train stations directing the way for all the curious foreigners who came to see the busy streets of this unique district. So what is the most prominent thing there these days? A gamer would have guessed: "Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots". Yeah right, commercials for the game which hit the stores 2 days ago could have been found everywhere, including a huge ad on one of the buildings. For those who are not familiar with games, Metal Gear is a very famous video games series which roots can be traced back as far as to the 1987s. Following a lot of sequels it has become one of the most admired series by fans, setting the standard for videogaming on more than one console in the past. The 4th instalment of the series have once more received good ratings from gamers and critics alike, although I have heard of some who consider Guns of the Patriots as the weakest part in the series.
Also, Akihabara is not only a district for tourists who wanna have a duty-free shopping tour, looking for a bargain or want to see pretty Maids, it also became the place of a big tragedy one week earlier in Tokyo. A man from shizuoka-prefecture stabbed people randomly out of the crowd which lead to the death of 7 people. The killer seemed to have announced his plans on various internet billboards, he also gave status updates about his actions until 5 minutes before he started the stabbing! Now, calls are heard from all sides that want to condemn videogames such as "Dragon Quest" that might have had bad influence on the man who decided to use a knife that looks similar to the one from the game. This gives me the creeps... Now one week later, the district is as crowded as ever and only flowers and a lot of "otaku-tributes" remember the massacre of last week.
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First, there was a very heavy earthquake this morning and although I was still sleeping I felt the house shaking. Not just a bit, i was shaken in my bed too. But for some reason I did not thought about the event which only lasted for minute or so. Later the day, of course a lot of people asked me whether I have felt the earthquake which epicenter seemed to be in Miyagi-prefecture/Iwate-prefecture. It also had strong influence on the public transport system in Tohoku-area, because announcements in the trains signalized that the Shinkansen service in Tohoku area stopped due to the aftermath of the quite strong earthquake that also took the life of a handful people. For me, it was the first earthquake I felt and realized. Sounds unbelievable considering the fact that I have lived in Japan for more than one year so far
Second, back to Akihabara, or "Electric Town", how the signs on the train stations directing the way for all the curious foreigners who came to see the busy streets of this unique district. So what is the most prominent thing there these days? A gamer would have guessed: "Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots". Yeah right, commercials for the game which hit the stores 2 days ago could have been found everywhere, including a huge ad on one of the buildings. For those who are not familiar with games, Metal Gear is a very famous video games series which roots can be traced back as far as to the 1987s. Following a lot of sequels it has become one of the most admired series by fans, setting the standard for videogaming on more than one console in the past. The 4th instalment of the series have once more received good ratings from gamers and critics alike, although I have heard of some who consider Guns of the Patriots as the weakest part in the series.
Also, Akihabara is not only a district for tourists who wanna have a duty-free shopping tour, looking for a bargain or want to see pretty Maids, it also became the place of a big tragedy one week earlier in Tokyo. A man from shizuoka-prefecture stabbed people randomly out of the crowd which lead to the death of 7 people. The killer seemed to have announced his plans on various internet billboards, he also gave status updates about his actions until 5 minutes before he started the stabbing! Now, calls are heard from all sides that want to condemn videogames such as "Dragon Quest" that might have had bad influence on the man who decided to use a knife that looks similar to the one from the game. This gives me the creeps... Now one week later, the district is as crowded as ever and only flowers and a lot of "otaku-tributes" remember the massacre of last week.
[gallery]
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