Akihabara tour report

[Kinichi <kitano@example.com>]

Hi, I'm Mr. Akihabara :-)

I jotted down what I advised during the tour and some comments about
shops we visted.


1. Akihabara rules

i.    Don't bring in a lighted cigarette(though shop-clerks sometimes
      smoke in their shops)
ii.   Don't bring in a uncapped beverage 
iii.  Pay in cash(small shops don't accept credit card)
iv.   Don't mention of linux unless that shop boasts of Unix/linux knowledge

2. Akihabara terms

i. $B%8%c%s%/(B(janku or junk): Junk means different things in different
shops. But it usually means shops don't bother to reply to a technical
question and there is no warranty even if it doesn't work.

The quality of "junk" depends on shops,

* it probably works and has minimum warranty
* it probably works but they don't want to take a risk of warranty
* it might works but they don't test it
* it probably doesn't work(full of dust or some burns on it)
* it is intentionally disabled

ii. $BAj@example.com(B(Aishou): Akihabara term for compatibility. Some are just
rumors, and some are from clerks' experiences.

3. Shops we visited.

1). $B%F%$%/%*%U=)MU86E9(B:Takeoff(http://www.takeoffltd.co.jp)
closed on Monday

They sell PCs and office equipments falling out of lease.  Currently,
a desktop PC with Pentium133MHz CPU, 64MB RAM, 1GB HDD costs about
13,000 yen. And 17inch CRT is from 6,000 yen to 15,000 yen(depends on
quality and maker).

2) $B%=%U%H%"%$%i%s%I=)MU86E9(B:(http://www.softisland.co.jp)
Open throughout the year

They sell not only big makers parts but little-known makers parts.
There's good chance you can find exotic cards.

3) Laser5(http://www.cdrom.co.jp)

Laser5 is related the linux distribution of Laser5.
They sell linux commercial software.

They also sell PC hardware. We saw a desk, inside of which is a PC
case(power supply and PCI slots etc).

4)  Maxus(http://www.maxuscomputer.com)
closed on Thursday

They specialize in Macintosh and note PCs.
They offer upgrade service to Macs and note PCs.

Their stock of note PC parts is excellent.

5) $B>EFnDL>&(B:shounan-tsuusyou(http://www.shounan-t.com)
closed on Thursday

They sell surplus parts, especially from Compaq.

6) $B%=%U%^%C%W(B 6$B9fE9%H%l%8%c!<4[(B:Sofmap treasure-kan(http://www.sofmap.co.jp)
Open throughout the year

We missed this shop, but this shop is worth visiting.
On the ground floor, they sell second-hand PCs and parts.
On the second floor, they sell PC-servers and Unix workstations.

7) $B$W$i$C$H%[!<%`(B:Plathome(http://www.plathome.co.jp)
Open throughout the year

They sell Unix/linux commercial software and workstation-related
parts(not second-hand parts, they are bland-new one). There's some
knowledgeable sales clerks(considering other Akihabara shops), and
some parts are sold as linux-ready.

8) $B>DL>&(B:Wakamatsu-tsuushou(http://www.wakamatsu.co.jp)
Open throughout the year

Wakamatsu occupies the basement, ground and second floor.  And they
sell mobile related things on the basement floor.  This shop is once
famous for HP200LX. Their specialty is now Palm Pilot and note PCs from
IBM. They also sell Japanese PDAs(Laputa...).

9) $BD65iEEG>(B:Tyoukyuu-dennou(http://www.chokyu.co.jp)
Open throughout the year

They sell surplus parts and PCs. If you luckily find a note PCs part
there, it usually far cheaper than the original price.

10)  Otto Unix$BK\J^(B:Otto Unix honpo(http://www.ottonet.co.jp)
Open throughout the year

Otto group has several second-hand shops, and their stock of Unix
related things becomes big enough for opening a Unix only shop. They
sell Sparc, HP-UX, NEC's EWS4800, Alpha, SONY's NEWS and SGI.

By the way, if you want to buy a big CRT(19, 21inch), these
workstation-related shops are good place to check.

11)  $B%/%l%P%j!<(B:Clevery(http://www.clevery.co.jp)
Closed on 3rd Thursday

There are several Clevery shops in Akihabara and they change shop name
often. In one Clevery shop, they sell a variety of keyboards. Our
favorite is a foldable English keyboard.

12) Macwing(http://www.macwing.com)
closed on Monday(but open if it is holiday)

They used to sell workstation-related, especially Sparc, things but
not anymore. I'll skip this shop(it may be great for Mac enthusiasts
though).

13) $B%9%H%l!<%H(B:Straight
Open throughout the year

The store is located at the second floor, but what we visited is a
temporary shop opening only on weekend(on weekday, the ground floor is
just a garage or passage to upper floor shops).

For some people it is a treasure island of PC parts, for some it is
full of offending things.

14) $B%"%$!&%D!http://www.i-two.com)
Open throughout the year

On the basement floor, they sell mobile goods.

15) $B%"%_%e%l%C%H(B:Amulet(http://www.amulet.co.jp)

They sell Macintosh and linux/Unix related things and books.
They sell Linux Journal at reasonable price(700 yen).
They also sell a linuxPPC package.

16) $B%$%1%7%g%C%W%b%P%$%k%W%i%6(B:Ike-shop Mobile Plaza(http://www.ikeshop.co.jp)
Closed on 3rd Thursday

It is located at unexpected place. There is an entrance to a subway
station(On the ground, there is a Sanwa-bank), and this shop is along
the passage to the subway station.

It is called Mecca for Palm Pilot enthusiasts. They also sell imported
PDA(Psion, English version of Windows CE and Palm).

17) T-ZONE$B%_%J%_(B:T-ZONE minami(http://www.t-zone.co.jp)

We missed this shop(time was running out, I was tired and everybody
looked like losing interest :-). But on the 4th floor, they sell note
PCs with English keyboard.