The Cornerplay: Japan's electronics scene isn't like yours

[Jeffrey Yuwono]

I just returned from a holiday in Japan, a country with a fascinating culture for electronics. My biggest takeaway is how mainstream gadgets are in Japan; unlike most other countries, there seems to be electronics stores at every corner, with average, everyday kind of people shopping there.

The first impression you get from visiting one is the barrage of colors and signs that beset you. Check out one below:

Stores would typically have a board of promotions out front, which is clever. Deal hunters and casual shoppers who pass by can take a few minutes to see if there’s anything worth buying. Many of these electronics stores are massive (the one I went to had 6 floors!) and could deter everyone but those shopping for something specific. So having the board outside with all the promotions is a good trigger to get people in.

The selection of stuff inside is amazing. Far better than any electronics store I’ve been to elsewhere. I got to check out firsthand all the obscure laptops, 2-in-1s, etc. that I may read about but never handled because they are too niche for my local electronics store to carry.

The section for headphones was particularly impressive. You’d be lucky if your local electronics store had any to test; often, you have to go to audio specialist stores to try a good range.

The store I went to in Tokyo – which is even more generalist than a Best Buy as it sold non-electronic items – had literally hundreds of headphones on display that you can test with your music player. All without having to ask for permission, and without store clerks looking over your shoulder making sure you don’t steal anything.

It was a subtle and powerful demonstration of the kind of service one can expect in Japan.

The crime rate is low in Japan, and generally there’s a high trust factor between merchants and customers. I was amazed they had smartphones on display near the entrance that weren’t even tethered!

It seemed so easy to pick one up and walk out with it – Japan would be a burglar’s wet dream.

Speaking of phones, I saw two that I’ve never seen or read about before.

One is this strange hexagonal shaped phone, the Arrows NX F-02G from Fujitsu.

The other is from Huawei – the Stream S I believe – and it impressed me. It’s thin and incredibly light, and made with a textured plastic that was nice to touch and provided good grip. I don’t know if the phone itself is any good, but I love the form factor.

If it came with a 5.5-inch display (the one I held was a 4.7-incher) and the latest technology, I would be an interested customer.

One thing I did find surprising is the Nexus 6, which was being pushed aggressively everywhere I went. There were many in stock – so if they are sold out in your area, it’s probably because all those Nexus 6s are allocated for Japan.

While you see the usual assortment of Japanese Android phones, iPhones do appear to be king there. My casual observation is that a good half of people living in Tokyo used iPhones.

Perhaps that’s why there are so many Nexus 6s there – Google wants to make sure it’s represented well in one of the world’s largest markets.

I would have taken more pics, but unfortunately got a lot of unfriendly looks while taking photos. The store isn’t worried about people stealing their phones, but they’re not quite OK with people taking photos.

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https://www.techspot.com/news/59359-cornerplay-japan-electronics-scene-isnt-like-yours.html

 

[stewi0001]

Did you tell them that you're a reporter for a tech website?

 

[SourDo]

The store's name depicted in the photos is apparently BigCamera (transliterated from the katakana characters). I've not visited it before while visiting in Japan, but two other large electronics department store chains I've been to are Yodobashi Camera and Yamada Denki. (Not sure why they like to use "camera" in their store name when they sell way more than just cameras. Perhaps the stores were originally camera specialty stores decades ago?)

 

[Guest]

Their porn scene isn't like ours either lol...

 

[Guest]

In Japan, the people are more private about photos, even in public. Usually, would you want to ask first before taking or may ask them please move out of the way before taking a photo for instance.

If you do a search, you can find articles about some articles about it.

 

[Guest]

Almost. The katakana says it's Bic Camera, no relation to the pen and lighter manufacturer. Yes, decades ago when I was living there, they did sell a lot of (film!) cameras.

 

[SirGCal]

They let you in? When I was in Tokyo a few years ago, they wouldn't even let us walk in the door. 'We are closed' is all they'd say, with tons of people inside the store... I was told it was because we were American (obviously) and they think we're trying to steal secrets or something.. /shrug. Dumbest thing ever. The whole electronics row down there, among all the pachinko stores, is pretty cool though. But we couldn't go in...

 

[SourDo]

Almost. The katakana says it's Bic Camera, no relation to the pen and lighter manufacturer. Yes, decades ago when I was living there, they did sell a lot of (film!) cameras.

Hi, thanks for the correction. I thought I saw "big", but on second look, my eyes saw wrong.

 

[Guest]

"'We are closed' is all they'd say, with tons of people inside the store"

That's when you start telling all their potential customers outside the store that they're closed too. They are "closed" after all

 

[fimbles]

Stealing in japan is a very bad idea.

You are in for a rough time. There is no writ of Habeas Corpus in Japan, which means Japanese police can hold you for up to 23 days (3 days' initial interrogation, extendable by 10 days a maximum of twice if a judge approves. Which he will--judges rarely deny public prosecutors the privilege unless a lawyer intervenes.). There have been cases of extraction of information (signed confessions that detainees could not read) through physical and mental duress (beatings, lack of sleep and basic amenities, denial of outside communication, consular contact, or legal counsel) carried out by chain-smoking tag-team interrogators. Detention by the Japanese police is one of the larger nightmares you can experience in Japan.

Source : http://www.debito.org/whattodoif.html#arrested

 

[Bl00dyMinded]

This looks like Brandsmart down here in South Florida.

 

[Guest]

Where else have you (author) visited in Asia? This sounds like common Korean and Chinese electronics markets to me. Both also had huge electronics malls with rows and rows of stalls about 3mx2m up to the one or two pre floor that were stores with huge footprints.

 

[Guest]

I was told it was because we were American (obviously)

They are prpbably still upset about "Enola Gay"

 

[cmbjive]

I was told it was because we were American (obviously)

They are prpbably still upset about "Enola Gay"

They wouldn't have had to worry about Enola Gay if they didn't attack Pearl Harbor. Soshite, boku wa nihon no bunka ga dai suki desu ("And I like Japanese culture very much").