JAPAN

[Spix737]

Heyyo! So I luckily managed to get myself on a school trip to Tokyo in Japan. We'll be going in a few months, it's gonna be dope.

I was wondering if there's any stores in Japan which sell PC parts and general tech for kinda Cheap. Sorta like a microcenter, but who's prices are better and is in Japan (Close to Tokyo)

plz lemme know if there are any cool stores, thanks!

[orbitalbuzzsaw]

Probably more expensive in japan because of imports. If you want cheap shit go to China

[CodexTech]

Nice trip man! That sounds pretty cool if you ask me.

Don't know of any, good luck man!

[knightslugger]

all kinds, but WHERE in Japan are you going?

[WereCat]

Every store with HW which I visited in Japan sold the HW at a lot higher prices than in EU or US by about 30%-50%.

[Yoinkerman]

Akihabara has shops with cheap electronics but its not pc stuff

[TacoSenpai]

Super Potato will have retro gaming stuff for alot cheaper than you can get here so I hear.

[porina]

Will you get much free time there? Tokyo area is pretty big already. It's been a long time since I was there so can't give advice on the specific question of PC parts, but Akihabara is interesting to explore. I was last there before maid cafes were a thing though... spent too much on anime and music related merchandise though, along with a Laserdisc player and speakers (if that doesn't age me...)

[LogicalDrm]

I only visited Yodobashi. And most of PC parts were only tad cheaper than at home. Not worth of warranty hassle or committing tax/import fraud. The other electronics (phones, tablets, audio gear etc.) which were import brands (Sennheiser, Apple) were more expensive than Japanese cameras and stuff like that. But still considerably cheaper than what they would have cost in here.

[Canada EH]

5 hours ago, Spix737 said:

Heyyo! So I luckily managed to get myself on a school trip to Tokyo in Japan. We'll be going in a few months, it's gonna be dope.

I was wondering if there's any stores in Japan which sell PC parts and general tech for kinda Cheap. Sorta like a microcenter, but who's prices are better and is in Japan (Close to Tokyo)

plz lemme know if there are any cool stores, thanks!

What is your allowed limit going back home?

[Mira Yurizaki]

9 hours ago, Spix737 said:

Heyyo! So I luckily managed to get myself on a school trip to Tokyo in Japan. We'll be going in a few months, it's gonna be dope.

I was wondering if there's any stores in Japan which sell PC parts and general tech for kinda Cheap. Sorta like a microcenter, but who's prices are better and is in Japan (Close to Tokyo)

plz lemme know if there are any cool stores, thanks!

If you're in Tokyo, Akihibara is pretty much going to be your stop for all things geeky.

 

The thing with Japan is that there's no large retailer for hardware. I only know of one store where I lived that sells computer hardware like say Microcenter or Fry's. And while I think it's a chain, I don't think it has stores littered around.

[Max_Settings]

Only stuff that's cheaper in Japan is Japanese made stuff, otherwise it's a lot more expensive than the U.S.. If you would pick me up some cheap Fostex or Audiotechnica stuff while you are there though I would greatly appreciate it.

[Syntaxvgm]

Not really a good place for that. I'd instead look for unique gaming stuff and older region locked games in used stores if you're into that sorta thing. 

[kasugatei]

@Spix737There are some stores in Akihabara like SoftMap, Tsukumo etc. but price wise it is not that cheap. There are some nice laptop deals on Japanese brands, but that's it. Japan is not a country with huge stores in general. Eg. just in Akihabara there are several stores of the same retailer in 300m radius. Also, it is common to get a better deal at some small store than in a bigger store chain. 

 

Good thing is that you can make tax free purchase directly at the store by showing them your passport.

[IntMD]

As others have said, Akihabara is the place to go in Tokyo, but like they also said, don't expect it to be cheap or anything. Still an awesome place to visit, was there 10 years ago last week and really want to go back at some point soon. I assume the Sony building is still there, and that had some cool stuff to go and see at the time, and was free entry.

[xentropa]

I live in Japan, and generally PC parts are not cheaper here.  Compared to USA there is about a 15~20% markup in prices for CPUs, motherboards, video cards etc.

 

That said, if you wanted a physical store to go and see parts, I usually go to a place called TSUKUMO which is in Akihabara.  Otherwise amazon Japan.  

 

The only other computer related unique to Japan thing is custom stuff, like anime case painting, or I know this one shop who focuses on making systems with custom cases to match a decor of furniture, but it isn't like high end parts or anything..

[Blasteque]

Another vote for Akihabara and Yodabashi.  I'll also say it's not a good place to buy, but it is interesting to see.  You'll likely see things there that you won't see elsewhere, at least not yet.

[LAwLz]

From what I've heard, you can find some things like camera gear for fairly cheap in Japan, and also some old second hand retro games from Nintendo among others.

Don't expect to buy a cheap computer though.

[BlueChinchillaEatingDorito]

HARD OFF

 

No seriously it's a store. https://www.hardoff.co.jp/en/. They sell second hand stuff. And since Japanese people don't exactly valued something that's been preowned, prices are very good for what you find. There's one in Akihabara. Can't guarantee you'll find like the latest PC parts (if any), but it's a cool place to browse. You'll never know what you'll find. I found like iPhone 4s s for the equivalent of 20 USD. Not a bad price. You can imagine what an iPhone 6s would sell for there. 

 

[LogicalDrm]

14 hours ago, LAwLz said:

From what I've heard, you can find some things like camera gear for fairly cheap in Japan, and also some old second hand retro games from Nintendo among others.

Don't expect to buy a cheap computer though.

I've heard that its worth of dumbsterdive when Sony or Nintendo releases some new console. Teens throw old stuff away.

[TekRed]

I Have lived in Japan for 10 years and I can tell you first hand don't buy anything computer related here unless you want to pay double. Everything is expensive here even japanese made products lol

[D13H4RD]

Akihabara, as others have said. 

 

It's mostly known for it being a centerpiece of otaku culture, but it's also home to quite a number of electronics stores. 

 

You probably won't find anything cheap, but maybe you might something of interest. Might get some stuff for my Sony a6000 there. 

[dalekphalm]

On 5/24/2018 at 12:34 PM, Spix737 said:

Heyyo! So I luckily managed to get myself on a school trip to Tokyo in Japan. We'll be going in a few months, it's gonna be dope.

I was wondering if there's any stores in Japan which sell PC parts and general tech for kinda Cheap. Sorta like a microcenter, but who's prices are better and is in Japan (Close to Tokyo)

plz lemme know if there are any cool stores, thanks!

Keep in mind you should look into the Import rules for buying something in Japan and bringing it back into the US. You'll need to declare the item at Customs when you come home, and probably pay tax on it.

 

You're not likely to find typical electronics any cheaper in Japan than in the US, so unless you're looking for unique trinkets, etc, that you wouldn't otherwise be able to find in the US? I probably wouldn't buy anything of the like there.