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#spying
Spy Shop Has Everything the Sneaky High-Tech Sleazeball Needs
In one Akihabara shop, we found a pretty sizable collection of spy equipment. From cellphone jammers and bug finders to hidden cameras and microphones, everything you could possibly need to find out just who this guy is who thinks he can date your ex-wife is available. The most interesting were probably the hidden mics and cams, which were creatively stuck inside such run of the mill objects as a calculator, a pen or a pack of cigarettes. It's stuff like this that makes Akihabara stand out as unique: not necessarily the latest and greatest technology, but the eccentric stuff that you would never find at your local Best Buy in a million years. -
#robots
Awesome Robotics Shop is Hidden Above a Regular Electronics Store in Akihabara
On the fifth floor of an otherwise unassuming electronics shop on a side street in Akihabara hides a store dedicated exclusively to robots. You can get everything from fully built (and very expensive) robots to DIY model kits to parts to build your own robot from scratch. It's a robotics geek's paradise, tucked away, like so many things here, way up in a nondescript building and hard to find. I would advise against investing in that giant Hello Kitty robot, though. Not only is it Hello Kitty, which is a few strikes against it, but it doesn't do anything other than respond to you when you say things into it's microphone, including "I love you" in Japanese when you curse at it in English. Artificial intelligence my ass. -
#retroheaven
'Antique' Gadget Sellers Market Features Amazingly Rare Tech
Some of the coolest stuff in Akihabara wasn't the newest or flashiest, but the oldest. Take this market we discovered up a set of back stairs near the train station. It's full of clear boxes that sellers can rent out. They then price their goods, stick them in, and wait for the buyers to come. It's loaded with pristine old electronics, from the first Walkman models ever released to old cameras and 8mm projectors to old Game Boy games. It's like a museum of old technology, and it's the kind of place you can get lost in for a long, long time. -
#badjokes
This is where Walt Mossberg goes to eat when he visits Japan.
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#meetup
Come Hang Out at the Tokyo Gizmodo Meetup!
So as you may or may not be aware, I'm in Japan. Tokyo, to be exact. And while I'm here, I'd love to meet up with any readers who live here and want to hang out. So! Tomorrow night, Wednesday, at 7:30, there's gonna be a Gizmodo meetup at Toriyoshi in Shibuya. So if you're here, I'd love to meet you. I think. Don't make me regret this, people. -
#towerofsony
The Sony Building in Ginza is a Museum of All Things Sony, Except the PS3
The Sony Building in Ginza stands tall just off the main department-store strip in the neighborhood, featuring a multi-story showroom of all things Sony. They're showing off their latest and greatest tech, such as their super-thin, 8-inch XEL-1 OLED TVs and the Rolly speaker, as well as pretty much everything else they sell. It's kind of like a big booth at a show like CES, where there are a few really cool things that you're excited to see surrounded by loads of stuff we're pretty familiar with already. More » -
#architecture
Kyoto Station is the Ultramodern Heart of Kyoto
Kyoto Station is one of the most impressive buildings I've seen here in Japan, or anywhere for that matter. Standing in stark contrast to the ancient temples the city is known for, this marvel of modern architecture is currently celebrating only its 10th anniversary. Featuring an open-air design that allows the breeze to blow through and the sun to shine in, it's an incredible place that serves as a great welcome to this wonderful city. More »
