※The writer is Japanese. There may be some incorrect expressions or sentences. Please read it on that basis.
I saw a thread on Reddit about Akihabara having higher prices. Akihabara is one of the Tokyo neighborhoods that promoted Japanese subcultures such as anime, video games, manga, and idol culture.
Everything is getting more expensive in Akihabara. Some tourists coming to Japan call it a rip-off. People who don’t know the market prices are buying all kinds of things without knowing it.
I am Japanese and have been going to Akihabara for more than 20 years. I have only one thing to say.
Half true, half false.
What is true? It is that prices are going up.
What is a lie? It is that it is a rip-off.
Japan is currently very popular as a tourist destination. Of course, it has always been popular, but it is probably at its peak now. Many tourists go to Kyoto, Osaka, Hiroshima, and many other places.
So how was Akihabara? Did you know Akihabara 10 years ago? Of course there were some people who knew of it, but it was not a place where so many tourists came.
But what about now? If you walk around Akihabara, it seems like half of the people there are tourists. No, maybe even more.
What have they done? They bought a lot of goods.
The prices up to now have been for those who love less animation. This is because these are subcultures, and with the exception of a few rare toys and figurines, they could not be sold for high prices. That is why prices were low.
In the past, anime figures were priced at about 15,000 JPY. How about now? The most expensive ones are about 4500JPY. The highest ones may be over 10,000 JPY.
Why is this? It is simple. Because more and more people are buying. The supply is the same as before, but the number of people who want it has increased. This is why Japanese anime goods are being fought over.
Have you ever heard of an anime or manga called “Freelen”?
This is a hit anime that is representative of the year 2024. This figure was sold in Akihabara in large quantities for about 8,000JPY. What happened to it? There was a waiting list at the arcade where you could get them. In some cases, people stood in line for up to an hour to play the arcade and win the figures. Figures soared to such an extent that they became one of the ways to make money.
Another reason for the soaring prices of anime goods.
These problems, which I reported on in the example of anime goods, especially figurines, are also due to the fact that anime is more than a subculture.
Anime is now popular worldwide and has been elevated to the status of Japanese culture, not a subculture.
This has also made Akihabara a popular tourist destination.
What happens when it becomes popular?
The amount of money spent renting stores in Akihabara has increased by about 1.5 times.
How about in front of the station where many people pass by?
There is a store called Volks that sells anime goods and figures. This place has moved, and the reason is the rent, which is more than 10 million yen, which is too expensive, so they moved to another place.
Is it hard to get figures at the game center in front of the station? Of course it is. It has become a common practice in Akihabara in recent years that high rents = low availability of figures. It is a very sad fact.
More people, more popular tourist attractions, higher prices.
This is a natural and unchangeable fact of capitalism. As anime becomes more popular, all goods will become more expensive. But that was not the end of the problem.
A real rip-off
I said I was not ripped off. Those things may be a little clearer if you read the article so far.
But there is a rip-off. It is a maid cafe. Do you know what a maid cafe is? This is a Japanese subculture.
Maid cafés (Japanese: メイド喫茶 or メイドカフェ, Hepburn: meido kissa or meido kafe) are a subcategory of cosplay restaurants found predominantly in Japan and Taiwan. In these cafés, waitresses, dressed in maid costumes, act as servants, and treat customers as masters (and mistresses) as if they were in a private home, rather than as café patrons. The first permanent[1] maid café, Cure Maid Café, was established in Akihabara, Tokyo, Japan, in March 2001,[2] but maid cafés are becoming increasingly popular. The increased competition drove the cafes to employ more diversified themes, gimmicks and even unusual tactics to attract customers.[3] They have also expanded overseas to several countries[which?] around the world. (wikipedia)
Several restaurants have menus for Japanese and menu prices for foreigners.
In other cases, all prices are more expensive than others.
A news site writes as follows
The number of touts at night has certainly decreased, but the number of touts during the daytime has actually increased. It seems that they have changed their target from businessmen to foreign tourists and customers coming from the countryside. There are still places that make money by ripping off customers. For example, you cannot talk to a cast member unless you ask for champagne, which costs about 8,000 yen, or the cast member drinks all the drinks without your permission and then charges you 40,000 to 50,000 yen at the end of the night.
（by nikkan-spa)
Akihabara has become a tourist attraction, and the security has deteriorated.
Akihabara is one of my favorite places, but it seems to have changed a lot in the last 20 years. The place where I used to play only with my relatives has become a tourist spot, and in some stores, you have to wait in line to get in.
I never thought that my favorite anime and video games would become such a big part of the culture. This makes me very happy, and I would love to talk about them in English.
However, I also feel that when there are a lot of people around, it is not safe. I know of stores that offer rip-offs and illegal sexual entertainment. I have been told by people in Akihabara stores about stores that make money by illegal methods, and I try not to go to those stores.
So I guide in Akihabara.
From this point on, I would like to speak, even though it may sound like half-promotion.
I am a tour guide whose main focus is anime and video games. My life is not stable and I don’t make a lot of money. However, every time I see the faces of tourists who I thought were walking through Akihabara with sparkling eyes leaving Akihabara with disappointed expressions on their faces, I want to keep doing this job.
My English may not even be good. I may not be able to enjoy all of them. But it makes me happy when I see that the people who take my tours seem to be enjoying themselves.
I feel so every time I remember all my friends and neighbors who helped me when I was anxious in Canada during the Corona pandemic.
Japan is my home and every time I think it is my turn to help.
Of course, I get paid for it because it is my life and my work, but I will never betray those who have taken advantage of my tours. I will always entertain them and bring them back to Akihabara.