WORDS MANAMI OKAZAKI
PHOTOGRAPHY KOHIYAMA TAKAHIRO

It’s geek nirvana in Osaka as all manner of techie toys and gaming goodies go for a song

Travellers can experience a universe of futuristic geek chic when they visit Osaka – Japan’s capital for manufacturing, robots and design.
The city’s chaotic Den Den Town – the equivalent of Tokyo’s electronics district Akihabara – is the place to go for fantastic deals on new products in all their shining glory. Den Den Town is a strip of shops along Sakaisuji Street, north of the Shin-Imamiya Station.

Here, you can zoom in on computer products, the latest cameras, MP3 players, electronic toys, computerised appliances, as well as gadgets and gizmos that make you mutter “Only in Japan!” – USB ports in the shape of sushi, Hello Kitty mobile phones, gaming paraphernalia, a mind-boggling array of surveillance goods that James Bond would appreciate – all crammed together in a chaotic jumble.

While there are the chain stores such as Sofmap, Ninomiya and Joshin Super Kids

Land, as well as duty free stores such as Esian Duty Free, the smaller stores are just as reputable, and in most places staff will struggle in a broken English-cross-Kansai dialect to help you get your gadget.

Hard bargaining for the best price is the norm, so shop around and don’t feel shy about haggling. Start at 60% off the tagged price and you’ll end up with about 20% off.

Fantasy World

Gaming geeks’ hearts will warm at stores that sell the latest titles as well as old school favourites and second-hand gems, such as the Nintendo Famicon, along with its classic cassettes (think “Super Mario Brothers”, “Elevator Action” and “Xavier”). There’s also a huge market for “cheat books”, as the masters spill the beans on how to cut corners in games.

Anime (Japanese animation) and manga (Japanese comics) are two central elements of Japanese geek culture. Apart from kids’ titles, there are also sophisticated documentations for adults on topics ranging from history and politics to spirituality and religion.

Anime and manga stores stock hundreds of titles, and the accompanying toys, figurines and products can fetch staggering prices. Top spots, replete with shop staff dressed in all manner of cartoon costume, include Comic KingsKing and Mandarake. Capsule Toy Shop Super Position is a treasure trove of anime heroes in plastic figurine-form lining the shelves.

For fans of Osamu Tezuka, the father of manga who created Astro Boy and Kimba the White Lion, there is the Tezuka Osamu World in Kyoto, just 15 minutes away by bullet train. It’s fantastic for the whole family and packed to the brim with goods, animation and displays.

Perhaps the oddest shop is the massive Osaka Gundam outlet – Gundam being a popular and epic SFX anime show featuring giant robots with a cult-like following, both in Japan and abroad. This store is an example of how far fandom can go, selling every conceivable Gundam product, even guitars.

Gaming centres scattered around the city are also a lot of fun. Play standard point ’n’ shoot games, taiko drum games, be a master DJ, or play a rather pointless guitar game. The strangest game is a UFO catcher, where live lobsters and fish can be plucked instead of the usual fluffy toys.

Even more bizarre are the salary men in their suits doing a drunken shuffle on the step-onthe-coloured-lights-in-time-to-the-music game (called “Dance Dance Revolution”).

Showcasing the Future

Many of Japan’s top manufacturers are based around Osaka and have showrooms and factory tours open to the public.

At Toyota in nearby Nagoya city, you can witness an impressive show of robots meticulously tending to the stream-lined construction of cars.

The Panasonic Centre allows you to experience the latest products. The sleek exhibition hall features an environment showcase displaying eco-friendly products; camera buffs can test the latest in shooting technology in the gallery; and you can even try the latest gadgets to rejuvenate the skin and vibrate and purify your wrinkles away.

The Sanyo Museum gives visitors a taste of the future with awe-inspiring displays. Historical exhibits show product designs that are fantastically retro, from hip portable cassette players to the first digital cameras. One of the most popular displays is the Ultrasonic bath in the lobby – a Jetsons-style contraption that functions like a washing machine for the body, where the protagonist sits inside, gets washed, dried and massaged to a squeaky sheen

R2D2 and Friends

Osaka is said to be the robot capital of the world. The city regularly hosts robot-related events such as Robocup, but two places that permanently specialise in robotics are the Robot Factory and Robocafé.

Robot Factory is a mass retail store of new models, antique toys and figurines. Here you can buy the latest in robot products for the general market. Popular models in 2007 were the Isobot, a remote-controlled mechanical buddy that walks and talks; a robot alarm clock; and “Paro”, a seal-like robot companion with uncannily lifelike movements that is also used in places like hospitals because of its strangely nurturing presence.

Robocafé, as the name suggests, is a café for robot fanatics. The friendly staff are bona fide robot freaks – walking dictionaries of techsavvy – and you can interact with robots while you eat organic food and drink lattes. Robots and paraphernalia for sale here range from kitschy souvenirs, collectibles, robot DVDs and books, to state-of-the-art products.

The same company that runs Robocafé also runs the impressive Robot Museum in Nagoya, Japan’s biggest museum dedicated to educating the public about robots, from domestic to industrial level.

For all your travel choices, go to jetstar.com

FIND IT:

Sofmap
5-7-17, Nihonbashi, Naniwa-ku, Osaka-shi, Osaka, tel: +81 (6) 6634 1532

Ninomiya
4-11-2, Nipponbashi, Naniwa-ku, Osaka-shi, Osaka, tel: +81 (6) 6643 2220

Joshin Super Kids Land
4-12-4, Nipponbashi, Naniwa-ku, Osaka-shi, Osaka, tel: +81 (6) 6634 1151

Esian Duty Free
Kikugawa Bld. 3-6-4, Nipponbashi, Naniwa-ku, Osaka, tel: +81 (6) 6630 1055

Comic KingsKing
4-10-4, 1st Floor Tai-hei Building, Nihonbashi, Osaka, tel: +81 (6) 4396 8980

Mandarake
3-7-6 Nipponbashi, Naniwa-ku, Osaka, tel: +81 (6) 6645 0772

Capsule Toy Shop Super Position
3-7-5, Niniwa-ku, Nihobashi, Osaka, tel: +81 (6) 6645 5447

Tezuka Osamu World
Kyoto Station Bldg. East, 901 Higashishiokoji-cho, Shiokoji Sagaru, Karasuma-dori, Shimogyo-ku, Kyoto, tel: +81 (7) 5341 2376

Osaka Gundam
4-10-1 Naniwa-ku, Nihonbashi, Osaka, tel: +81 (6) 6648 1411

Toyota Factory Tour
1, Toyota-cho, Toyota city, Nagoya, tel: +81 (5) 6523 3922

Panasonic Centre
2-1-61 Shiromi, Chuo-ku, Osaka, tel: +81 (6) 6949 2111

Sanyo Museum
2-5-5, Keihan-Hondori, Moriguchi City, Osaka, tel: + 81 (6) 6994 8095 or 0120 340757 (free phone, only in Japan)

Robot Factory
4-8-16, Naniwa-ku, Nihonbashi, Osaka-fu, Osaka, tel: +81 (6) 6645 5363

Robocafé 1-23-30 Dakota House, Nishi-ku, Osaka, tel: +81 (6) 6444 2001

Robot Museum
3-25-20 Nishiki, Naka-ku, Aichi Tel: 0120-156-610 (only in Japan)
Robot Factory is a mass retail store of new models, antique toys and figurines.