Japan the home of Godzilla, anime, model building, and a world of consumerism. Japan, Tokyo, truly has everything you could ever imagine and hope for. The amount of material wealth is not only hard to comprehend but is also hard to imagine. In a country already dominated by space, every area is maximized to sell.
Unlike america where some shopping areas and malls sprawl over several acres of land, seeing high rise buildings where each floor offers a unique experience it’s not uncommon to spend an entire day in one building looking for that perfect anime figure or model. This is one of the reasons why I will not be attending the anime expo 2020 in L.A. Everything that is sold at the convention can be bought here in Japan, and the mega anime convention that is offered into Tokyo is 2nd to none.
Aside from the mass consumerism, so to is the world of gaming offering up a different experience for everyone, along with a chance to take home a large plush sided figure. In some gaming areas, the higher you go in the building the more adult themed it becomes until you reach the top and find Japanese business men smoking while huddled over their game gambling away or betting on a metal electrical horse track.
Sofmap is a nice high scale place that offers up higher priced action figures most notablely Gundam.
I can’t begin to tell you how many hours I have spent here shopping and how many gems I walked away with from this store.
When it comes to the world of toys one thing the west is not use to is the level of detail and sophistication that some of the toys naturally posses or project out towards the youth.
The world anime and Gundam isn’t just an idea that only Japan knows of. This idea of anime transcends the world. Even in Istanbul I was able to find both manga and anime action figures. Anime isn’t just one genera, one theam, or one idea but establishes it’s self in all ideas and all generas exploring everything from the average day in the life to the farfetched ideas of sciencie fiction to beyond.
A brilliant idea in marketing and selling is most if not all products offered are put on display. Often the displays are extravagant and elaborate, playing a common day in the life as you would find it happening among that group of toys.
A main street in the downtown area of Akihabara these two places of business offere up seven to 10 floors of manga “cartoon illsutrated comics.” Starting off with common and mainstream titles the further you go up the more adult themed the comics become.
Anime takes on new meaning with it comes to the world of Cosplay. In Japan, Tokyo there is a place where you can literally become any of your favorite charters
This watch roughly costs $100,000.00
A fan of Canon cameras Bic Camera a chain of retail stores in Japan similar to Wal-Mart in the West with out the food selection seeing the full range of every lenses and accessory is quite the treat.
But not only do they have the full range of cameras for Canon they also have every Leica and lens along with every other brand out there.
On another level of the Bic Camera store you can find the time without any problem. With every watch imaginable finding the perfect one for you is no problem whatsoever.
In many of the 7-11’s and Family mart convince stores it’s not uncommon to find the trad marks of daily business life. White shirts, black pants, black socks and black ties. In America it not uncommon to find in many convince stores an area of hard hats, and construction FR clothing.
One thing that Japan is famous for is their love for the written word along with books and magazines. Book stores reign supreme over any book store I have ever been in.
Harajuku is a place of food, fashion, and fun. A street that runs several city blocks offers up quite the unique experience when it comes to trying crapes and some of the local foods, along with other well known business.
Going to Japan, France, and Istanbul and having had the oppertunity to shop at some unique botiques, and various little shops along with some of the most amazing super malls, and department stores it’s hard to come back home and go shopping for virtually anything. Spite America being a melting pot of other cultures of the world this notion does not translate into consumerism. Yes, it’s still possible to go to places like China Town in certain cities and get various things, but if you want to real deal you simply have to just get up and go there.
America once the home of malls, strip malls, and downtown shopping districts have all but become a thing of the past. With the recession of 2008 and what some might say the linger effects along with the down turn of various major industries, small business and large business have taken a hit. Even in my home town driving down the street and playing the game I remember when this building use to be this or that is till a common favorite. Even the quality and diversity found in various stores is not what it use to be. A large factor that has impacted the world of shopping is the online factor. Now with many of the online web-sights offering 2nd day shopping, not to mention free shipping with membership, often it’s no brainier in deciding where your going to be spending your money. I know trying to find a French Cuff shirt that is my style with the square wool ties is impossible and simply not going to happen.
The cultural phenomena of consumerism isnt’ just an idea in the back of Americans minds it’s a corner stone. Although twenty and twenty five years ago the home of department stores, special orders and shopping catalogues ruled the commerce. Today many major chains have pulled their plug in some rural towns while others closed their doors all together.
The end of in-store consumerism.
When shopping at stores no longer becomes feasible or worth it.
This was once the counter where people would get their catalogue orders. Yes, catalogues were once a thing, something that every kid looked forward to towards the holiday season. Getting a Sears and J.C .Pennies catalogue with all the new toys and other odds and ends you could buy was something of a special moment. Since the time of this picture the shelving and counters has since been removed and in it’s place is now just a vacant area.
Representation of at least a quarter of the mall in my local home town there is less reason to go there then there is to do so. For smaller towns malls have virtually become a thing of the past, and only realistic during the holiday season when various mom and pop shops spring up in hopes of making profit. I can only for see the economic tension continue to squeeze business until malls and other department stores begin to close all together.
The future of business will survive; many stores have had to evolve to keep up with the times. In various major department stores, you see a reduction in human checkers and the advent of self-checking, along with self-belt checking for customers who have more groceries who need the convenience of a belt. Another unique feature is put into place includes the ability to order online and pick up in-store, and for a bit more, you can have your products delivered to you at your home. This has also preserved jobs by reinventing them and re-purposing people into individuals who go about the store collecting up the shopping lists, readying them for pick up or delivery.
The other thing that I have noticed is that department stores and malls are the advents of novelty stores that specialize in various industries. This idea of specialized novelty stores is something I intend to cover shortly of some of the more fun and awesome places that go the extra mile in finding you that hard to find the book or novelty toy.