I’m visiting Japan.


How is this hobby is like in Asia, Japan?

I really want to check out an audio manufacturer or at least an audio store over there this July.

Any recommendations?

TIA

128x128nasaman

We are currently saving to go to Japan within the next three years. I’ve always been intrigued by Shindo - but unsure if they provide formal tours. Jazz Kissa has a good map, but I haven’t been able to make it work correctly.

Japan is fantastic and the people are generally very honest. Good FX rates now.

The only problems are the language barrier and 100V equipment. I would get a guide for a day or two because there are a crazy amount of HIFI shops.

I prefer Hong Kong, they speak English and like making deals.

Have a great trip.

My in law came there 6x and he really loves it. 
he isn’t audiophile so can’t ask him much about it.
@roxy54 No, I don’t work for Nasa.

 

My son is moving to Japan June 2024 teaching English and working on his MA in Japanese Language. He is enamored with the culture.  

Just go to the Akihabara district in Tokyo to see the greatest collection of high end  HiFi on sale anywhere in the world! Plus, Tokyo is a great city to visit; very clean, safe, great public transportation, cultured, amazing food and very friendly people.

For stores, Dynamic Audio in Akihabara has something like 6 floors with prices increasing as you move up each floor.  The top floor (7th or 8th, can't remember) is pretty awesome.  You can just walk in and listen if there's no other customers demoing equipment.

For accessories, Yodobashi camera, also in Akihabara, is pretty awesome.

I've visited both Shindo and Kondo, and both visits were fantastic.  But you'll likely need to speak Japanese to set up the visit.

If you spin vinyl, record stores in Tokyo are pretty awesome, but they seem to be more picked over these days.  You'll still be able to find some nice stuff at reasonable prices though.

Japan culture is audiophile by the way they adopted european and american music as jazz or classical but integrated it easily at great speed  ...

They are audiophiles in the way that sound matter for them in the same way their traditional housing, tea ceremony, cooking, art of flower, archery martial art, religious ceremony are very oriented in a "formal" way but a very subtle and refined way but non mechanistical or logical way...The form here  manifest the content, they are not separated by logic..

Then for them music and good sound goes hand in hand and are not separable completely  ...They ask for good sound not only for music content ...They are more inclined to present a set of esthetical rules as also ethical rules and also to ask for ethical rule to be also esthetical rule in some way  ... They do not separate by external "logic" the two...Then they do not separate acoustic and music as the north american consumers did more easily listening anything on bad audio ..Read me right here, the Japan average consumers is resembling the North american one nowadays , i spoke about the general traditional spirit manifested through history here and which persisted till this day in Japan, especially in their very alive audiophile industry  ...

I dont know Japanin person by the way  it is only my opinion and my feeling by my own intuition reading or seeing  ...

 

if you go there you will have a portal open in Japan audiophiles dream...

https://acousticrevive.jp/

 

 
 

 

 

Was in Japan bedore, you'll see Luxman goodies for cheap. They are marked up 30-40% in the US market. 

I know Asia has many high-end audio hobbyist especially in Hong Kong.  Not sure where to look though. Maybe ask/post in WBF as they are more global. 

@nasaman that is for 100v Japan units, you will need a step up transformer for 110v.

Was in Japan bedore, you'll see Luxman goodies for cheap. They are marked up 30-40% in the US market. 

@recklesskelly the Japan trip was fun and successful… well if wife didn’t insist to buy a $200 rice cooker there (vs $300 Amazon).Sales associate reaffirmed that 100v will work in US and so we carried it all the way home. Well, display will led up but that’s about it. Water won’t heat up. Amazon sells a 1,000W adapter for $79 and a 2,000W for $109 (this rice cooker put out 1,200W)

We both disappointed because we don’t want another bulky and huge electronic piece siting behind the rice cooker. FAIL

I should consider y’all inputs and put it 1 and 1 together. Talking about lessons learn.