Getting Comfortable with Geekiness in Tokyo

Posted By Phin Upham

Walking the streets of Tokyo, it’s easy to see why it’s a technological marvel of a city. Its citizens stride around the underground with their faces buried in smartphones and portable game systems. A life sized gundamn, an anime giant robot, stands in one of the cities of Japan. It’s a culture of geek, and for some that’s a bit of a shock.

Odaiba

This man-made island in the center of Tokyo is a geek Mecca. It features bizarre skyscrapers that look like something from a Sci-Fi movie. The celebrity robot Asimo can be seen alongside an LCD model of the Earth that displays real-time meteorological data.

Akihabra

The place for gadgets in Tokyo, Akihabra features all things USB and digital. You will find yourself overwhelmed by the sheer volume of comics, games and gadgets on display there. This is the place for the gadget obsessed to collect the highly sought after trinkets of yester-year.

Mangakiss

For many citizens of Tokyo, space is a commodity. That makes gaming in solitude somewhat difficult. These café’s offer designated geek spaces for an hourly rate, providing a comfortable space to game or geek out. Arcade are also much more common, so peek inside to see some dancers and fighting game champions performing at the peak of their careers, a spectacle as real as a live show.

About the Author: Phin Upham is an investor at a family office/ hedgefund, where he focuses on special situation illiquid investing. Before this position, Phin Upham was working at Morgan Stanley in the Media & Technology group. You may contact Phin on his Phin Upham website or LinkedIn page.