Walking Through Tokyo's Computer District: Akihabara in 1993

Фильм және анимация

Back in 1993 I got the chance to walk and shoot Tokyo's computer district-called Akihabara or Electric Town. it seemed to me at the time that they were pretty far ahead of us in terms of the variety of electronic devices, all of which are classics now, and probably highly collectible. I do hope that my subscribers and others enjoy seeing this old computer stuff-filmed before the World Wide Web existed.#Akihabara #Tokyo #ComputerDistrict #1993 #ElectronicDevices #Collectible #WorldWideWeb #HistoryOfTechnology #akiba #akihabara #chuostreet #computerhistory

Пікірлер: 1 800

  • @user-pb1mz2el7f
    @user-pb1mz2el7f5 жыл бұрын

    This Mr. Hoffman, IS GOLD. An invaluable precious piece of history and maybe the only method to travel back in time.

  • @pikuhana

    @pikuhana

    3 жыл бұрын

    Copyright David Lightman XD (Wargames reference)

  • @Wanderlust1972

    @Wanderlust1972

    3 жыл бұрын

    I miss gun games.

  • @azuresky4695

    @azuresky4695

    3 жыл бұрын

    @@Wanderlust1972 why? We have something better now (VR)

  • @Wanderlust1972

    @Wanderlust1972

    3 жыл бұрын

    @@azuresky4695 its nice not to have something over your eyes

  • @bencheshire

    @bencheshire

    3 жыл бұрын

    nah theres always the DeLorean

  • @garyd395
    @garyd3953 жыл бұрын

    You have to love how KZread is the closest thing to a time machine we have.

  • @ashanavbhattacharyya3517

    @ashanavbhattacharyya3517

    3 жыл бұрын

    Digital museum of the future!

  • @WitchKing-Of-Angmar

    @WitchKing-Of-Angmar

    3 жыл бұрын

    I don't, it makes me sad. KZread is brand new in terms of my life, might show all this, but being in each time period is completely different then seeing it. You might think it may be warm here because your room you are in is warm, or the current smells and tastes you offer now make you think it is exact to the ones in the video. I'll tell you that it is completely unexpected and different for everyone, but with such little show.. doesn't quite offer enough in it no matter how detailed and specific it may seem. Very strange, like one of those VR games virtualized into a snow setting at night when your in a hot humid room in the spark of the bright day, maybe even in a thunderstorm?

  • @swatipatil6998

    @swatipatil6998

    3 жыл бұрын

    Also the fact that it's free to use and the future generations will be using it even more intuitively than us !

  • @fran6402

    @fran6402

    3 жыл бұрын

    @@WitchKing-Of-Angmar everyone thinks they're philosophers nowadays, man just shut up and enjoy the video

  • @Yaujta

    @Yaujta

    3 жыл бұрын

    Bruh #Facts 💯😂👌

  • @trustyvault13canteen32
    @trustyvault13canteen323 жыл бұрын

    Just a random businessman playing with a SNES Light Gun on the streets.

  • @danieloneill9560

    @danieloneill9560

    3 жыл бұрын

    Haha imagine seeing that today

  • @hgrunt100

    @hgrunt100

    3 жыл бұрын

    Do you know what Superscope game that is?

  • @noahboat580

    @noahboat580

    3 жыл бұрын

    @@hgrunt100 super scope 7 i think

  • @chris77jay77

    @chris77jay77

    3 жыл бұрын

    @@hgrunt100 I had it but I don’t remember what it was called.

  • @jackassqwe2

    @jackassqwe2

    3 жыл бұрын

    My mother took away my batteries, so I went to the store after work to play.

  • @teamO_X
    @teamO_X3 жыл бұрын

    Thanks youtube for making this time machine for us...

  • @clementine2234

    @clementine2234

    3 жыл бұрын

    Thank you David Hoffman for making this time machine for us, not KZread. They didn't do anything lol

  • @shifty2755

    @shifty2755

    3 жыл бұрын

    KZread? I think not KZread just take your money from you for "premium" features. They need to be boycotted and now.

  • @AnonymousB460

    @AnonymousB460

    3 жыл бұрын

    @@clementine2234 KZread is only as good as its content creators. With how they operate now, its hard to thank KZread itself for anything.

  • @bantoanthony

    @bantoanthony

    3 жыл бұрын

    Dude, seriously. This is some great footage man.

  • @1chi

    @1chi

    3 жыл бұрын

    You don't need a time machine because Japan hasn't changed a ton since then.

  • @sambaker3233
    @sambaker32333 жыл бұрын

    This Shop is called "Bic Camera" It still exists and is still the same.

  • @whatbrettdid

    @whatbrettdid

    3 жыл бұрын

    Take a video for comparison

  • @herakets3259

    @herakets3259

    3 жыл бұрын

    @@whatbrettdid I remember it from a trip a while back. Even the shelves look pretty much the same with the same space layout. The only real difference is the products.

  • @NathanChisholm041

    @NathanChisholm041

    3 жыл бұрын

    So what do they sell retro electronic gear ?

  • @porkyhunter

    @porkyhunter

    3 жыл бұрын

    Level 42 leaving me now @ 2:42

  • @knowbuddy0

    @knowbuddy0

    3 жыл бұрын

    Somebody please to a current video of this place lol

  • @PrincessSakuno
    @PrincessSakuno5 жыл бұрын

    WOW even though the electronics have changed, the signage aesthetic and marketing techniques sure have not! Also CRAZY QUALITY, WHAT A BACK IN TIME CAPSULE GOLDMINE THIS IS

  • @lieutenantfartblow1727

    @lieutenantfartblow1727

    5 жыл бұрын

    Check out a old game called popeye Them chinx was spot on back in the 80s

  • @marc4477

    @marc4477

    5 жыл бұрын

    Exactly the same thought I had - I was recently in Japan and the aesthetic looks exactly the same. Amazing how this footage is over 25 years old but one would almost have to think twice to realize that its 1993.

  • @marcmolinaro228

    @marcmolinaro228

    4 жыл бұрын

    Agreed - without the title reference it would almost at times be hard to distinguish this from the 2010's or 2020 - amazing David, you're videos are true statements of time for human reference.

  • @hatmcjones

    @hatmcjones

    3 жыл бұрын

    i thought the same, it looks just like it does now but just different products on the shelves. it must have been incredibly futuristic to see back then, even so now and the amount of electronic the average person has is tenfold

  • @zziaoe6940

    @zziaoe6940

    3 жыл бұрын

    @@lieutenantfartblow1727 do not use the word ch**k, that is offensive. Don’t be a piece of shit

  • @leftyfourguns
    @leftyfourguns3 жыл бұрын

    The 90s...when people actually had money to buy things. Good times!

  • @Melnek1

    @Melnek1

    3 жыл бұрын

    Well, today people have credit...

  • @JHMninja89

    @JHMninja89

    3 жыл бұрын

    @Rahul India won't lmao

  • @cutiebunnyamber3447

    @cutiebunnyamber3447

    3 жыл бұрын

    @@Melnek1 rEddIt

  • @kasseenbenton8690

    @kasseenbenton8690

    3 жыл бұрын

    So true

  • @Spookspek

    @Spookspek

    3 жыл бұрын

    You have money to buy all the things they bought (except real estate).

  • @AJ-xc4nm
    @AJ-xc4nm3 жыл бұрын

    A camera of that quality in the early 90's must have costed the equivalent of 10 thousand dollars.

  • @denji94

    @denji94

    9 ай бұрын

    Seiously, the quality is insanely good for that time. Id say even better than most older Phones we have now

  • @bluebugaboo3344
    @bluebugaboo33443 жыл бұрын

    This looks like it was filmed just recently!

  • @Headwyres

    @Headwyres

    3 жыл бұрын

    Because it is well preserved...

  • @mokah5619

    @mokah5619

    3 жыл бұрын

    @RedDemoon This comment is beyond inaccurate.

  • @charli9289

    @charli9289

    3 жыл бұрын

    Mokah yeah lmao

  • @edgemaxxer1573

    @edgemaxxer1573

    3 жыл бұрын

    Was it because it's in hd?

  • @nebulouspranks

    @nebulouspranks

    3 жыл бұрын

    yeah thats because 1993 in america is 2013 in japan

  • @manishamohanty244
    @manishamohanty2443 жыл бұрын

    It is a testament to the quality of Japanese products that the CANON EX-S12 digital camera and the PANASONIC HDC-SD1 camcorder that my Dad bought in Japan back in 2007 still work perfectly today without any problems. I spent my School years in Hiroshima between 2004 and 2009 when my dad worked at Mitsubishi Heavy Industries...Watching this video takes me back to the time when we used to go to the electronics stores just for fun and check all the new stuff every Sunday almost religiously!!! I profusely thank Mr.Hoffann for sharing this video!!!!

  • @vishanthgp

    @vishanthgp

    3 жыл бұрын

    The Sega I bought in 1993 still works man.

  • @GrilledChickenRamyun

    @GrilledChickenRamyun

    3 жыл бұрын

    True mom bought Radio and her freezer lasted more than 30 years

  • @bosskelvin195

    @bosskelvin195

    3 жыл бұрын

    @Chitragupta cuz u poor country bro..

  • @helliboss

    @helliboss

    3 жыл бұрын

    @@bosskelvin195 He meant that sarcastically bro.

  • @GRMNCVS

    @GRMNCVS

    3 жыл бұрын

    I've got a Canon AE-1 Program from 1983 that works womderfully

  • @blokeabouttown2490
    @blokeabouttown24903 жыл бұрын

    I know I'm getting old when I look at electronics from 27 years ago and it all still looks pretty new and relevant to me.

  • @DivPivShiftmaster
    @DivPivShiftmaster3 жыл бұрын

    Much better than what people film today!! Heck even my content is crap compared to this 🤣

  • @JaredConnell

    @JaredConnell

    3 жыл бұрын

    He literally just walked into stores and filmed what was on sale. Not groundbreaking content or anything lol

  • @DivPivShiftmaster

    @DivPivShiftmaster

    3 жыл бұрын

    @@JaredConnell not groundbreaking, but entertaining and inciting curiosity!!

  • @justsomeguy8385

    @justsomeguy8385

    3 жыл бұрын

    I have no idea why you think this is so great.

  • @tonkotsu_noodles

    @tonkotsu_noodles

    3 жыл бұрын

    There is nothing special in these videos...these videos are just like 🍷 wine. and dont compare these videos with the modern ones.. they cant even match the quality, technology and perfection put in to it...So dont say blanket statements just so you can !

  • @leedonghae1198

    @leedonghae1198

    3 жыл бұрын

    @@justsomeguy8385 Only 2000's kids would say that

  • @tartgreenapple
    @tartgreenapple5 жыл бұрын

    ZERO of those devices were connected to the internet. Weird thought.

  • @nikolasgunadi765

    @nikolasgunadi765

    4 жыл бұрын

    I think some are through ground cables and signal towers

  • @ketchyshubby

    @ketchyshubby

    3 жыл бұрын

    There's something great about that. Even when you were using your devices you still felt grounded in reality. The internet being a gateway to escapism, it's hard not to lose track of the moment. I can't even resist picking my phone up at a red light instead of just sitting there doing nothing for a few minutes.

  • @pikuhana

    @pikuhana

    3 жыл бұрын

    I think its awesome that they were listening to american music in japan specifically for that reason

  • @lander77477

    @lander77477

    3 жыл бұрын

    This was 1993, there wasn't much of an internet to connect to

  • @cortezphenix9569

    @cortezphenix9569

    3 жыл бұрын

    @@lander77477 That’s the point of the original comment; many devices support Internet connectivity today.

  • @silversobe
    @silversobe5 жыл бұрын

    This is lost gold. More vintage Japan!

  • @joao_1986

    @joao_1986

    3 жыл бұрын

    I know this is late but what you meant is retro

  • @snoopsnoop4561
    @snoopsnoop45613 жыл бұрын

    This is gold, back when we had enough tech for an easy life, unlike today where we are hooked to our cellphones, heck I just woke up and am surfing KZread, even commenting this from my phone still in bed LOL.

  • @pfw4568

    @pfw4568

    3 жыл бұрын

    Yeah it was the perfect technologic time. Enough to satisfy us, but it didn't control our life.

  • @pumpkinhill4570

    @pumpkinhill4570

    3 жыл бұрын

    @@pfw4568 25 years from now people will say that about our time right now.

  • @pfw4568

    @pfw4568

    3 жыл бұрын

    @@pumpkinhill4570 I think so aswell. Those new standards in the near future will be funky stuff

  • @dynamicentry8321
    @dynamicentry83213 жыл бұрын

    The cameraman is a time traveller. The quality of the video gives it away.

  • @thewillofus.defend1351

    @thewillofus.defend1351

    3 жыл бұрын

    Crazy good quality!

  • @71mach15

    @71mach15

    3 жыл бұрын

    There are AI

  • @Isaac-gh5ku

    @Isaac-gh5ku

    3 жыл бұрын

    I'm surprised that this was taken from 1993, yet the quality look like it came from the 2000s or 2010s.

  • @mLmlmLmmm

    @mLmlmLmmm

    3 жыл бұрын

    @@Isaac-gh5ku its because it was recorded with a very expensive camera

  • @acolyte1951

    @acolyte1951

    3 жыл бұрын

    the author definitely is a time traveler since he is the same person who moved forward in time lol

  • @natemarx4999
    @natemarx49995 жыл бұрын

    Some of those gadgets would still look cool today.

  • @braceyourselvesfortruth2492

    @braceyourselvesfortruth2492

    3 жыл бұрын

    Some look cooler than what we have today, simply because product designers and inventors were envisioning a future that, perhaps sadly, didn't go exactly as they thought. We put down gun controllers and styluses for the Internet about a year or two later.

  • @dastran2731

    @dastran2731

    3 жыл бұрын

    All

  • @DjouMaSeEpos

    @DjouMaSeEpos

    3 жыл бұрын

    In South Africa we are so far behind the civilised world we still haven't had some of those gadgets!

  • @thegoodkidboy7726

    @thegoodkidboy7726

    3 жыл бұрын

    @@DjouMaSeEpos Which part of the country are you from, my guy?

  • @jimmy1395

    @jimmy1395

    3 жыл бұрын

    And probably still work today.

  • @Andres33AU
    @Andres33AU4 жыл бұрын

    I love how the store where the guy was playing the Super Famicom, today sells retro video games, so it feels virtually unchanged in 25 years!

  • @user-ov3zn5uj6h
    @user-ov3zn5uj6h2 жыл бұрын

    いい時代だったなぁ・・・ まだオレの人生が夢と希望と可能性と頭髪に満ちていた頃だよ

  • @bigass7080

    @bigass7080

    5 күн бұрын

    リアルに今は逆に輝いてるじゃんw(頭が) でも本当にいい時代だった… 世間ではバブル弾けたとか言ってたけどガキの自分には実感無くて、 まだまだこの頃は本当に夢と希望に満ち溢れてた。 実感するのは就職する90年後半~00年位で「超氷河期」になったときな…

  • @rymat
    @rymat2 жыл бұрын

    Wow! Just randomly searched for 1990s Japanese gaming hoping to find some old commercials or something and this popped up. It's so awesome you got this footage. As others have said this is just like stepping into a time machine!

  • @4Angel4cross4eyes
    @4Angel4cross4eyes4 жыл бұрын

    I was born in 1990, and it consistently fascinates me how much technology has changed since I’ve been alive. Also it’s so cool to look at videos from the past, it’s fascinating.

  • @tartgreenapple

    @tartgreenapple

    Жыл бұрын

    I remember when the first home computers came out. Home IBMs (PCs) and the first Macintosh. They were insanely expensive. I took a short course at a local computer store on the first Mac (which had a black and white monitor), most were small businesses run by enterprising nerds. It's like I was seeing the first telephone.

  • @423tech
    @423tech4 жыл бұрын

    The song playing starting at 2:49 is 君に逢いたい午後 (The Afternoon I Want to See You) by 稲垣潤一 (Junichi Inagaki). It is my favorite Japanese song (I'm a 24 year old American). What a bizarre coincidence, and how cool to hear it being played at this time! Thanks for this video! Made my day!

  • @alexandersonmei

    @alexandersonmei

    3 жыл бұрын

    Thanks bro! Tried shazaming it, didn't work.

  • @423tech

    @423tech

    3 жыл бұрын

    @@alexandersonmei You're welcome. I'm glad to see other English speakers appreciate the music.

  • @alexandersonmei

    @alexandersonmei

    3 жыл бұрын

    @@423tech it's my kind of music haha... takes me back to times where I haven't existed yet... It sounds strangely familiar to me and triggers some nostalgia feeling idk why.. btw thank you again for letting us know the music bro!

  • @423tech

    @423tech

    3 жыл бұрын

    @@alexandersonmei I have a playlist on my channel called City Pop you may enjoy.

  • @eisooneusoof4390

    @eisooneusoof4390

    3 жыл бұрын

    Junichi Inagaki - Christmas Carol No Koro Niha

  • @Aranimda
    @Aranimda3 жыл бұрын

    1993: Lots of buttons, tiny screen. 2013: Few buttons, big screen.

  • @rein3162

    @rein3162

    3 жыл бұрын

    2023 no botton just screen

  • @binlongong1298

    @binlongong1298

    3 жыл бұрын

    2030 putting screen inside your eye lans

  • @akostube

    @akostube

    3 жыл бұрын

    2033 no buttons no screen

  • @nijemosquedaiv4634

    @nijemosquedaiv4634

    3 жыл бұрын

    2050: no button, no screen, only inside your brain

  • @ernestdesouza8888

    @ernestdesouza8888

    3 жыл бұрын

    Apple has taken this too far already😂

  • @fitrianhidayat
    @fitrianhidayat3 жыл бұрын

    Looks like a golden era of innovative technologies

  • @DoubleMonoLR

    @DoubleMonoLR

    15 күн бұрын

    It was.

  • @chriskarpetas
    @chriskarpetas5 жыл бұрын

    Wow, Akiba hasn't changed all that much. The crowd is different, but the vibe is the same. Also, 300k Yen for a laptop is insane.

  • @blitzedpig1651

    @blitzedpig1651

    5 жыл бұрын

    That's about $300 American That's cheap.

  • @letmechangemyyoutubename1554

    @letmechangemyyoutubename1554

    5 жыл бұрын

    @@blitzedpig1651 uhhh.... not quite. in 1993, 1 USD got you anywhere from 100 to 120 yen, depending on time of year. so lets just say 1 USD = 110 JPY. 300,000/110=~$2700. $2700, in 1993, well, if that's still cheap for you, I envy you friend xD

  • @toposebi95

    @toposebi95

    5 жыл бұрын

    Eh, not quite. A good chunk of the stores here have become anime/hobby-focused shops, and the few remaining electronics stuff either carries stuff you can't use outside of Japan or stuff you could find elsewhere back home (or on Amazon).

  • @leomignonneau1765

    @leomignonneau1765

    4 жыл бұрын

    Akiba as in Akihabara? Interesting abbreveation.

  • @KariHaruka

    @KariHaruka

    4 жыл бұрын

    @@leomignonneau1765 Akihabara is also known as 'Akiba' after a former shrine in the area that was known as Akiba Jinja after a Shinto deity that could control fire and the area eventually became known as Akihabara.

  • @astudentpilotlife
    @astudentpilotlife3 жыл бұрын

    It is weird how older camera was able to capture such a good footage while many recording today are so grainy and bad

  • @aditya_gupta

    @aditya_gupta

    3 жыл бұрын

    Ikr, footage is surprisingly good for such a low light scene

  • @magnetacyan5032

    @magnetacyan5032

    3 жыл бұрын

    Probably was because it was expensive as hell and not a cheap home video camera

  • @astudentpilotlife

    @astudentpilotlife

    3 жыл бұрын

    @the Game, Review and Reallife Channel 45?

  • @atomstarfireproductions8695

    @atomstarfireproductions8695

    3 жыл бұрын

    I’m curious what video camera was used. If this was analog, I would guess the tape was almost never played. If this was digital, it must have been a very high end camera.

  • @gringo77345

    @gringo77345

    3 жыл бұрын

    @@atomstarfireproductions8695 Hi8 did a good analog job back then. even music videos were shot with them.

  • @rhyswong8976
    @rhyswong89762 ай бұрын

    These are just random stuff that no one would think of putting it on tape... BUT after so many years, I'm actually super glad that you did for posterity. These places are my candy stores.

  • @NQBN
    @NQBN Жыл бұрын

    Those days were lovely

  • @possessedllama
    @possessedllama3 жыл бұрын

    I'm just imagining how conspicuous filming this must have been in 1993 compared to today.

  • @tartgreenapple

    @tartgreenapple

    Жыл бұрын

    People did not really like being filmed and it's not like you could be stealthy with a giant hunk on plastic shit in your hand.

  • @daisuke5755

    @daisuke5755

    14 күн бұрын

    Small video cameras were already common in Japan.

  • @RitterTX
    @RitterTX3 жыл бұрын

    Completely forgot about all the “digital organizers” during that time period. They were the precursor to the “Palm Pilot”, and then ultimately the smart phone. They mostly were just a digital calendar and Rolodex with a general note taking app. I think some had dictionary /thesaurus/ encyclopedia add ons.

  • @joedarkness808

    @joedarkness808

    3 жыл бұрын

    Most of these are Japanese dictionaries .. they still use them today

  • @beavis4763

    @beavis4763

    3 жыл бұрын

    I used to have a silver Casio organizer with a massive 32kb memory lol.

  • @tartgreenapple

    @tartgreenapple

    Жыл бұрын

    One of my co-workers tried to talk me into buying a "Palm Pilot" in the 90's. Seemed shit to me.

  • @brunosco

    @brunosco

    Жыл бұрын

    @@tartgreenapple Palm devices were kind of the iPhones of the day, so back then it was considered top technology, really advanced and smart. My dad and myself had them and it was really neat. Believe it or not, the oldest events I can find in my cloud calendar today date back to January 2001! So that’s about 7 years of imported events from my days with a Palm! 🤓

  • @TiffMcGiff
    @TiffMcGiff3 жыл бұрын

    Love running into old footage like this from the tech boom. Thank you.

  • @tokyosnackdetective8362
    @tokyosnackdetective83623 жыл бұрын

    This brings me back to my first trip in 1999. Seeing the staff with their windbreakers, calculators and carbon receipts. It was very much like your video as an Electric Town. Now, living in Japan with Akiba close by, it is a shell of its former self with attractions catering to tourists and what they think Akiba should be. There are still places like this, tight alleys of shops but not many left. People forget Akiba was a place to buy electronics, washing machines, faxes and vacuum cleaners in a bargaining atmosphere. You can still do a bit of bargaining with quotes from outlets now, but basically most things are regulated to the Bic Camera, Yodobashi Camera and a few specialty shops.

  • @yellowblanka6058
    @yellowblanka60585 жыл бұрын

    Takes me back to the days of going into Sears/Wal-Mart etc. with my parents and making a bee-line for the electronics section to find the Genesis/SNES display until they finished their shopping and dragged me away. The 90's was a very exciting time for gaming and electronics, constant innovation and iteration. Also, what is that hawker (I assume he's trying to sell something/attract attention) saying at the end?

  • @yellowblanka6058

    @yellowblanka6058

    3 жыл бұрын

    @Troy Krentz We got the NES fairly late in its life, but I still remember waiting in the car with my sisters, parents said they had a surprise for us, went into I think it was Toys R' Us, came back out with a bag with a NES Zapper set in it. We were all excited.

  • @johnjones393

    @johnjones393

    3 жыл бұрын

    I was the same, but for me it was the early 80s and the Atari 2600.

  • @cflo1386

    @cflo1386

    3 жыл бұрын

    For me it was 90s Montgomery Wards, that's where I bought my SNES with Donkey Kong combo:) and 80s Kmart NES.

  • @m.c.b.p.777
    @m.c.b.p.7773 жыл бұрын

    Everything was so high tech and new at that time. So much innovations, miss those good ol days.

  • @stayfun2170
    @stayfun21703 жыл бұрын

    Wow miss the 90's. Thanks this is the hidden gold in youtube.

  • @NoNoseProduction
    @NoNoseProduction3 жыл бұрын

    I'm really glad you kept this stuff and released it.

  • @threeleggedman
    @threeleggedman3 жыл бұрын

    I remember walking into the stores in NYC back in this era and marveling all all the gadgets they had for sale. I wanted all of them!

  • @juantwotree5710
    @juantwotree57105 жыл бұрын

    The moment i wished for a time machine, I realized i would eventually just wish for more time. :/

  • @lander77477

    @lander77477

    3 жыл бұрын

    A time machine won't stop you from aging. What we need is a fountain of youth machine

  • @saxoman1

    @saxoman1

    3 жыл бұрын

    @@lander77477 Your best bet is to travel far enough into the future to get in on some life extension tech!

  • @lander77477

    @lander77477

    3 жыл бұрын

    @@saxoman1 dang now that's the right idea. The human body is just a technology, but its an insanely complicated and advanced technology, and on top of that, we didn't invent any of it, so we have to try to reverse engineer it and figure it out. It will take time but eventually we will crack this technology and bend it to our will.

  • @0002pA
    @0002pA8 ай бұрын

    An absolutely mesmerizing time capsule. Thank you so much for posting this!

  • @CardHandlers
    @CardHandlers3 жыл бұрын

    Beautiful video. Thanks for the look back in time!

  • @moeskie
    @moeskie3 жыл бұрын

    I wish I lived in this era. I’m 15 and this would be my dream. I love retro things and back then you had good music AND groundbreaking tech.

  • @sayno2lolzisback
    @sayno2lolzisback5 жыл бұрын

    From what I can tell - Akihabara has not changed that much. It has one of the most unique and exhilarating atmosphere's I have ever experienced.

  • @ssk1409
    @ssk14093 жыл бұрын

    This video transported me to the magical 90's , sounds visuals the texture can be felt...

  • @romanes_eunt_domus
    @romanes_eunt_domus3 жыл бұрын

    It's almost like I can reach out and touch the past 30 years later. Wow... Just, wow. Thank you for this gift of a video.

  • @ernestolombardo5811
    @ernestolombardo58115 жыл бұрын

    Hey, it's the Hamster Tubes! While I've never been to Japan, I've been fascinated by that country for a long time now, then last year I discovered NHK World, have gone through most of the Journeys In Japan, Cycling Around Japan, J-Trip Plan and Tokyo Eye 2020 episodes available on KZread, while waiting for sleep to arrive and take me away. So this video is a fascinating slice of a very recent past that still feels as far as the dark side of the Moon, thank you very much for posting. Something else I'd love to see is a video like this of the Kabukicho district. That was still a rough place back then which has since been cleaned up, family-friendly now. Sort of like the Tokyo equivalent of 70s Manhattan midtown.

  • @Frisenette
    @Frisenette5 жыл бұрын

    Surprisingly good image quality! Doesn’t look out of place on my iPhone at least. Interesting look at the resent past too.

  • @gabrieleriva651

    @gabrieleriva651

    5 жыл бұрын

    You just needed a god camera :D This was analog tape, even. I have some family tapes filmed by my uncle around 1995-6 with this quality (Super8 cassettes).

  • @gabrieleriva651

    @gabrieleriva651

    5 жыл бұрын

    RealestRealist well, this isn't film either. It's magnetic tape. The audio may be digital.

  • @FerreroMan

    @FerreroMan

    3 жыл бұрын

    @@gabrieleriva651 this is not the Super8 I know in a million years, in the 2000s there was as far as I know a sort of reissue of the standard where they made it digital and much better but in 1993??. I dont think so, the colors this not the Res nor the colors of a Video8 Camara, btw just the colors of super 8 are completely terrible, its kind of like a black n white picture with the colors overlapping I swear is really bad

  • @MrSlanderer
    @MrSlanderer3 жыл бұрын

    '90s Japan was absolutely amazing.

  • @ericmyers3561
    @ericmyers35612 жыл бұрын

    Amazing footage. I believe this is an example of they mean by the phrase, the first draft of history. Just some shots of what was for sale on this particular day, in this particular place, it means a lot to us now. Thank you!

  • @scottfrenz
    @scottfrenz5 жыл бұрын

    Wow, those prices! Electronics in Japan cost so much more than they do in the US. I also love the Western rock music they played in those stores :). I was living in Japan in 2004-2005 and I remember being in a grocery store (the only American/Westerner in there) and hearing 1980s Cindi Lauper. Very surreal. Thanks for uploading this! I would have been all over the video games!

  • @rammstein2seth1

    @rammstein2seth1

    5 жыл бұрын

    The conversion ratio.. also electronics then we're crazy pricey.. a cell phone easily ran you close to 2k for a flip phone -woof

  • @dophire

    @dophire

    3 жыл бұрын

    @Christian Bai I hope you realize that back in the 90's $200 weren't the same $200 as they are now

  • @tartgreenapple

    @tartgreenapple

    Жыл бұрын

    @@rammstein2seth1 I remember seeing the very first mobile phone. It was a white brick the length of a child's arm. And it had a giant antenna like an old walkie-talkie.

  • @mcss409
    @mcss4095 жыл бұрын

    I spent 9 weeks in Yokkaichi city in Mei prefecture from mid August to mid October 1993. Maintenance technical training on automated manufacturing equipment. The exchange rate was right at 100 yen to the dollar, which made understanding prices easy. Just drop off the last 2 zeroes of the prices of those electronics and you have the US dollar amount. A big mac meal with medium fry and regular size drink was 850 yen. Move the decimal to the left 2 digits and you get 8 dollar's and 50 cents for a big mac meal 26 years ago. It was a very educational experience.

  • @omarally7655

    @omarally7655

    3 жыл бұрын

    @Troy Krentz but it came w fries + drink

  • @x0rZ15t
    @x0rZ15t3 жыл бұрын

    This is breathtaking even today!

  • @novelay
    @novelay3 жыл бұрын

    Thanks for the content, it was very entertaining. Good quality btw

  • @inefekt
    @inefekt5 жыл бұрын

    9/10 of those gadgets are now replicated in a smart phone, they're mostly obsolete now.

  • @steve884

    @steve884

    3 жыл бұрын

    That’s exactly what I was thinking. Everything must be inside a smart phone now.. SAD!

  • @ADeeSHUPA

    @ADeeSHUPA

    3 жыл бұрын

    @@steve884 uP

  • @AnkhInfinitus

    @AnkhInfinitus

    3 жыл бұрын

    @@steve884 It wouldn't be that way if the devices that came before it never existed. Something had to come first.

  • @burtonl7239

    @burtonl7239

    3 жыл бұрын

    That’s why I roll my eyes at any environmentalist whining about the impact of smartphones on the planet. Imagine how much plastic and chemicals have been reduced for each person by packing all the functions of those gadgets into a single phone.

  • @AnkhInfinitus

    @AnkhInfinitus

    3 жыл бұрын

    @@burtonl7239 How things could be worse is a poor gauge for the danger of industry to the health of the environment.

  • @Netlogic.
    @Netlogic.3 жыл бұрын

    The good old days. The world was much much slower, but we still had 95% of the modern conveniences of today.

  • @alicecera7512
    @alicecera7512 Жыл бұрын

    This was the year i was born! Thanks for uploading and sharing this. Im nostalgic for a year i was barely alive in and a country im yet to visit.

  • @whatdamath
    @whatdamath3 жыл бұрын

    having been there not so long ago, it's both interesting and somewhat sad that so little changed in three decades. Japan froze in time. It's almost like it needs a new Meiji restoration to push itself into the new era

  • @moteq6598

    @moteq6598

    3 жыл бұрын

    I was there summer 2019 pre-pandemic and yeah from the video, everything almost looks the same which is super interesting. But how is it sad? imo I find it good, but to each, their own.

  • @voidremoved

    @voidremoved

    3 жыл бұрын

    Japan is a wonderful place

  • @lewisclark1122

    @lewisclark1122

    3 жыл бұрын

    It's a symptom of the 'Galapagos Syndrome', which is often used to describe how Japan, as an island economy, has developed differently to other advanced economies. Especially in the field of tech. For example, touch screen phones didn't gain widespread acceptance until a couple of years ago. And tech that many in the west have long since moved on from, like CDs and fax machines, are still used by many Japanese people. Even if what's on the shelves changes eventually, I hope that Akiba can keep the same atmosphere. I love it!

  • @lewisclark1122

    @lewisclark1122

    3 жыл бұрын

    @RadRich I was being deliberately vague. Sounds like you have more first hand knowledge, so I will defer to you. The point remains though, that Japan can, in some instances, be surprisingly behind the curve when it comes to consumer tech.

  • @needsmoreghosts

    @needsmoreghosts

    3 жыл бұрын

    Hello wonderful person

  • @redgeneral5792
    @redgeneral57923 жыл бұрын

    You won't believe the amount of goose bumps I had seeing that Super Scope.

  • @clementine2234
    @clementine22343 жыл бұрын

    Damn I was born in 1993. I wish I had been born a few years earlier so that I could have experienced these times and remembered them. Seems like such a simpler time

  • @anttheaquarist7922
    @anttheaquarist79223 жыл бұрын

    Super clean footage and the audio is pretty good for how old the footage is. Awesome share! Thank you!

  • @GrinddalCPH
    @GrinddalCPH3 жыл бұрын

    Your channel is pure timetravel gold Mr Hoffman. ✌️

  • @LockedPig
    @LockedPig3 жыл бұрын

    I was 7 years old then. If at that moment I got there, I would have gone crazy.

  • @spacersam8570
    @spacersam85703 жыл бұрын

    Man the 90’s seem to have so much variety when it came to electronic gadgets. Feels like losing all the variety that came with the iPhone era wasn’t worth it

  • @almost401
    @almost4013 жыл бұрын

    Wow I love this really clear footage of Japan in the early 90s. I was only 1 years old at the time of that recording but so cool to see that technology. Thanks for sharing!

  • @Stk3r
    @Stk3r11 ай бұрын

    i've never had a chance to see this decade as it happened, i wish i did, though..

  • @wawawawawa634
    @wawawawawa6343 жыл бұрын

    And now almost all of this stuff is in a landfill somewhere to this day.

  • @kornpops1261

    @kornpops1261

    3 жыл бұрын

    𝘏𝘦𝘭𝘭 𝘯𝘢𝘸𝘸 𝘮𝘢𝘯 𝘪 𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘳𝘰𝘤𝘬𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮 𝘤𝘢𝘴𝘪𝘰 𝘤𝘢𝘭𝘴𝘶𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘣𝘪𝘨 𝘢𝘴𝘴 𝘳𝘢𝘥𝘪𝘰 𝘰𝘯 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥𝘦𝘳. 𝘚𝘩𝘪𝘵 𝘪 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘢𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘮𝘺 𝘸𝘢𝘭𝘬𝘮𝘢𝘯 𝘤𝘥 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘺𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘦

  • 3 жыл бұрын

    I still have the Motorola Cell Star brick cell phone. And it still works.

  • @nitramluap
    @nitramluap3 жыл бұрын

    Oh, I do miss the days where you could travel to places like Japan and see tech you've never imagined. The internet has kind of ruined it for everyone in a way.

  • @romerobryan83

    @romerobryan83

    3 жыл бұрын

    Yeah ruined it... I’d rather not have to travel to Japan

  • @FuyuNoAi

    @FuyuNoAi

    3 жыл бұрын

    Oh no, I can buy new electronics in my city without having to spend thousands of dollars to travel to Japan! What a dystopian reality! Truly horrible.

  • @lofi-latmiya

    @lofi-latmiya

    3 жыл бұрын

    @@FuyuNoAi you and Alex miss the point, it's about the experience and unique vibes you get there. Having visited last year I can say nothing beats being there, it's literally a buzz.

  • @henryng3024

    @henryng3024

    3 жыл бұрын

    The excitement and adventure is definitely gone replaced by convenience.

  • @FuyuNoAi

    @FuyuNoAi

    3 жыл бұрын

    @@lofi-latmiya I live in Tokyo (Setagaya ward, Sakurashinmachi), it's nothing special and I can buy all those cellphones, TVs, cameras, etc, in Buenos Aires. They don't have alien technology, pretty much all the things I see at a Yodobashi are available in my homeland.

  • @adnan-khan
    @adnan-khan3 жыл бұрын

    The quality of this standard definition video is incredible and colours are great! Testament to the tape and camcorder quality at the time. Absolute gem of a video.

  • @CristianGouget
    @CristianGouget Жыл бұрын

    I saw this posted on Twitter and I'm not surprised it's from your channel. Love your videos!

  • @ScoutSniper3124
    @ScoutSniper31243 жыл бұрын

    Stores with "Going Out of Business" signs STILL there in 2020, with the SAME sign in the windows, LOL!

  • @noahboat580

    @noahboat580

    3 жыл бұрын

    Fr? Thats sick, they didnt go out of business

  • @DoubleMonoLR

    @DoubleMonoLR

    15 күн бұрын

    @@noahboat580 Their implication was that some underhand business are always "going out of business" / "closing down" to imply supposed rock-bottom prices. Even some chain businesses are known for shamelessly doing this.

  • @OP04player
    @OP04player3 жыл бұрын

    It feels like it was not that long ago... I'm getting old 😰

  • @jamescarlo4380
    @jamescarlo43803 жыл бұрын

    Wow! Seeing this is like going back in time. What's more the quality of this video is so good!

  • @TransRightsMatter
    @TransRightsMatter3 жыл бұрын

    David Hoffman you rock! Thank you for capturing this piece of history!

  • @Jesus-kt5dc
    @Jesus-kt5dc5 жыл бұрын

    *1:58** EARLY TABLETS.*

  • @EpicOD11
    @EpicOD113 жыл бұрын

    I’m not sure what’s more impressive, the technology we had back then or how smooth this guys camera footage is.

  • @resolute123
    @resolute1233 жыл бұрын

    That was nostalgic and awesome! Thanks for sharing!

  • @user-lb5dw4iv9b
    @user-lb5dw4iv9b3 жыл бұрын

    Straight down to memory lane with my father and sisters. Thanks for posting this

  • @rubyjan912
    @rubyjan9123 жыл бұрын

    This feels unbelievable from 2020, was so new yet so old

  • @choysum9030
    @choysum90303 жыл бұрын

    I somehow miss these days even though I wasn't even born yet.

  • @Res_me_plz
    @Res_me_plz Жыл бұрын

    The quality of this footage is amazing. I still remember seeing some of these electronics back in 98 when I was 8 years old. It's hard to believe that i was around during this time...... Makes me wish I could go back.

  • @AnupChapain
    @AnupChapain3 жыл бұрын

    The quality of contents and clarity of presentation are superb. I always enjoy your videos. Thank you for uploading them for free for us. Mr. Hoffman never disappoints. One of the best channels I've subscribed so far on KZread. Best wishes for future videos. Please keep them coming . Love and respect from Nepal 🇳🇵.

  • @The_ZeroLine
    @The_ZeroLine2 жыл бұрын

    I still have most of that stuff in my attic. It’s funny to how long the stylus has been around and how little outside of artists, designers and other specialties, it has ever gained adoption.

  • @DoubleMonoLR

    @DoubleMonoLR

    15 күн бұрын

    Millions of Palm pilots were sold, so that was a pretty large adoption of stylus use. Naturally using your fingers is more convenient for anything that doesn't need to be precise though.

  • @FreedomsNurse
    @FreedomsNurse5 жыл бұрын

    A lot of that still looks pretty modern. Hard to believe it was 1993 and all that time has past.

  • @FluWorldOrder
    @FluWorldOrder3 жыл бұрын

    Interesting to look back. Thank you for uploading.

  • @HKFIJIHK
    @HKFIJIHK3 жыл бұрын

    i was 3 years old. But I love watching videos of the 90s. Thank you!

  • @sleuthentertainment5872
    @sleuthentertainment58722 жыл бұрын

    In my town, in 1993, we still used carriages

  • @jdragon8184
    @jdragon81843 жыл бұрын

    i am glad i could experience this being born in 2000 this was still a reality in my countty till 2010

  • @jdragon8184

    @jdragon8184

    3 жыл бұрын

    @Sendit Sunday india dude

  • @frankconrad8561
    @frankconrad85613 жыл бұрын

    This wasnt even filmed in my home country *yet I feel so such a sense of nostalgia. BUTTERFLIES ARE FLYING IN MY STOMACH. This is so cool!*

  • @revcodessare
    @revcodessare3 жыл бұрын

    Amazing video. I just stumbled this today. It's 93 but it feels like yesterday, the picture is so clear. Also amazing that Akiba still feels the same today (or at least like how I visited in 2018), the tech may have changed but it's still the same cramped town with gadgets stacked on each other.

  • @dgerdi
    @dgerdi3 жыл бұрын

    Okay, old out of today’s standard, but not in my eyes. This is NOT the Stone Age Kids. Try electronics from the early 80‘s. This is very futuristic out of this perspective. Thanks for the upload. An amazing time. Someone still remember the run for the 1 GHz 6 years later?

  • @WitchKing-Of-Angmar

    @WitchKing-Of-Angmar

    3 жыл бұрын

    @Aditya Wardhana oh please, try UNISERVO. That was a pain in the ass to learn to use, took me around 4 months to completely understand, also very confused by Vinyls and their production of sound to perfectly carry a women or man's vocal uniquity, My! Was that something, such advert fascination.

  • @WitchKing-Of-Angmar

    @WitchKing-Of-Angmar

    3 жыл бұрын

    @British Boi yes, who the hell' needs respectability or elegant automobiles, art deco and mid century architecture, respectable clothing? Gee, who could possibly want any of that...better to hop in your 2015 mercedes plastic toy and drive on down to that glass stick for a room at the easy price of 800 a night. The future is just hell, nothing else.

  • @WitchKing-Of-Angmar

    @WitchKing-Of-Angmar

    3 жыл бұрын

    @British Boi your such a copy

  • @WitchKing-Of-Angmar

    @WitchKing-Of-Angmar

    3 жыл бұрын

    @British Boi you speak in meme format, follow the bandwagon of media, and make everything into a high power attempt trying to act god like and on top...you fucking kids are a riot to explain most things that are now foreign in normality. Live life like it is a modern dream, when in reality it is just a dystopia to be.

  • @WitchKing-Of-Angmar

    @WitchKing-Of-Angmar

    3 жыл бұрын

    @British Boi fuckin' silent generation, 1940, you know the decade of product, war, and sexy ass streamline automobiles?

  • @piyh3962
    @piyh39625 жыл бұрын

    Every single product category shown was killed by the cell phone and laptop. Amazing the dominance of those two form factors

  • @stevenlee2202

    @stevenlee2202

    3 жыл бұрын

    No reason a cell phone couldn't just be a screen, battery, receiver and a speaker... Cloud computing. Make all these fancy cell phones obsolete.

  • @give2love964
    @give2love9643 жыл бұрын

    This is amazing. It’s like the video has foresight into us watching it from now

  • @ronaldd2154
    @ronaldd21543 жыл бұрын

    Oh man, mystic 90's... . nostalgia all over. I'm RELIVING the feeling! ☺️

  • @ViperVenoM13
    @ViperVenoM133 жыл бұрын

    and there is people who who think apple invented the tablets in 2010...

  • @oidicle

    @oidicle

    3 жыл бұрын

    @Lucifer Did he say apple claimed anything? Read again! He said people think that. Check yourself!! Apple fanboy.

  • @joelGi

    @joelGi

    3 жыл бұрын

    @3,14 _ ok

  • @joelGi

    @joelGi

    3 жыл бұрын

    @3,14 _ 99%of apple haters watch phone/laptop comparison videos all day instead of working buying and checking for your self. Sheep mentality i used to be like you before 2015

  • @joelGi

    @joelGi

    3 жыл бұрын

    @3,14 _ 😂😂😂

  • @KevinRawbay

    @KevinRawbay

    3 жыл бұрын

    @@joelGi i dont own apple, but i use apple product few times. Its a nightmare. The smartphone, the cheapest is too small because my hand is big and tgose small screen keep my thumb to press wrong key. The expensive one, too expensive with little storage, with 30% of that price i can buy cheaper but with same storage but still can compete. Ipad, the only thing was good because it was more responsive then android one but still has cause lot of software crash, and we use ipad for drone shot during that time. Macbook and their pc, worst of the worst. Its OS Media Codec has cause us tons of problem, because of apple own codec than our camera and stupid director want to keep it on his macbook cause media error, bad read, corruption file, and unable to re-post-production on our editing rig because basically the footage and file is gone. And this happen multiple time on different apple pc and laptop which cause us not just to re-shoot everything but also destroyed all a box of hard drive and p2 card. Next year we switched to windows and non of apple product problem ever happen other than win force update.

  • @MsChanandlerB0ng
    @MsChanandlerB0ng3 жыл бұрын

    I think we're gonna see a lot of this stuff in Ireland next year.

  • @djgamble07
    @djgamble073 жыл бұрын

    THAT is awesome! I remember going there at about that time and being totally blown away by all the awesome tech.

  • @EricSon_akuma
    @EricSon_akuma3 жыл бұрын

    Thanks for sharing this!

  • @SharapovaFan
    @SharapovaFan3 жыл бұрын

    I was a baby when this was filmed and I'm surprised at how little seems to have changed with how the shops and Tokyo in general looks. It's as if I were at a Bic or Yodobashi here in 2020. but with vintage tech.

  • @sakurachristineito6428
    @sakurachristineito64282 жыл бұрын

    懐かしいです🥰

  • @rangerripcheese3511
    @rangerripcheese35113 жыл бұрын

    The way that man shoots the bazooka so casually and lightheartedly

  • @ninalindner529
    @ninalindner5292 жыл бұрын

    I visited Akihabara in 1993 and my memories are of lots of fancy “landline” telephone types, solar calculators, camcorders, personal organisers galore and disposable cameras. Everyone was using those back then.

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