Akihabara, a district in central Tokyo, has over 20 consumer electronics stores on a single 500m-long stretch. It’s known as the city’s “electric town,” with several seven-plus-story buildings selling everything from laptops, cameras, and computer chips. But somehow, the untrained Western eye always looks at this electronics hub with fascination:... See more

Early cyberpunk was awash with neon lights and futuristic electronics, with Japanese signs adorning the front of every shop window. This is largely to do with the fact that in the 80s, Japan was seen as the world’s fastest rising power. The Japanese car industry was surpassing America’s, they were dominating the global electronics industry, and... See more