An Indian Geek in Japan

An Indian Geek in Japan

    Let's face it. We all have a lot of preconceived notions about a place like Japan. It’s far too expensive for simple vacations, English is scarcely spoken among the populace and the customs seem so far out and different from anything else we're used to. Everyone must have seen one of those mail forwards that show you weird Japanese inventions like a toilet paper hat for colds or the hair noodle protector. Not to forget the kind of sexually overcharged imagery that most popular Japanese films portray. But my experience in Tokyo proved that believing what you see in Japanese films is like believing that people burst into synchronized song and dance routines in India.

I’m not talking about the Japanese culture or how awesome the residents are. I'm heading straight to the tech side, which is probably the only reason you're reading this page to begin with. 

While many South-East Asian countries have gone out of their ways to modernize and electronically supercharge everything in their country, the Japanese have a good mix of super-futuristic as well as some traditional oldschool charm.

If you're expecting some sort of a futuristic neo-Tokyo, you will be disappointed; but at the same time the little tech innovations you see every now and then do catch you as a pleasant surprise. Take for example how some restaurants and even hotels run purely through vending machines, where you pre-pay for your meals and rooms. It's a simple and effective process. And without getting into too much detail, I'd like to admit that Japan has the best electronic toilets I have ever encountered!

But you cannot talk about a geek's experience in Tokyo without talking about a visit to Akihabara—the mecca of anime culture, video games, and just about everything related to the youth culture in Tokyo.

No matter how big an otaku (maniacal fan of Japanese anime, to the exclusion of all else) you may cliam to be, there's no way you wont be humbled by the anime culture in Akihabara. There are multiple buildings dedicated to anime, manga and everything related to it. There's even a colossal Tokyo Anime Center located a little behind Akihabara. It's not enough that you can buy anything anime or learn to draw anime, you can even buy outfits and dress up as your favorite anime characters!

It was also great to see a thriving arcade culture in Akihabara, but more than actual video games, I noticed that the real crowds gathered around the prize grabbing machines. Even after a few minutes of lingering, I noticed that no one actually won anything out of these, but that didn't seem to affect the enthusiasm of the next teen trying his skill with the machine. Home consoles were being sold at some excellent rates, especially the PlayStations. No where else in my travels have I seen a brand new PlayStation 3 being sold for around Rs 10,000.

Akihabara warrants a trip in itself and I do plan on revisiting it for sure. But you don't have to be a geek to notice how big gaming is in Japan. People are always mashing away on their Nintendo DSes or mobile phones. Saying that the Nintendo DS is big in Japan would be an understatement. Just about everyone seemed to own one and many of them played at just about any opportunity they got. Sony's PSP on the other hand was practically invisible, which was a surprise considering how well it's doing worldwide.

So getting back to the much hyped quirky Japanese technology. If you stay for a couple of days, I think you'll begin to understand a lot of things they do that seem odd. Whatever you hear as an outsider, you'll appreciate the harmony and convenience that their local innovations bring to your daily life, and things don't seem that weird anymore.

   Except for Hello Kitty. Their fascination with that absurd, featureless pussycat is absolutely bonkers, and there's no explaining that!