Photo of Radio Kaikan taken during my visit to Akihabara in 2009
This is not exactly news anymore, but Radio Kaikan building in Akihabara is scheduled to close down at the end of July 2011 for rebuild.
Radio Kaikan (ラジオ会館) is one of the first noticeable buildings one will see when stepping out of the JR Akihabara Station via the Denkigai exit (電気街口). With its bright yellow banner and colourful windows and convenient location, it's not too hard to spot it. A lot of shops selling a variety of hobby stuff (figures, models, gashapons, shokugans, cards etc) are in there: Kaiyodou, Kotobukiya, Yellow Submarine, VOLKS, Uchusen, and several more.
Picture from Moeyo
According to Japanese Wikipedia, Radio Kaikan was originally built in 1953, with shops inside selling home electronics in the first place. The name "Radio" not only applies to radios but also to other home electronics in general back then. Later on audio and PC stuff slowly moved in before they were slowly "phased out" by anime-related hobby items as electronics businesses dwindled (but there are still several electronics shop in there at the moment).
Repairs on cracks on walls at the staircase after the earthquake last month (source here)
There were concerns on the building's age, as well as its resistance against earthquakes. It was decided in September 2010 that the 8-storey building will be torn down for a new one, which will be 12 floors high (10 above ground, 2 underground). The old one is scheduled to be closed at the end of July, and the new one will is scheduled to be completed some time in 2014 (although some sources suggest 2013 for completion).
Picture from Moeyo
A "farewell wall" ("Radio Kaikan Sayonara!! Wall", ラジオ会館さよなら！！ウォール) was set up on 15th April in one of the vacant rooms with a canvas board of 5.4m x 1.8m for people to sign or write what they want to bid farewell for the current Radio Kaikan building. The signing campaign ended on 19th April. It is stated on the official website that the signed wall will be kept in the new building once it is completed and it will be available for display.
Steins;Gate anime promotional poster featuring Radio Kaikan in the background, from Random Curiosity
Radio Kaikan has always been the first place I visit when I arrive in Akihabara, and I always sent at least a couple of hours just to look around from one shop to another. From what I've read so far the shops will move to nearby buildings in Akihabara while Radio Kaikan is to be rebuilt (most likely temporarily), but not all shops have confirmed on the new locations yet as it is still an ongoing thing at the moment.
Even though there are still many shops out there (and many more I may not know of) in Akihabara, I will miss Radio Kaikan for its appearance and the concentration of shops it has in one place, which is *a little* similar to some malls in Hong Kong such as Oriental 188 and Sino Centre. Hope the new Radio Kaikan will remain as memorable as the current one that we know well.
That's so sad, Radio Kaikan is one of the must-see places for any anime fan visiting Akiba. I'm glad I got a couple of pics of it when I went last year.
ReplyDeleteHaving never been in Japan myself I cant really relate to you guys missing Radio Kaikan.
ReplyDeleteI didnt even know that its one of the signature buildings of Akiba ^^;;;
I hope for the stores that resided in Radio Kaikan that the rent wont rise too drastically when they want to move back into the new building.
It's always sad to see a familiar building go, but if it's cracking due to earthquakes then it's something then rebuilding is probably for the best. Hopefully they make the new one just as memorable ^^
ReplyDelete@ Nopy:
ReplyDeleteRadio Kaikan really is worth going for anime or toy fans visiting Akihabara. Good to know that you got to take photos of the place last year, as this version of Radio Kaikan that we know of will soon become history.
@ Blowfish:
Don't worry if you have known Radio Kaikan just now; one can always learn something new every day ^^
Given that the new Radio Kaikan will be bigger, I do hope that it will bring back the big shops to the same location and prove itself to be a local hotspot again.
@ Persocom:
The old Radio Kaikan will be missed. While the rebuild is due to worries on earthquake safety issues, it doesn't seem to appear that the recent earthquake has caused the schedule to change at all. As you have said let us hope that the new one will be just as good and memorable.