Yeah.

You know you're not supposed to do that.

Japanese don't drink anything here on the streets.

-If you buy something... -No, there are all kinds of people

-No, not at all. -No.

-Watch... two people just... -Nobody is drinking.

Two people just walked by.

Japanese people don't drink or eat on the streets

If you buy something from the vending machines,

you drink right there.

[music]

When you think of Japan, a lot of people associate with electronics,

computers, flashing signs, manga, anime,

and, you know, the best place to see all this together

is this area here called Akihabara, known as Tokyo's electric town.

You got to keep some order here, lines to go and lines to come back,

otherwise, you can't.

The fame year started shortly after World War II

as Akihabara became a major center for electronics

and also the post-war black market, and then it just grew.

Today we're gonna walk from Akihabara to Ueno

and see what we find along the way.

Look at these girls.

[music]

Isn't it like a dream come true to be in an electronics store in Japan?

Can you tell the prices?

-Yeah, $135. -Are they good?

-I know, but is that good? -I don't know.

So, this is the price for the new Sony Alpha 7R III.

¥346 (thousand) for the body only.

It's more expensive than in the U.S.

This third ring is set up for f-stop

Look at that, right there.

This is your focus and this is your zoom.

-This is the new lens? -Oh, yeah.

You're excited, huh?

This was the lens that Gordon checked.

¥127,000.

This is our camera that we got in the U.S.

Let's see if here it would be cheaper.

¥202 (thousand), that is like US$2,000, just for the body.

It's expensive, isn't it?

How much there at B&H?

$2,000, yeah, plus taxes in the U.S.

And here if we can take the 15 percent off?

Salesman: Oh! Oh, my God! You know, in Japan,

our camera shop is every day

the price (goes) up and down

-Gordon: Yes. -Renata: Uh-huh.

Salesman: Today, the price is ¥230,750

-Gordon: No, it's right there. -[laughter]

I see it with my two eyes.

Salesman: Yeah, yeah. Oh, my God, this is my mistake.

Guess what? The price was wrong. Salesman almost went crazy here.

So, it is like ¥30,000 more, then it is cheaper in the U.S.

That is so interesting.

I thought because Canon is Japanese or Sony,

it would be cheaper to buy here, but no.

We got 15 percent off for tax-free,

but even with this discount, it is still more expensive.

[music]

This is creative. A bag that becomes your own seat.

Now this here, it's a discount chain store all over Japan.

And look at what's down here

Pachinko, this is really big business in Japan.

-Loud. -It is very.

Pachinko is a mix of arcade game with gambling

and it generates more revenue in Japan

compared to gambling in Las Vegas, Macau, and Singapore combined.

This store is called Don Quijote

or simply "Donki", as the Japanese know it.

Oh, there's so much going on here.

You'll find all kinds of things here.

[music]

Are you winning?

I always win. I'm a winner.

[laughs]

If you're familiar with Japanese pop culture,

you'll recognize this group here.

This is AKB48. It's a Japanese idol girl group.

Named after Akihabara.

AKB stands for Akihabara.

At some point, they had 48 members.

Today, it's more than a hundred.

And their theater is located right here inside the store

Eighth floor, it's where they perform every day.

[music]

A quick lunch break here.

And I discovered a new dish for me.

This is called doria.

It's a rice-and-butter-based dish and it looks very Italian.

This is so good.

Mmm.

You like it, too, don't you?

It's so delicious and so creamy.

Look at the rice here,

And I can't believe how cheap this is,

¥300, like US$3.

[music]

These girls are dressed as maids, like fantasy style.

In fact, there are lots of maid cafes here in Akihabara.

They served you dressed like that,

and there are shows and everything.

Totally old school.

This reminds me of childhood.

Are you understand everything, all the settings?

-Absolutely. -[laughs]

Oh, you won. [laughs]

Look at you. You won.

Give me one.

-You want more? -Yeah.

So, let's see how good you are now.

How crazy. You can smoke here inside.

There are people smoking there. It's allowed.

It felt like childhood again?

-No. -Why not?

Because you lost?

[laughs]

[music]

Just a few blocks from all that craziness,

two interesting religious sites here.

And, listen, how peaceful.

You hear the cicadas and no traffic.

This temple here is called Yushima Seido.

The Confucius temple established in the 17th century.

Once I had a guide here in Tokyo,

and she told me that kids come here to pray

to get to good schools.

I guess this is what they're doing.

The largest Confucius statue in the world.

[music]

The gate between the sacred and the ordinary.

Very close to that temple, you'll find Kanda Shrine

which is over 1,200 years old.

Most likely, the oldest Shinto shrine in Tokyo.

Before getting in, you should purify yourself right here.

Let me show you what you need to do.

You see? First, you wash your left hand,

then you wash your right hand,

then you get some water, clean your mouth, spit what's left,

and use the remaining water to clean the stick,

and then you're ready.

[music]

This is very interesting about Japanese people.

Regardless of their religion, they come to Shinto shrines

for happy celebrations.

New Year's Day, for example,

a birth, or some kind of festivity.

And they go to Buddhist temples for occasions they are not so happy,

like pray for the dead.

They go to both, pray to both, respect both.

The current structure here of the shrine

is rebuilt several times

Yeah

Fire, earthquakes, war.

It's actually difficult to find old buildings in Tokyo

because of earthquakes.

And this here is unique,

I bet you don't find in any other shrine or temple in the world.

Manga tablets.

The proximity to Akihabara.

How interesting, a gas station.

Look at their pumps, they're in the ceiling.

That's a really good use of the space, huh?

Yeah.

Here it explains, this area here was full of temples at some point,

but then there was a fire in 1657.

And it became a residential area

for people who were assisting in some way or another

those who were visiting Edo Castle.

Oh, wow. This is the 7-Eleven smoking room.

You cannot smoke on the streets,

so they have these rooms for smokers.

Now it's already the neighborhood of Ueno

and we're walking towards Ueno Park

which is like the Central Park of Tokyo.

And Gordon is waiting for me here in the shade.

-You're tired? -No

-Just the heat? -No.

See that tiny street over there?

That's Ameyoko, also known here as American alley.

That's because post-World War II,

American soldiers were here giving candies to the kids,

and then this became a place where you could first find

American products like blue jeans.

Today it's just a shopping street where you can find all kinds of goods.

[music]

Interesting how you see tax-free, tax free all over, right?

-Yeah. -They're really catering to tourists here.

-Crab? -Yeah.

Oh, look at how good the salmon looks.

[in Japanese language]

-A Japanese premium sake. -Yeah.

One glass, ¥500.

Look at their tourist information maps here.

Everything electronic.

Oh, and it moves.

[laughs]

Welcome to Ueno Park, one of the first public parks in Japan,

and today this might be the most popular city park

in the entire country.

[music]

Have you seen those beautiful pictures of cherry blossoms in Tokyo?

They were probably taken right here along all this alley

Look at this, all over

But you got to come at the right time.

They only last for two weeks during spring.

Now, here's a tip.

If you come too early for cherry blossoms in Tokyo,

try going to southern Japan because there it starts earlier.

And if you're too late, go to the north.

Ueno Park is also home to a number of museums.

It might be a great idea for a rainy day.

Look how interesting,

nobody crosses until the light turns green.

The entire lake here covered with lotus flowers.

Ah, it's just gonna open. Look at that.

Yeah.

[music]

Fortunes that should go away

[music]

Look at this, how interesting.

A Buddhist temple right here on an island

in the middle of the pond.

-Just relaxing? -Shh.

Such a peaceful place.

Who would have guessed? This is Tokyo

What is that? You want to appear in my video?

-No. -No?

Imagine if you did.

-The humidity is killing you, isn't it? -No, it isn't. It's nothing.

-Nothing? -Yeah.

-I've been to Thailand. -Look at you.

I've been to Thailand and Malaysia.

This is nothing.

Okay, says the Canadian.

You be careful.

That's the fun me. The one who has all...

the character

I think the humidity is killing you.

[laughs]

The character