I’m looking to build a PC (all new parts, no upgrading), and am wondering when/where is best to do it for a Tokyo resident.
As far as I can tell most stuff – at least what’s online – is considerably more expensive than in the US. Even parts from Taiwanese companies seem to be cheaper in the US than here.
I assume tech retail here must have more middle men to account for some of these price hikes. Combining that with a low value yen is maybe explaining the high costs of parts?
Regardless, I read that Akihabara stores (Tsukumo maybe) often have better prices – is this still true today in late 2022 vs online?
Also – is black Friday a thing in Japan?
I’ve never really paid attention to tech prices. But now I want to get specific parts at the best prices. Wondering if it’s worth waiting until the end of November, and if it’s worth taking a day off to go through all the Akihabara tech shops.
ありがとう
5 comments
Take a look at [kakaku.com](https://kakaku.com) for price comparisons.
~~ARK~~ ASK PC or something (thanks u/chiakix) has monopoly on almost (?) all PC supplies and they fix domestic prices.
Physical shops might have some deals but nothing is going to beat online plus you don’t have to spend money on train fare to actually go there. As other poster said, kakaku.com/pc for pricing. Check the left sidebar for parts like CPU/memory/etc.
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Do it online, man! It’s much easier, plus some stores will sell the same item in their physical stores for a slightly more expensive price than in their online stores.
The stores I usually shop at are Dospara and Tsukumo.
And as they said, basically make a list of the parts you need and search on Kakaku for the cheapest price at the moment and you might find some good deals in a different place.
I also tend to use Google and search for the item on the saiyasune website (.com) and Rakuten.
>Also – is black Friday a thing in Japan?
Not really. Only Amazon (of course they would) and Rakuten does it.
Japan has its own EoY sale period that’s usually sometime between late December and early January due to the traditional end of year bonus and New Year otoshidama gift money. Also New Year gift bags is a big thing which PC shops like Tsukumo will do. If you are looking for sales you’d wait for January.