GMYW does Korea & Japan!

So I just got back from a 3 week Christian pilgrimage from South Korea and Japan. As a side project I wanted to look for a few Walkmans to compliment my collection. I previously had made this thread but didn't have very high hopes as I wasn't going to make it to Akihabara (秋葉原) or anywhere else I had heard whispers of Walkmans.

During the trip I visited these places in Japan (plus a lot of the surrounding area):



The only real time I had to actually check for any Walkmans (or other vintage goods) was in Kyoto toward the end of the journey and later in South Korea (not shown in the above map).

Kyoto was... disappointing for the most part. I would have also liked to have picked up a 3DS XL(LL) but these are pretty in demand and generally stores list these for ludicrous prices. I saw a few new, perfect condition OLED Nintendo Switches though for about 40% cheaper than in the EU though. Didn't end up getting one because I am not satisfied with the lackluster performance. But that's another thread (and on another forum)

In Japan the couple of stores I visited wasn't even really worth taking any photos so I didn't even bother. Most of the stuff they had was pretty basic. Though I was surprised to see an original Pokémon Red and Green complete with box, manuals etc. only for about €50 each. Maybe I should have bought those.

There was however, one old "trad" Panasonic store that had all sorts of interesting Panasonic things. A couple of stuff from SHARP too. I took only one photo, as most of it were lightbulbs, flashlights and telephones etc. A single shelf had a few radios etc. The lady was absolutely lovely and when I told her in bad Japanese that I was looking for Walkmans she suggested a few stores I had sadly already visited.



That was pretty much it for Japan, as the cities on the above map aren't exactly Walkman hotspots, except perhaps for Fukuoka which I often see Gameboys, 3DSes and Walkmans popping up on various sites from there. Both times I was there (beginning and end) I had no time to check anything sadly.

Next was the return journey through South Korea and this time I had a dear Korean friend and local who could help me out. We had a chat, went to the Yanghwajin cemetery first to pay our respects to foreign Christian martyrs and also stopped by the museum to have a cry watching one of the films there. It was time to leave and see if we could find anything in Korea's old town. After a quick prayer for God to lead us to Walkmans (yes, really), we checked Naver and Google maps and had a few places to go and see.

Our first destination took us from the incredible skyscrapers of LG Electronics and Samsung to the old city. It was like stepping 60 years into the past. Thousands of strobe lights, LEDs, CCTVs, old CRT televisions, phones, walkie-talkies, air conditioners, HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS of cords and cables of kinds I had never seen, collections of analogue equipment that made my eyes just water.



But no Walkmans, until I spotted a SINGLE lone Walkman sitting on smack-centre of a guy's store, scratched and missing a few buttons. There was a few other appliances (pictured above) too. Just like providence, the friendly owner asked us if we were lost and my Korean friend told them we were looking for Walkmans. Immediately they gave us directions and told us exactly where to go, to find apparently an entire whole street that is nothing but radios and HiFi equipment. It almost sounded too good to be true. Just 2 more subway stops back the way we came and a 5 minute walk. Okay!

Our trip took us down through a massive open market and butcher store. It was as you would expect. Blood everywhere and about half a million different smells assaulting your nose. Here was the REAL Seoul. The hardest working populace, no suit wearers here. We looked like fish out of water.

 

After coming out the other end and walking down a few more streets, past half a million saucepans, deep fryers, buildings selling nothing but millions of plates, fridges, stoves and every single kind of gas and electric cooker that was made in the last 40 years. We hit the jackpot for real. It truly was an entire street of just audio related equipment from decades past. Whaaaaaat??!

There were even entire stalls for vinyls and well... I'll just let the photos speak for themselves. It was insane.



My wife spotted them first. "Walkmans! Look, even Aiwa's!" she squealed.

We were surrounded by HiFi equipment. Not just Walkmans but cassette and disc players of every kind. VU meters, tubes, cables, knock-off brands, mixers, cameras, electric shavers, binoculars, too much to even list. My wife even started helping me look hahaha.

 

Is this a true contender to: https://www.japanistry.com/radio-center/
Maybe!!!

All thanks go to God, who literally answered our prayers. We certainly did find the Walkmans we prayed for and a loooot more. Further thanks to my wife (who took all of the photos).

Did I buy anything? No sadly. It was more of the experience and we didn't take check-in baggage, so I didn't even bring a Marantz or AKAI home. I suppose I could have, but it was more about the experience and we were already very short on time to fly out that afternoon.

I hope God calls me back to Japan and Korea in the future.

For those of you who want the exact location of this street. Here it is:

 

In 1976, my mom prayed to God for a color TV. I guess you could say God did eventually answer her prayer, but it took 9 years. After she got married in '85, she got a Trinitron. Heh, religion is funny sometimes.

That's not a terrific deal... and outside of Japan, they would be worth a little less. Reason being, that game relies heavily on language, and ofc you need to have an extensive knowledge of Kana in order to play it. Still, if you know Japanese, it's a great life hack to avoid buying the overpriced English versions.


Cool photos! That photo of the Sharp 9191 is my favorite. Very aesthetic. Some quaint looking shops there. I see a WM-EX633, what did the shop have on that price wise? Also, what were the prices on some of those amplifiers? Curious if they are cheaper compared to in western cultures. I know that in Japan especially, having the space for a big stereo + an environment where you wouldn't bother the neighbors is tough.