Akihabara seen from Chuo-dori in 1990

　From the latter half of the Showa 50s, the material industry such as petrochemicals and steel, which was the center of the industry during the period of high economic growth, rapidly increased due to rising energy costs, declining demand due to the promotion of energy conservation, and the catch-up of developing countries. With the decline, the processing industry centered on electronics or the software industry has emerged.
　Advances in semiconductor technology have dramatically improved the degree of integration of ICs (integrated circuits), and the miniaturization has progressed rapidly and the prices have become cheaper.The IC technology has made machine tools high performance in the industrial sector. With the advent of NC machine tools, industrial robots, CAD / CAM, etc., it brought about a major revolution in factories, and improved processing accuracy, energy saving, labor saving, and rationalization of production processes.
　In addition, office automation has progressed in the office department, and the introduction of word processors, personal computers, and facsimiles has progressed rapidly, labor saving and rationalization of office work have been promoted.

　Since the latter half of the Showa 50s, video has become a pillar of the consumer electronics market, replacing color TVs. The household penetration rate will increase rapidly from 18.7% in 1984 to 43.0% in 1987, 63.7% in 1989, and 71.5% in 1991.
　It was also around this time that large-screen televisions appeared. In 1992, 30.5% of households had large-screen TVs of 29 inches or more. The CM of Panasonic’s “Painting King” after the popularization period is new to my memory. At that time, large-screen, high-quality AV was a longing for the home. In addition, word processors have become more sophisticated and cheaper, and Toshiba Lupo, Sharp Shoin, NEC Bungo, Panasonic U1 series, etc. have become popular in stores.

　Even in the Showa 60s, Akihabara continued to prosper, but on the other hand, a black shadow was creeping up.
　With the development of the Japanese distribution industry, the number of mass retailers chained by consumer electronics mass retailers increased rapidly from the latter half of the Showa 50s to the Showa 60s. The low interest rate policy advocating the promotion of domestic demand and the enhancement of the stock market, including the release of NTT stock, have made it easier to raise funds, and many home appliance chain stores have opened in the Kanto area. In addition, the rise of discount stores and the flood of discount stores on the camera route in Shinjuku, Ikebukuro, and Shibuya have led to rapid growth by taking advantage of the ability of young people to attract customers to fashion towns.
　The spread of automobiles has also become a “headwind” in Akihabara. With the appeal of being able to take it home on the same day and the appeal of free parking, the number of people who say, “I’ll finish shopping by car at a suburban electronics retail store or discount store, don’t bother to go to Akihabara …” has increased.
Furthermore, due to the rapid growth of logistics systems such as courier services, even if you buy large household appliances such as refrigerators and washing machines at stores other than Akihabara, there is no difference in the speed and cost of delivery, which makes Akihabara attractive. Was whispered.

Apple’s Macintosh was released in 1984, IBM Japan announced DOS / V as the basic OS, and Microsoft announced Windows 3.0 in 1990, laying the groundwork for the current personal computer boom.
　In Akihabara, in addition to the space where enthusiasts such as T-ZONE, 98’s Mecca NEC Bit-INN, which has traditionally handled Macs, gathered, “Laox the Computer Pavilion” opened in April 1990 and advanced to Akihabara. When Sofmap opened its first shop (general amusement hall) facing Chuo-dori in June 1993, a new wave was occurring that transformed it into the current multimedia district.