Is Akihabara’s Yodobashi Camera Store in a pinch due to the novel coronavirus?

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Netizens fear that Yodobashi Camera in Akihabara may be in a pinch due to the novel coronavirus and lack of foreign tourism.

As Akihabara is known to be an otaku town that thrives on foreign tourism, without foreign tourism due to the novel coronavirus, foot traffic of foreign customers and also Japanese otaku have significantly decreased.

On the 8th floor, many of the small floors disappeared due to the pandemic and no one has moved in to the locations due to the high rent and half of the floor has become an eat-in place.

ホントにガッツリ空き店舗増えてる。これはキツイ。 https://t.co/PyqraYeSeS pic.twitter.com/kaDWKfWdgb

— えすけ (@gensoukan) August 4, 2022

アキヨド8階が今どれだけ悲惨な状況かと言うと、コロナで小口の店舗が消えた後家賃の高さから誰も入居せずフロアの半分がイートインスペース化。エアコン効いてるからコンビニでビール買ってきてソシャゲやるサラリーマンとテレワークするサラリーマンがたくさん湧いてて不動産の難しさ感じる。

— ろんず＠400GbE (@athlonz) August 3, 2022

Comments on SNS are as follows:

There are people who enjoying playing card games in the empty eat-in space.

I used to go there a lot before the renovation, but I haven’t really been to it since my favorite store had disappeared.

Yokohama Yodobashi isn’t like that. It’s a thriving place.

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