THE best headphone store for all you Audiophiles to visit when traveling.
I don’t say this to be boastful, it will sound it regardless, but I have traveled to over 30 countries and visited well over 80 cities around the world.
Most of this is for work, but also a helluva lot of personal travel, and I’ve lived in many of those countries as well.
Now, I’ll set the scene first but don’t leave before watching the video further down the page.
I only say that to say that every time I travel, to every city I go to, I always try to keep an eye out for the hi-fi stores and the headphone outlets that might offer me some audiophile entertainment while traveling, and in some cases, a little bit of shopping at the same time.
I’ve been known to walk very long distances across large cities, or travel a long way on trains, just to find some of these destinations and check them out. The quest to always improve the audio experience for an audiophile really has no bounds.
The world is opening up, and if you, too, are an audiophile, then I can definitely recommend one particular country that you would enjoy going to if you would like to satiate, or scratch that audiophile itch.
That country is Japan, and there is one city in that country where you will definitely get your fill of audiophile joy.
That city is Tokyo, a city that is bright, vibrant, and full of all sorts of amazing historical places to visit. The people are incredibly generous, kind, and welcoming. And definitely, Tokyo and Japan, on the whole, are in my top three countries of places that I would either like to travel more to or even live for a season.
In Tokyo, it’s pretty easy to get around on the train network that operates, and you’ll usually find someone that can help you find where you need to get to.
Of course, the place that is most easy to find is the electronics district, also called Akihabara.
There is a train stop right at Akihabara. And if you are traveling to Tokyo and staying near Akihabara, you could also get a taxi quite easily, although working out a payment that way, or how to tell the driver where you’re going, is a little bit more difficult.
There are many, many electronics stores in Akihabara, and you can find yourself wandering through floors and floors of vacuum cleaners, gadgets, smart water bottles, and other home electronics, like TVs and computers.
If it plugs in to a power socket. They have it.
These are interesting, but not too dissimilar to some of the many stores that you might see in other cities, such as Hong Kong.
Getting to the Yodobashi Camera Store
The one store in Akihabara that I would say should be definitely number one on your list to visit is Yodobashi Camera Multimedia Akiba Store, which is a very short walk from the exit to the train, and you can certainly lookup on Google Maps how to get there or check it below:
There is also E-Earphones Akihabara which has an insane range, but this one will be easy to find in Akihabara, as it is so close to the train station and offers more than just HiFi and Headphones. When you come out and look up, you’ll see the building. It’s a multistory building that is filled from top to bottom with electronics and hardware.
Headphones Section
This is the video I took. At times you’ll think I’m doubling back but I’m not. It’s one long continuous feed of rows and rows of headphones, IEMs, and earbuds. Crazy. Sorry, the quality isn’t superb, it was an iPhone XR but it was a bit blurry at the speed I was moving.
Video: Yodobashi Camera Multimedia Akiba Store Headphones Section
If memory serves me correctly, it’s on the first or second floor that you’ll find headphones and audio. And it really is a sea of headphones, and earbuds, from a $20 pair right up to a high-end set of Sennheiser, Bose, and Sonys.
In addition to all of the big brands, there are a lot of more unique modern countries, like Campfire Audio, that you can find there. And if you have a little wander a little way around the corner, where you’ll find the hi-fi section, there are also even higher-end headphones, and a whole range of STAX planar magnetic, including other brands in that type of headphone.
Most are available for trying on and demoing. And you can spend quite a bit of time there without having anyone disturb you for too long. In fact, if you really wanted to move around all of them, you could be in there for a few hours.
Fortunately, there’s a McDonald’s across the plaza that you can nip out to get a quick bite to eat if you need to eat and push on.
In the video that I took, in the area around the corner there are STAX and other planar magnetic including some of the higher-end Fostex and Beyerdynamic headphones, you’ll also find rooms and rooms of home theater, speakers, hi-fi equipment, and turntables.
It really is like nothing I have ever seen in any store in any of the cities that I’ve traveled to.
I would really like to have more time.
HiFi Section
One of the setups they have is a large cushioned chair. And in front of you is a full curved array of all sorts of floor-standing speakers. And this occurs in a couple of different areas, which is just sublime to be able to sit there, put some music on, and then bounce through the speakers that you’d like to listen to.
Unfortunately, I didn’t get a photo of that any of the times I visited.
So if you are an audiophile, hi-fi lover, or a headphone fan, then I would certainly recommend adding a travel destination that gives you both amazing food, great culture, lovely people, and a hi-fi experience that you’ll remember for the rest of your life.
Definitely get to Tokyo.
I will be more than happy to give you tips on how to travel around once you get there. Just add it in the comments below.
E-Earphones, as I mentioned is a store just down the road that’s also worth checking out, a bit more boutique, but also has a huge range and the service is much more personable. So, rather than just a large big box store experience, these guys will really, you know, work with you on listening to all sorts of different pieces a bit.
So there you go. In my opinion, the largest headphone store that you’ll likely visit.
The number one destination for me, if I was to return back, would be to go to Tokyo and spend some time in the Akihabara district, especially around the Yodobashi Camera store.
If you can’t get there also check out BIC Camera stores where ever you are as they have a good range too.
Questions? Fire away in the comments below.
Been there? What did you think?
Endless hours of experimentation, professional work, and personal investment in Home Theatre, Hi-Fi, Smart Home Automation and Headphones have come to this.
Former owner of Headphones Canada, a high-end headphone specialty retailer.