Is the rise in vacant building tenants in Akihabara due to COVID-19? Some properties with rents of over 10 million yen

Images of vacant buildings in Akihabara, along with posts stating that Akihabara is deserted and scary, are frequently trending on social media such as Twitter.
It is true that the number of tourists has dropped dramatically during the coronavirus pandemic and many stores have closed, but is Akihabara really "over"?
This time, I looked into the vacant building in front of Akihabara Station.

An entire empty building near Akihabara Station

Satomsen 1st store - Former Tsukumo Akihabara Station store site

This is the large vacant building that catches your eye as soon as you exit the Electric Town exit of Akihabara Station.
The building name is still "Satomsen 1st store"Apparently.
The building is prominently located right in front of the station, making it a strong impact, and it is often targeted on social media by those who argue for the demise of Akihabara.
It was formerly the Satomsen building, known as "your neighborhood Akihabara," but in 2007, Satomsen was absorbed into Yamada Denki and reopened as "LABI Akihabara Computer Hall."
Later, Tsukumo, which was also under Yamada's umbrella, was brought to the forefront and the store was renamed "Tsukumo Akihabara Ekimae Store," but it closed after just under a year and was left abandoned for a while, but renovation work will begin in August 2021.
The impressive escalator that can be seen from the exterior is only for going up and is therefore difficult to use.

Sofmap is currently scheduled to open in April 2022.

※ postscript
Sofmap AKIBA Ekimae opened on April 29, 2022.
The entire store is Sofmap, from the basement level to the fifth floor, and on May 9th, the Akihabara Used Digital Store on the first floor of the Asakaze 2nd Building is scheduled to be merged here.

Former site of Volks Hobby Heaven 1 - Building name unknown

"Volks Hobby Heaven 1The former site of " is currently vacant.
It formerly housed Ishimaru Denki, which was renovated into the "Station Front Store," "Station Front Store/DUTYFREE," and "PC Store," before closing in 2008.
The red and white coloring is a remnant of that time.
Later, when Akihabara Radio Kaikan was rebuilt, some of the stores in the building were relocated here.
Once the new Akihabara Radio Kaikan building is completed, the entire building will become Volks' "Volks Hobby Heaven," but this will also be consolidated and relocated to a new company building constructed along Chuo Dori in 2021.
It is currently vacant, but as this is also a fairly old building, it would be difficult to utilize it in its current state.
By the way, I couldn't find the name of this building even after searching, so if anyone knows, please let me know.

Handa Building - Former Sega Akihabara GiGO site

This building, which was completed in 1984, was originally named "Daiichi Handa Building" after the names of the builders, Daiichi Home Electric and Handa Sangyo, but after Daiichi Home Electric went bankrupt, it was renamed to the current "Handa Building" was changed to "
Sega has been a tenant on the 1st to 7th floors since 2003, operating as "Sega Akihabara GiGO" and "Sega Akihabara Building 2" for 17 years until 2020, and is strongly associated with the store. In recent years, the large "Kantai Collection" wrapping has attracted attention.
Like Satomsen No. 1, this building also has an escalator incorporated into its exterior design that is difficult to use, making it a pain to go up and down.
By the way, it's not completely empty, and Pepper Lunch on the first floor and Fresca in the basement are still open as usual.
Current,Rent: 1430 million yen(!)The security deposit is 12 months' rent(!!) is currently looking for tenants to rent out the entire 1st to 7th floors. (https://www.gen-e.jp/estate_edd.html?eid=220103)

122nd Tokyo Building - Former site of Adores Akihabara store

The site of the Adores Akihabara store is "No. 122 Tokyo BuildingIt is a building with an unattractive name:
Unlike the other buildings introduced so far, this is a young building that was completed in 2012. From the beginning, karaoke and amusement company Adores was a tenant, but withdrew in October 2020.
It has remained empty since then.
Although it is conveniently located in front of the station, it is only available for rent as a whole building, and the layout seems a little difficult to use.1200 million yenThe high rent (https://tokyo.kashi-jimusho.com/detail/76367/) is probably the biggest problem.

The space had been vacant for a long time, but Game Panic Akihabara opened on February 23, 2022.
The entire building is a game center, mainly featuring prize games.

Another completely vacant building in Akihabara

Hutech Akihabara Building - Former Toranoana Akihabara Store B Site

Along Chuo Street, the building of "Toranoana Akihabara Store B Former Site"Hutech Akihabara Building. "
Hirakawa Hewtech, whose name the building is named after, acquired the property in 2011 from Toranoana Co., Ltd., the company that operates Toranoana.

Uniden Akihabara Building - A building sandwiched between the former site of Lamtarra and Hobby Tengoku

"Uniden Akihabara Building" is a building located between Lamtarra and the former Hobby Heaven site.
The original tenant was a duty-free shop, so it is a little plain compared to the other vacant buildings in front of the station, but this building is also completely vacant.
Both rent and deposit are negotiable.

YMD Building - Headquarters relocation

Located near Suehirocho Station, behind the Akihabara OC Building when viewed from Chuo Street,YMD Building" was the headquarters building of Yamada Lighting Co., Ltd., but in 2021 the headquarters functions were relocated to Suginami Ward.
It is currently empty.

Could the aging of the building be to blame? Redevelopment begins

I have introduced the main vacant buildings in front of Akihabara Station, but with the exception of the 122nd Tokyo Building, all of them are old buildings that were built more than 30 years ago, and when viewed today, there are many parts that are clearly difficult to use.
Of course, the poor economic performance of brick-and-mortar stores during the COVID-19 pandemic and high rents are factors, but the issue of durability may also be one of the reasons for the proliferation of vacant buildings in front of Akihabara Station.

Last year, the area along the Kanda River, the southern part of Sotokanda 1-chome,Tokyo's Stylish Streetscape Promotion Ordinance" and redevelopment plans were announced.
"Creating a stylish townscapeRegardless of the naming sense, future developments will be watched closely.

In addition, "Sofmap PC General Store" was also located inTokyo Kakuta BuildingThe building and adjacent buildings will be demolished and a new building will be constructed.
The landscape of Akihabara is likely to change dramatically.

*Added on May 6, 2022 for "Sofmap Akihabara Station Building"