[January 2021] Akihabara Store Closures Under Second State of Emergency

A summary of the first Akihabara store closures of 2021.
This month has been full of news, with CAFE EURO reversing its closure plan and WeGet AKIHABARA, which opened just last month, closing down.
In addition, it appears that the number of customers has stagnated due to the state of emergency declared on January 8th.
So how has Akihabara changed in the midst of all this? You might find out by looking at this.

※If you have any omissions or corrections, please contact us via Twitter (@akihabara_bc) or let us know in the comments.

Akihabara store closures in August 2021 (in chronological order)

Closed/Partially closed:13 store

Jungle Akihabara 1st store basement floor

Closing date: Friday, June 8, 2021

An entertainment hobby shop from Osaka.
They sell figurines and toys.
The basement of the first store sold Transformers, soft vinyl monster toys, American toys, model guns, and more.
It was originally scheduled to close on Sunday, January 17th, but the closing date was brought forward due to the state of emergency declaration.
Only the basement store has closed; the Akihabara 1st store, the Fantasy Machine Museum Mecha Store Akihabara, also located on Junk Street, and the Akihabara 2nd store inside Radio Kaikan are still open.

*Apart from the basement floor, the "first store" itself will still be open, so please be careful!

The basement of Jungle Akihabara 1st store was closed. pic.twitter.com/59ERElnCjT

— Akihabara Base Camp (@akihabara_bc) January 21, 2021

Komoro Soba Akihabara Branch

Closing date: Monday, February 11, 2021 (national holiday)

It closed about two years after its renovation in October 2018.
The reason for the closure is due to the reconstruction of the Akihabara Center Building, which is a tenant there.
There is a Shoheibashi store nearby, so if you feel like eating there, please come there.

The Komoro Soba Akihabara store will be closing on January 11th, so the Shoheibashi store will be the only one left in the Akihabara area. The Kuramaebashi-dori store is a bit far away, too. pic.twitter.com/zml2VQebea

— Akihabara Base Camp (@akihabara_bc) January 7, 2021

Kushisuke Akihabara store

Closing date: Friday, June 15, 2021

This is a branch of Komagata Dozeu, a long-established restaurant in Asakusa that serves loach hotpot.
It was a yakitori-focused izakaya with counter and table seats, making it easy for people to come alone.

Tonkatsu Hamakatsu Yodobashi Akiba store

Closing date: Friday, June 15, 2021

A tonkatsu restaurant chain affiliated with Ringer Hut, mainly operating in Kyushu.
Located on the restaurant floor on the 8th floor of Yodobashi Akiba, it seems like the kind of place where families would stop by to eat while shopping, but perhaps this is due to the impact of COVID-19.

Kinki Nippon Tourist Yodobashi Akihabara Office

Closing date: Friday, June 15, 2021

The travel agency inside Yodobashi Akiba has closed.
It is one of the industries that has been most affected by the coronavirus pandemic.
Three stores on the 7th floor of Yodobashi Akiba have closed this month.

GLOBAL WORK Yodobashi Akiba

Closing date: Sunday, June 24, 2021

A store of the fashion brand "GLOBAL WORK" that sells clothes and household goods.
We often hear news about restaurants struggling due to the effects of the coronavirus, but it seems that fashion stores are also closing one after another all over the country.

Rage Blue and Global Work on the 7th floor of Yodobashi Akiba will be closing as of January 24th. pic.twitter.com/skaBxKMnwW

— Akihabara Base Camp (@akihabara_bc) January 28, 2021

RAGEBLUE Yodobashi Akiba

Closing date: Friday, June 24, 2021

Like the aforementioned "GLOBAL WORK," this is an apparel shop located on the 7th floor of Yodobashi Akiba.
Apparently they sell casual wear.

Hidakaya Akihabara Chuodori Branch

Closing date: Sunday, June 24, 2021

Chinese restaurant chain.
The store on Chuo Street has closed.
After all, in this location, is low footfall a bottleneck in rent?
The only other stores remaining in Akihabara are the Akihabara Ekimae store near Yodobashi Akiba and the Akihabara Ekiminami store near Chom Chom Akihabara, but both are located in the Showa-dori area.

Cafe Renoir Akihabara

Closing date: Tuesday, May 26, 2021

When you think of Renoir, you might imagine it being ubiquitous in Akihabara, but the store behind Daikokuya on Akihabara Chuo-dori has now closed.
As a result, there are currently only two stores operating in Akihabara: the Akihabara Station Electric Town Exit store near Akihabara Park and the New Akihabara store next to the New Akihabara Center on Akihabara Station South Street.However, the New Akihabara store is also scheduled to close on February 14th.

WeGet AKIHABARA

Opening date: Friday, June 18, 2020
Closing date: Friday, January 29, 2021?

It suddenly opened in Akihabara last December as an electronics and general goods store.
They sold home appliances such as refrigerators and televisions, instant noodles, clothing, and other items at low prices.
Towards the end of the period, PCR test kits were also sold as products.
Apparently, it was a store run by Toa Sangyo Co., Ltd., which sells these PCR test kits.
It suddenly appeared and closed quickly within a month, setting a record that rivals that of Tomahawk Chop, a ramen shop that has disappeared in the blink of an eye in recent years.

We Get Akihabara store on Junk Street has a strong style, displaying a variety show about PCR test kits on a large monitor while lining up test kits. pic.twitter.com/Jx6la6GKNn

— Akihabara Base Camp (@akihabara_bc) January 21, 2021

Override Atre Akihabara

Closing date: Sunday, June 24, 2021

A select hat shop located on the 2nd floor of Atre Akihabara 1.
It closed on January 24th.

Bref Akihabara store

Closing date: Sunday, June 24, 2021
A store selling custom-made suits.
In January 2020, the Blef stores in the Akihabara area merged to form the new "Blef Akihabara Store."
The store closed about a year after the merger.

Toranoana Akihabara Store B Women's Merchandise Floor

Closing date: Sunday, June 31, 2021

This time, Toranoana Akihabara Store B's "Doujinshi for Women" section on the 6th floor and "Commercial Magazines for Women" section on the 7th floor have been closed.
Additionally, it appears that mail-order product pickup, which previously took place on the 7th floor, will now take place on the 2nd floor.
Only the 6th and 7th floors were closed.Please be aware that "Akihabara Store B" itself has not closed down!
It seems that the Ikebukuro store will stop selling products aimed at men, so this may be related to the distribution of male and female otaku in each region.

Second state of emergency declared! Restaurant closures noticeable

The second state of emergency declaration has led to shortened business hours, and restaurant closures have been noticeable this month as well.
However, not only restaurants but various other stores are closing one after another, so it would not be surprising if stores in any category were to close.

CAFE EURO, which had been announced to close on January 31, 2021, has had to extend its opening hours due to problems with the acquisition of the business rights.
In addition, a sign has been posted at the Ittoya Akihabara store, which was supposed to have closed on November 27, 2020, stating that it will be temporarily closed until February 7, 2021, making it more likely that the closure will be reversed.
It was a month of great activity, with the quick closure of WeGet AKIHABARA, which had only just opened in December 2021, surprising everyone.