INSIDE Tokyo's hidden vintage Mac markets!

This video is sponsored by Casekoo! Check out their Magic Stand Case and get 10% off! casekoo.com/ysjZrH
Today I met up with Norm from @TokyoLens and Sam from @AppleTrack in Akihabara, Tokyo's technology district, with one simple mission: to find as much strange and vintage tech as I could get my hands on! Everything from original game consoles to iPads, MacBooks and Macintoshes from the 1980s!
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#apple #tech #vintage

[@lukemiani]

This video was a TON of fun to film, and kickstarted a little hobby in Vintage Macs! There will be a lot more content to come on that :) HUGE thanks to Norm for showing us around, check out his video perspective of the day! kzbin.info/www/bejne/o5TEq6RujZuMqrc

[@ongjanette]

Also a fun video to watch :) never expected to but had a couple of LOL moments there! 😆

[@levimeyer6126]

Dude can you do some iBook content? The iBook doesn't get much love but I remember tons of people having them back in the day.

[@Flex200]

@lukemiani how much did you pay in total with tax and with the import cost for shipping to the us?

[@Aaltokuvia]

Just send you some Macintosh Plus memories in Instagram DM

[@johnhricko8212]

DUDE, I'm pretty sure I threw away my Mac Plus with an external 20 (?40) hard drive, INCLUDING the "backpack" soft case. I STILL have a PowerBook 5300, including working software (SoundJam! Flowfazer!) and accessories, scsi cable, external monitor adapter... lemme know if you want it.... (...also a 8600 AV and a 660 AV with DSP)...

[@colefarina]

luke left his house

[@trulyirrelevant17]

I would’ve never guessed!

[@JZM006]

really?!!? thanks for telling me, i thought he had all of tokoyo in his house.

[@yorkan213swd6]

He can left the house ?

[@harmoneyes]

Remember the iphone 14 crash detection lol

[@ettcha]

If you are into cars and seeing Luke outside, check out his car channel!

[@Bee-dk7de]

That wasn't a 1st gen shuffle. it was a 1st gen Apple Remote that came with the original MacBook in 2006 and also with the iMac, MacBook Pro, 1st Gen Apple TV etc. around this time.

[@lukemiani]

Ah! Indeed you're right, I was in iPod mode given the surroundings

[@gttac]

I was looking for this comment!

[@squanchy474]

You can use them with an iPod in a dock with the IR sensor

[@CalebEllisComedy]

Also the a hifi speaker/dock

[@squanchy474]

Oh yeah I forgot about that abomination

[@HunterLexus]

I really love when Luke called the original Apple remote an iPod shuffle truly a classic

[@thepeppypepper]

Saw this too and came to the comments to make sure I wasn’t the only one

[@4est96]

Yeah, do you think he knew or was he just trolling us?

[@alexandregillan]

i bet his intent was to make comment bait 😂

[@kojisan1]

I noticed too. Man, am I too old or kids just don't know their tech?

[@james0054]

Welcome to Japan. As a former staff of Hard off Akihabara. I`m very happy that you got that mac. If you have time you can check some small shop that hidden in there. Have fun in tokyo!

[@MaiElizabeth]

Hi. Does Hard Off selling stuffs online and will they post to Malaysia?

[@james0054]

@@MaiElizabeth No, they wont do the international shipping

[@itzikst0]

Where is that book off he went? And where is that small shop u talk about? I’m here in tokyo

[@mintybudgie]

yo quick question, were there any iphones from the 2g to the 6 at hard off?

[@henrikgustav2294]

Any place to buy vintage pc parts like isa sound card/vga cards?

[@richardathome65]

I've lived in Japan for around 34 years now, so it amuses me to see your reaction to things I consider just a part of everyday life. A word regarding Hard Off (named after hardware at discounted "off" prices) for those who may not be familiar with them and are buying tickets to Japan after watching this video: beware of the Hard Off junk corner! While a small fraction of things there will work, like that Mac Luke bought, a lot of it is honestly junk which could possibly be used for parts, but don't expect everything to power on and boot like new.

[@junrosamura645]

I second this. You'll find mac for $20 but you need to read the fine print on the tag. It will say things like "Does not turn on" or "Missing part X" in Japanese of course. It mostly is junk but sometimes you get lucky and find a perfectly mint item for super cheap.

[@keithtarrier4558]

Me too! LOL

[@auggie7423]

Hey Luke! The "Hard-Off" stores exist in the U.S though mostly in California. They're called "Book-Off" over here and sell similar vintage stuff. One of my favorite places to go!

[@firesurfer]

There are two in NYC. One in Man. I thought the store looked familiar. The merchandise was in much better condition in Japan it looks like.

[@mjhsieh]

Eco-Town? that seems to be the name

[@asnozz]

Book Off exists in japan as well, they specialize in media (books, games, DVDs, audio), Hard Off is more of a general thift store but does have a lot of cross over (it's all the same company, there is also Hobby-Off and a few others)

[@Madobe-Nanami]

Oh lol they arent technically the same. Book-off also exists in japan, but theyre moreso focused for books and disc media and the such. Same owners i believe? Kyoto had some book-offs stores which also supplied hardware but theyre kinda distinguished in japan compared to the us, as here its just book-off

[@jjjacer]

whish i could find stuff like that in Wisconsin, so far the best place i went to was Free Geek Twin Cities in Minnesota but thats a 5+ hr drive for me

[@deanzaZZR]

Too funny, when Luke is gushing over the vintage Apple the sign in the background reads Junk Building (ジャンク館). 😆

[@afiqahmadfeisal9088]

I went to Tokyo recently to attend Tokyo Auto Salon (custom car show) and decided to ditch the event after just one day in favor of hunting for retro/vintage things. Your best bet is to go to used stores outside of central Tokyo for the lowest prices. I also went to some of the places you went to in the video! Arrived in Tokyo with a 40 liter backpack and left with 2 checked in luggages - filled with a boxed PS4 Days of Play Edition, a boxed PS1, several used iPods, old GameBoys, bunch of vintage Lego and Tomica toys. Personal favorite was a used pair of AirPods Pro for $50, that Hard Off had meticulously cleaned, had absolutely nothing wrong with battery life, and they even gave me a 6 month warranty. A warranty on a used pair of earbuds?! Completely unexpected!

[@asnozz]

ugh. You're making me miss living in Japan. I spent many a weekend going to the Hard Offs across the Tokyo metro area! Thanks Luke for some nostalgia (the music hasnt changed!!)

[@RetroTechChris]

And it's the same song played over and over again!

[@TharynTaylor]

I love seeing you on the Tokyo Lens channel with Norm! Super fun for nerds like us to go looking around these shops and markets.

[@darshanravi7688]

12:57 not an ipod shuffle, it's a remote for a dock they sold with the ipod with video

[@TokyoLens]

Poor Sam is never going to win anything from a claw machine LOL Come back any time man!!

[@madecahyana4121]

I used to go to the Hard Off store close to my apartment in Ibaraki 10 years ago to find vintage cameras and stuff. I moved out from japan in 2015, and every time I listen to Hard Off store music, it always brings me back to the good old 2010-2015 japan days. 😄

[@JapanPop]

Glad Super Potato and the other Electronic Town shops survived the pandemic!

[@stefanschneider3681]

Just LOVE how you take us with you on this journey of a world that's A COMPLETE UNKNOWN to me! But you do have a wonderful guide too. Thanks for sharing!

[@johnger850305]

Glad you enjoy your Tokyo tour so much!! I've always wanted to go to Tokyo but only been to Okinawa once, any kind of nerds can easy get lost in AKIHABARA , its such an incredible place that you can probably spend your entire life searching for treasures there.

[@coolconductor]

This guy is amazing I love his tech reviews old tech reviews and everything in between like this video he deserves 1 million subscribers

[@ignskeletons]

Thanks for bringing us awesome content like this Luke, loved your channel and your efforts making these entertaining Apple/Tech vids doesn't go unnoticed, your fans appreciate the hard work you do making things like this. Very epic and Japan looks fun af, peace and love Luke, keep up the channel!

[@daveadams6421]

Japan is a never ending place of discovery 👍

[@JZM006]

you should make a video cleaning up and restoring the mac plus and the laserwriter

[@dennisud]

NOW here's part 2 of your trip and shopping in Tokyo! Well done and remember to open and check that Mac Plus! Such KEWL Stuff in Akihabara!

[@kbhasi]

(3:49) I read somewhere on Wikipedia that "AirPort" was already trademarked in Japan and so Apple had to rebrand all their AirPort products in Japan to AirMac products. I've even seen a video from someone in Japan who repaired an iBook G4 (if I recall correctly), and with Mac OS 10.4 having its UI language set to Japanese, the Wi-Fi menu had "Turn AirMac Off" instead of "Turn AirPort Off". (12:32) It was an add-on, not the console itself. (12:57) 🤦🏽‍♂️ That's a mid-late 2000s Apple Remote!! They were used for the original Apple TV and were included with early x86 Macs for Front Row!

[@adammarsden7943]

This was a great episode Luke, more of these road trips definitely 💯

[@tobyboucher8990]

Apart from the rubberised coating failing I love my iDJ. It's the centre of my music setup ( even has a phono input for turntable )

[@Stephen_A.]

OMG, this was a ton of fun. I would have to cash in my 401K to shop there, but I probably would do it. 😁

[@alvinmarcos7406]

Thank you for giving me a trip down memory lane. Oh how I miss hard off including the music jingle inside their stores. It's always exciting to get stuff at a very cheap price. Kudos to you Luke and the rest of the guys. :)

[@richardziolkowski7973]

This was awesome! Looking forward to seeing your Mac Plus setup!

[@ted356]

This is a very cool video, I love these tech tourist stories!

[@gouji-rokkaku-showa99]

Did you enjoy traveling in Japan, Akihabara? I was very excited that you came to a place right from my house. I'm always looking forward to your video from Tokyo. thank you.

[@commonempowerment]

When you said, "The hardoff is where dreams come true" I lost it. Liked and subscribed.

[@HOLLYWOODUNAPOLOGETIC]

I owned one of the first Mac Pluses. I wish I still had it. Guys, what a great haul!

[@bitehunter122]

14:44 You and Sam dancing is hilarious!

[@jazzsoft]

I was in Tokyo a week ago, too. I'm back in New York now. There are tons of hidden stores in the back alleys in Akihabara.

[@albertpercu]

13:01 It's actually the Apple Remote that came with iMacs, Mac Minis, and even some MacBooks in the late 2000s.

[@kinoromantic]

10:26 Is this some kind of nerd comedy we never got to see? The HARD OFF sign on the left, and then - "Get your head out of the way!" "It just works!" - "It's confused but it's happy!!!" 😂😂😂

[@respect386]

Luke would make a solid travel host. “Traveling Tech with Luke”

[@ishepard2]

0:30 NORM! I love that guy. Talked to him a few times - super chill, and I love his stuff. When I was in Tokyo in December I had hoped to try to look him up but we were just too busy.

[@ladder3257]

Love this type of content!

[@pschroeter1]

That Mac Plus startup chime brought a tear to my eye. I bought one as my first "real" computer. My previous computer had been an Atari. I remember wanting a Mac because I decided I was a wimp who wanted a newfangled "graphical interface" over DOS. I even chose a black and white monitor over color to get it.

[@WhatAboutZoidberg]

Wedding Djs LOVE those Idj setups. They just have two ipods stacked with tons of music and some still prefer the setup for the ease of use. Rare find hunting in Akhibara just looks like a dream.

[@0menadds]

So great to see Luke with Sam, in my favourite place. I’ve been to Achiharbra .. and I only had two days to take it all in. I remember seeing hundreds of PSP’s in excellent condition. And Sony Walkmans… in so many colors. And game boy color.. like hundreds, in so many stores, so millions.. So cool there browsing

[@SteveInBuffalo716]

This is becoming one of my fav channels. Nice work here.

[@reverseoreo86]

10:16 that keyboard looks like its Macway/Filco style ADB, possibly with (black) ALPS switches. They’re very hard to find in the US the closest thing you’ll find is an apple to GS keyboard with orange Alps, the keyboard is worth just as much as the whole set up

[@iamoraal]

I had a silly grin on my face as you shared your journey through the hard off's! Lots of fun.

[@buda3d2007]

Odd thing is the mark up in Australia on places like ebay almost makes it worth it to go to Japan and fill up the max limit 2 suitcases with stuff and sell it back in Australia, people buy this stuff becuase its all bid on and almost always goes for the upper most price with the exception of older ipads they are worth about 8 dollars.

[@dukethecat]

As an actual vintage apple collector the macintosh plus segment made me die inside

[@irensaga561]

The Hardoff stores are such a good place to pick up older tech. I live in Japan and there are two within walking distance of my house. This was a fun video :-)

[@NineTO]

Fantastic! More videos like these please!

[@lmfarms4611]

love these places, I use live in Japan in the seventies, I was hoping you would have gone down the vintage stereo equipment stores. they are just as neat as the computer stores. love your channel .

[@tomtd]

Still got mine from 85 and it works. Keyboard & mouse. Got the bag too as it was thought to be “portable”. 😊

[@JoBot__]

I really want to go there now. That seems like so much fun especially for a collector such as myself. :D When I saw the iPad 1, I immediately smiled and turned to my own iPad 1 which I got quite recently.

[@ken1w]

That little white thing that looks a bit like first gen iPod shuffle is really the old Apple Remote Control (before thin silver one). It magnetically attached to side of old white iMacs. I think it came with original (Intel-based) Apple TV too. It’s an IR remote and should work with current Apple TV for simple selection and playback control. Super fun video!

[@OldAussieAds]

I forgot that it magnetically attached to the white iMac. This was before Apple TV when Apple pictured people watching videos on their iMac.

[@ken1w]

@@OldAussieAds Back when Macs had IR receivers, like a TV. It was meant to control music playback too, from across the room.

[@OldAussieAds]

@@ken1w And indeed I used our white Core 2 Duo iMac for this very purpose. I had a huge iTunes library and would use the remote to control the music and volume. Later I connected a Mac mini of a similar vintage to my TV, DAC and powered speakers. You'd turn the TV on, use the remote to change track or whatever and then turn the TV off again. Or for a treat, I'd put on the iTunes visualizer. This was a great time to use Macs.

[@bensilberman4912]

The hard off is where dreams come true! I FREAKING CAN'T...I totally laughed out loud!

[@leslierogers3134]

Great video Luke

[@hikaritsumi2123]

"With a straight goal in mind.. we got distracted" You see, if you don't have a goal you can't get distracted so that make total sense!

[@AtelierOrgan]

Welcome to Japan! Very surprised you visited Akihabara. It's a unique and interesting city, isn't it? I really enjoyed it as always and am looking forward to the next one!

[@nicholasdavidsmith]

Hard-Offs and other used electronics stores are sorta everywhere in Japan, so I wouldn't consider them to be hidden. Because Japanese people take really good care of their stuff, you can always find nice things in great condition.

[@mintybudgie]

just seeing that whole wall of ipod touches and whatever those other devices were makes me so jealous

[@jahanas22]

Such great finds.

[@Big_Blue_Monkey]

The vintage MAC stuff was cool…some nice finds especially the two iDJ's.

[@AppleBman]

I was waiting for that particular line, Luke. LOL!

[@dfvxc]

wow, worlds colliding lol! crazy to see fav japan, apple youtubers together in akihabara where I just was!

[@budgetguitaristcom]

Thanks for recording this - I could watch stuff like this for hours. My first Mac was a Mac Plus and when it died I got rid of it - now I wish I hadn't, because it's art.

[@tkusterb]

My first Mac was an Apple //c in 1986. Built like a tank. I used it for document creation and a grade book spreadsheet. Pounded the heck out of that machine and it never flagged. Sorry I got rid of that, too.

[@thatMattW]

As someone who has been into restoring Macintosh’s for a few years, I really hope this channel turns into a classic mac channel haha. I do think Luke would really enjoy that scene.

[@PrinceEC]

This is INSANE! I’m from Australia & I’ve been to Japan twice, the first time was only for 1.5 weeks and the second time, 2 weeks. I needed more time there lol.

[@jonathansakura]

Norm took them to the most common stores lol hard off and super potato 🥔 🤣 😂 😆 Greetings from Aki 🇯🇵

[@stevens1041]

I wish I knew about this. Just got back from Tokyo, I'll have to check it out on my next trip. I love Macs

[@Bassistking]

12:58 That is no iPod shuffle, Luke. That there is an original Apple remote (circa 2005) for Macs that had an IR sensor on the front to access/control Front Row.

[@eWhizz]

Yep, and they still can control the AppleTV today!

[@The.Orchard]

Mac Plus boards are through-hole assembled. It's the surface mounted caps in newer ones that leak and fail. Most through hole ones in older models, even though they're even older, still work. It's almost never necessary to preemptively recap a Mac Plus logic board. However, the analog board might need the solder reflowed because cracks in the joints cause bad continuity, presenting with symptoms like no or intermittent video. So it's not unusual for a Mac Plus to just power up like that one did for you. However, those that don't quite possibly have no bad caps, but just some dry solder joints that need reflowing. Also, that white thing you called an iPod shuffle was actually an Apple Remote.

[@paranoidhumanoid]

12:30 Both the NES and SNES in the US and Japan had expansion ports underneath the system (snap off cover). In Japan they were lucky enough to have the _Family Computer Disc System_ for the original Famicom (NES) and the _Satellaview_ on which the Super Famicom (SNES) was positioned. The US plans for both add-ons were scrapped unfortunately. I can't believe they're only USD$10 now!

[@andresbravo2003]

This is quite the exploration!

[@JeffreyOlsson]

So much fun to watch!

[@roopek.9511]

Went to that same hard off during my trip to japan. Very cool stuff they have there 👍

[@miyagithedj]

14:17 I work for Ion. Crazy to see one of those still in the box!

[@Usagizaka46]

Going to a Hard Off in Japan is a dream of mine. The closest thing we have here in NYC is a Book Off that has some electronics. Pricy though…

[@vipertt100]

Wow , really need to go to Japan. Thanks fir sharing.

[@herrhudson]

The "AV" equipment at 3:02 aren't just radios, those are transceivers for amateur radio broadcasts. Usually it's known as HAM radio and even in the USA, you have to be licensed to use those.

[@monogramadikt5971]

most amazing second hand mac shop i came across in japan was in kobe, floor to ceiling stacks of every generation of macs, you could hardly squeeze through the piles, never seen anything even close in akihabra and ive spent a lot of time in tokyo

[@colin1992]

Dope. I love vintage and retro stuff

[@SilhSe]

13:04 Oh Nooo... his intrusive thoughts win 🤣

[@Llyrana7]

13:00 NO !!! That’s the old Apple REMOTE !!!

[@olavivalli]

This is giving ‘Sheldon goes to RadioShack’ vibes 😂 Cool 😎

[@GodsMasterpiece509]

Looking forward to the video were you show all that you bought 😁

[@arround1]

10:50 Most classic Macs of the 1980s didn't have a hard drive built into them at all. You must first insert an operating system floppy disk and boot from it.

[@seajay5487]

Welcome to Japan, didn't know you were coming. Osaka also an electronic junk yard, check it out !

[@whophd]

Getting stuck in those 1980s stairwells for hours - yep, I’ve been there (literally) 😍

[@alexmercea1913]

Original iPod shuffle from your vid, was actually the plastic remote control for Apple TV first gen and for MBP up to 2012 with iR port.

[@mattblatchley2061]

THAT was REALLY fun to watch!!!! Vintage stuff is FASCINATING

[@mattblatchley2061]

it seems like the proprietors of these establishments were really accommodating...how nice!

[@terrancejohnson9755]

The Hard-off music slaps, i just moved from there last year, it made me feel at home.

[@EdwardEns]

One of your best videos yet Luke! Luke goes worldwide!Glad you finally left your house! 😂

[@tenminutetokyo2643]

That Mac Plus was the very first Mac I bought in 1989 and launched my career including working at Apple. Good times.

[@igor4knezevic]

11:50 aghh loving the 1st gen iPad. I found one here in Serbia, 64GB + 3G but in a bit worse condition for 13$ so this right is an absolute steal! Loving itt. Also, there is a brand new with box in seal Volkswagen 1st gen iPad for 20$ but sadly the battery seams dead. Also those stacks of iPods look like the perfect thing for DankPods. Just guessing he would be disappointed since those are all probably wiped.

[@tiernagan]

Great video, love it.

[@gourmetbiker7633]

Cool stuff. Now I need to go there, too.

[@MIN_Tech]

Great content!! ❤

[@davidnagy510]

I can wait to see Luke’s apple museum some day

[@DrewP11]

This was an amazing video. Most of us will never get to go to Japan, so it was a rare treat. Don’t let me loose with a credit card there.

[@lookitskazzy]

A lot of places don't take credit cards lol!

[@levimeyer6126]

Pretty sure that wasn't the original shuffle, I think that was the remote you could get with a powerbook to control the media app in like iLife 05' or something. the OG shuffle looks like a flash drive.

[@gaylordfocker7288]

Great video! Makes me want to go there for sure!