Den Den Town is a 1 km long section of
Nipponbashi in the
Naniwa ward of
Osaka,
Japan. Similar to
Tokyo's
Akihabara district, Den Den Town is lined with hundreds upon hundreds of
electronics and electrical appliance shops. Virtually anything electronic can be purchased there including household appliances of all kinds, personal computers, video games, lighting equipment, cameras, and musical instruments. There are also a number of furniture and hardware stores in the area for those so inclined.
Den Den Town is the biggest electronics district in Western Japan. Nipponbashi Station is serviced by the Sakaisuji Subway Line, the Sennichimae Subway Line and the Kintetsu Train Line, or it can be reached from Namba Station -- a five minute walk.
Here are some helpful tips for visitors to Den Den Town:
The price you see may not necessarily be the price you have to pay. In Osaka, haggling is extremely common. If you feel confident in your Japanese language skill and can haggle a bit, you may be able to talk the salesperson down a bit on the price. My personal strategy is to either tell them that I am a foreign student or a tourist, and suggest a price that's about ten to fifteen percent off of the advertised price, depending on what's being purchased. You can work from there. Be polite, ask them questions about the product so that they know you're interested, and don't be afraid to attempt cheap psych tactics such as, "Well, maybe I can buy it later..." -- they want your business and will try very hard to make the sale now. I've heard that using Kansai-ben improves your success rating, but simply being polite and friendly works wonders as well. Showing your passport may exempt you from sales tax in certain establishments. Ask. You can find some that will give you a discount AND charge you no sales tax.