The Location

Just a couple of steps outside Akihabara's train station, and one is assaulted by a spectrum of signage.

PhotoFest Japan will be held in the heart of Japan’s technology and pop culture universes, Tokyo’s Akihabara district.  Very conveniently located at the intersection of two of Tokyo’s major rail lines, Akihabara has long been home to a neighborhood of electronics and appliance stores, ranging from tiny one-man stalls to entire multi-story buildings.  In recent years, the area has also developed into a mecca for fans of anime and other slices of Japanese pop culture (coffee in a maid cafe, anyone?).  Hundreds of stores sell the latest video games, character dolls, metal robot toys, collectibles and more.

Yodobashi Akiba: Nine floors of wonderfulness

In 2005, Yodobashi Camera, Japan’s largest camera retailer, opened a gigantic flagship store there, Yodobashi Akiba.  Just a three-minute walk from where PhotoFest Japan will be held, this huge store has a massive selection of every kind of camera and camera-related gear one can imagine.  Other, smaller camera shops in the immediate vicinity also offer good selections of used lenses and gear, too.  PFJ participants will have no problem drooling over (and filling their camera bags with) the latest camera gadgets during their time at the workshop!

PhotoFest Japan will be held in the Conference Center in this building.

The workshop will be held in the Akihabara Daibiru (Dai Building).  Completed in 2006, the Dai Building is a modern, 31-story office tower located immediately adjacent to Akihabara station in the heart of the neighborhood.  The building is part of a larger office complex, which houses and is surrounded by dozens of restaurants and shops of all kinds. The biggest problem PFJ participants are likely to have will be deciding which of the many choices to try out for lunch or dinner each day!

The workshops will be held in the building’s fifth-floor conference center, which boasts several well-equipped and adjustable-size classrooms.

Akihabara’s central location in Tokyo also makes it the ideal staging area for excursions to some of Tokyo’s other famous sites.

Participants will be no more than 30 minutes away from very photogenic areas like Asakusa, (with its famous Kaminarimon gate, and Sensouji) and the Imperial Palace. Yasukuni Shrine is quite photogenic, and military enthusiasts will want to see its Yushukan, a modern museum covering Japan’s take on WWII.  Of course, Tsukiji, the world’s largest fish and seafood market (there’s simply no better sushi!), is also just waiting to be visited!  On trips to the Roppongi nightlife district, however, you might want to think about leaving your SLR behind…