Akihabara’s “pedestrian paradise” is back – the roads are closed to all but foot traffic on Sundays once again, and many thousands of shoppers packed the area in celebration.
2 years and 7 months ago the practice was cancelled on the rather dubious basis that the mass stabbing perpetrated by a crazed otaku could happen again (although the same logic would suggest banning any public space not dominated by cars).
A variety of eccentric and even erotic street performances were also aggravating police at the time, and with police being dependent on brothels and pachinko parlours for their income, naturally they had no-one else to crack down on but the throngs.
A network of surveillance cameras has now been put in place to keep cosplayers and mass murderers firmly under control, sufficiently reducing the perceived risk for the event to finally be reinstated.
All that remains is the return of a certain Akihabara exhibitionist…
i was there…. it’s so crowded….
I don’t really like crowds but I would like to try it… as soon as I learn some Japanese T_T
I’m ecstatic.
too many people O_O
i wonder if there’s gonna be a “penis” parade or something XD
actually I don’t want to come to a place with this kind of crowd …