Known as Electric Town, this area rose to prominence because of its concentration of consumer appliance and electronics stores. As more discount camera and electronics stores opened in other parts of the city—notably Shinjuku—Akihabara morphed into the city's ground zero for computers and gaming. Yodobashi Camera department store sells millions of other things besides cameras. There are still several duty-free appliance stores which attract international shoppers. But for locals, Akihabara has now become a mecca for manga, anime and other computer-generated, alternate-reality stores, with associated otaku (geek) merchandise.
