100 days of live concerts in Akihabara
February 2nd, 2009 by James
A group that wants authorities to re-open Akihabara’s “Pedestrian Paradise” is planning to hold live concerts for 100 consecutive days as a means of bringing attention to their cause:
There was never any good reason behind the decision authorities made last June, and it is quite sad that the suspension continues to this day.
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Of course there’s no good reason of having the Pedestrian Paradise in the first place either, except maybe not having to wait 30 more seconds to cross the street on weekends.
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HEY hey hey, towns we’re build for walking, not for cars. It’s one street, why must all streets be reserved for those iron bucket who pollute.
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Pedestrians really like it. Isn’t that a good enough reason?
The real reason for cancelling Akihabara pedestrian paradise is of course Authority’s wish to crack down on a manifestation of counterculture.
The Ginza pedestrian paradise was given extra police security rather than being closed down.
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Well I guess you have a point there.
But the reason I’m rather iffy about reopening it in Akihabara is that it becomes not just a magnet, but also a catalyst for the crazies.
Often people work up the image that Akihabara is some sort of “promised land” for otakus and it’s a funny hyperbole except some people start taking it as literal fact. It then becomes sort of a free ticket that says “you can do whatever the hell you please here” in the minds of some people.
I believe that’s why the town ends up having a steady supply of people like cross-dressed guys (Haruhi-themed) running wild shooting up the place with BB-guns, or scantily clad attention whores spreading her legs and crowds of shameless “kamekos” almost literally pushing their cameras between them.
I don’t think it’s anything where the police are trying to keep counterculture down, as much as trying to prevent (if overzealously) anything that might cause trouble. I think claiming they want to crack down on the manifestation of counterculture is on the same train of thought as (now ridiculed) “the terrorists hate freedom” line.
Personally, I just happen to go there for my shopping needs so I’m not inconvenienced, save for the waiting for the traffic light thing.
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and we do hope that their efforts won’t be in vain
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Closing down the Akihabara pedestrian paradise and continuing to keep it closed is a sign of weakness. Think the gov’t is scared of rebellion due to these hard economic times. So maybe the gov’t strategy is to crack down on gathering of large groups.
The stabbing could have happened as easily in Shibuya or Asakusa or Ginza with the same outcome.
Close down the Elvis Presley wannabes in Yoyogi koen and open up Akihabara again!!
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Oh noes! Not the sixties rockers! They are soooo funny to watch. ^^
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If 1000 otaku decided to do the Pedestrian Paradise without getting the proper permission, what are the police gonna do?
Harass them all for an hour each if they happen to have anything pointy in their knapsacks?
Time for otaku to show some balls.
“I didn’t spend all that time playing Dungeons & Dragons without learning a little something about courage.”
-Jose Chung’s ‘From Outer Space’
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