Elektron-Users

So... I'm in Japan (Tokyo) at the moment... and I got curious about the MPC500... I have been looking at them and thinking, "I wouldn't mind one of those, if for nothing else but the bus ride to Uni"...

Akai is a Japanese company so I thought I might score a deal and get one really cheap! So far I have been into about 10 music shops... the kind of music shops that sell MPC's, MD, MnM, Dave Smith, Doepfer, etc... the right kind of shop and I keep asking "Do you have the MPC500?"(in japanese of course)

and what do I get?!?!? complete and utter astonishment, no one has even heard of the thing, as in didn't even know it existed, let alone stock it.

How is this possible? I remember when Japan was so far ahead that you'd hear about gadgets and just say "no way, no way some ones made that!".... but now it seems that their own companies are entering foriegn markets before the sell domestically... wow!

Just in case anyone is interested. Korg, Yamaha and Akai (all Japanese) are ALL more expensive across the entire range here in Japan then they are from www.novamusik.com (U.S.)

I think you're looking in the wrong shops...

A poster on the mpc500 thread on musicthing said he was scoping mpc500's in japan for $599

that or he was lying...

-quote
FYI in Japan

MPC 1000 -> 899$
MPC 500 -> 599$

so that price tag you refer to is waaaay off.
# posted by Anonymous : 5:50 AM
-quote

Wow! He must be in a different Japan to me... because in this Japan the MPC1000 is going for 110,000YEN ($925USD) and no one has even heard of the MPC500...

I'll head over to Musicthing and see if I can get any more leads...

I found the post you mentioned... does really go into any detail...

All I can say is I have been hitting up the biggest music shops in Tokyo and I am yet to find one that has even heard of the thing!

MPC1000's on the other heand are every where! they sell them in most freaking department stores! but they are all roughly at the price I mentioned in my last post.

b0unce wrote:
I think you're looking in the wrong shops...



maybe... but I have gone to all of the big name shops...

anyone know any gear shops in Tokyo?

maybe its time to phone akai and find out who, if anyone, is distributing the mpc500 there ?

maybe theres some japanese online retailers ?
have them deliver to your hotel room, or friends house or whatever.

Akai may be Japanese, but as you know it is now Alesis Numark Akai or whatever.

2nd, the mpc is not made in Japan.

3rd, it's Japan stupid. Everything is more expensive.

Also, the exchange rate isn't favorable for us here in the US ordering straight from Japan (or anywhere really) as it used to be in years' past. Credit the devaluation of the US dollar.

udenjoe wrote:
3rd, it's Japan stupid. Everything is more expensive.

This is a misnomer, in fact a lot of stuff is CHEAPER than in the US or in Australia. The things that aren't cheaper are the things imported from the US or Australia.

For instance food, hotel, alcohol, tobacco, public transport, electronics, clothes (including LV, Gucci, Chanel, etc), Toys, Nintendo, PSP and basic day to day stuff (coke, water, chocolate) are all cheaper than in Australia.

I do not have any idea how this rumour got started?!?! but it reached Australia as well. I came to Tokyo loaded with cash thinking I was barely going to make it through... I've been living it up, travelling all around the place, eating at resturants three times a day, etc and I have been spending about $25USD a day.

Anyway... back on topic. No sign of the MPC500 on the Japanese websites... But I have another lead, so I'm off exploring again today!

Have you had a look at Akai Japan's website?