During a trip to Tokyo in 2013, I found an opportunity to visit the Akihabara district. This area is world famous for its high concentration of shops selling the latest models of computers, game consoles, gadgets, and other geeky items. I was, however, pleasantly surprised that, like almost everywhere else in Tokyo, traces of postwar Japan are never too distant away. Hidden behind tall buildings are two narrow lanes of traditional shops selling electronics parts. I found an old man sitting behind a tiny stall, selling vintage vacuum tubes. I bought a small tube from the discount bin as a souvenir. It is a NEC 6267.
There another cool store with a collection of vintage microprocessors. If your 30-year-old Mac II stops working, the geniuses at the Apple stores probably can’t help you. That 33MHz Motorola 68020 will come in handy.
