Popular Akihabara stop, tenant building Akihabara Radio Kaikan, is making its appearance online. Created by Radio Kaikan Corporation, the online shopping site, "Shopping Mall Radio Kaikan Online", focuses on Akiba-related products and opens January 18th.
With "The world's Radio Kaikan Akihabara" as its catchphrase, the site targets both dedicated fans of Akihabara and Radio Kaikan, and those just newly acquainted with the store. As of the opening day, 10 stores from the original Radio Kaikan have storefronts at the online shopping mall.

Radio Kaikan is a tenant building, close to the Denki-gai (Electric Town) exit of Akihabara station on the JR line, that houses electronic, radio, and hobby shops. The building is nicknamed "Rajikan" for short. Over the years numerous figure and toy shops opened in the building. It gained a reputation as a mecca for dedicated fans and was frequently featured in TV anime.
The building, which marks its 50th year anniversary in 2012, is currently undergoing reconstruction work. The new Radio Kaikan is scheduled to reopen in 2014, but progress is slow and it's unsure whether they will meet the deadline.

The online store was created so that Akihabara fans could continue to shop at their favorite stores, and to also keep the "Radio Kaikan" brand alive and fresh in the minds of their fans until they reopen in 2014.
At the time of opening, the online shopping mall offered over 1000 items, including electronics, computers, radio parts, games, anime, figures, etc. New shops are scheduled to open in the near future, with the goal being to have 100 shops by the end of the first year.

• Radio Kaikan Online
• http://online.radiokaikan.jp/