The popular Japanese games store Friends has announced it will be closing down at the end of August, as recently discovered by the Twitter user @Grandmaster2048.
Friends is one of many game stores that can be found in Akihabara and is primarily known for selling video game soundtracks, electronic toys, peripherals, consoles, and an assortment of games for retro platforms like the NES, SNES, PS1, and MSX. In the past, the store was previously spread across two floors in a building located above a local restaurant but had recently downsized to only occupying a single floor.
The unfortunate news of the store's closure was shared with customers via a handwritten note, which outlined the intention to close in both English and Japanese.
No reason was given for the sudden closure, but the news has since sparked an outpouring of well-wishes online from those who have been lucky enough to visit in the past.
If you happen to be travelling to Japan before the end of August, we recommend giving it a visit. We visited the store ourselves earlier this year, in May, and had a great time digging through its shelves.