So, a bunch of people in Tokyo went to the Internet Black Market on Sunday (Oct 16).
No, not one of those infamous darknet markets that’s online and (usually) engaging in illicit goods.
The Internet Yami-ichi (Japanese for “black market”) is an actual, off-line flea market for “Internet-ish” things.
Given that the organisers have said that “flea markets and the Internet are both fanatical and chaotic mixes of the amazing and the useless”, we’re not surprised to learn of some of the more unusual stuff being peddled at the 3331 Arts Chiyoda centre.
1. ‘Virtual reality’ pottery class
Want to learn how to make pottery, but don’t want to get your hands dirty? Why not take a “virtual reality” class then?
バーチャルろくろを回すまお#yami3331 pic.twitter.com/feneqjdAzz
— ギャル電 (@GALDEN999) 16 October 2016
2. Confession of love
Always fantasising about that pretty classmate? Get her to confess her love for you. Just 100 yen (S$1.35)!
3. iPhone 3G preserved for posterity
It’s not exactly what you’re thinking. This sample of the iPhone 3G will probably be thought of as a part of the human body (the smartphone is an extension of the body for some people!), preserved in formalin in a glass jar. And it can be yours for just 7,000 yen!
インターネット ヤミ市、闇しか感じないぞ…
これは『iPhoneのホルマリン漬け』(売価7,000円) #yami3331 pic.twitter.com/jxnvQC8DpT
— コクブカメラ (@kokubucamera) 16 October 2016
4. Sine wave coffee
Always wanted to find out how “sine wave coffee” taste like? Just pony up 500 yen then.
サインウェーブコーヒー #yami3331 pic.twitter.com/gFxEJAG1eC
— hazuki (@jiiji_ijiiji) 16 October 2016
Be warned, one reviewer has said that the coffee is sour.
5. ‘Window’ to the world
So attached to the Internet that you just have to see the world through a browser window? Check.
ブラウ皿ゲット
これでなんでもwebサイトにできるぜ！#yami3331 pic.twitter.com/DOywKrqCck— Ricky (@Robotboy189) 16 October 2016
Just pray that this doesn’t happen.
ブラウ皿とアルミ5本とアルミの薄い本とBSOD買った #yami3331 pic.twitter.com/j9fU9WU7Al
— Katano Kosuke (@katanon712) 16 October 2016
The market on Sunday in Tokyo is the latest in a string of flea markets that have been held in cities world wide, including Berlin, Sapporo, Brussels, Amsterdam, Taichung, Linz, Seoul, New York, Barcelona, and London.
Internet Yami-ichi was started by “online secret society” IDPW (which is apparently short for I.D. Password) in 2012, the next one will be in New York city on Nov 6.
sinsh@sph.com.sg
