Akihabara is a merchandise mart for anything - and everything - that runs on electricity, from microprocessors and washing machines to television sets and gadgets that beep when your bathwater is hot. Wherever you go in the world, if people know nothing else about Japan, they recognise the country as a cornucopia of electronics equipment and household appliances. About 10% of what Japan's electronics industry makes for the domestic market passes through Akihabara.