Doi (retailer)
Encyclopedia
was a large Japanese retailer and distributor, best known outside Japan as the company that revived the Plaubel Makina
67 camera in the late 1970s and early 1980s.
Its roots go back to Doi Shōten , also referred to as Doi Shōkai . This was a Japanese retailer, distributor, or both, that started in 1949. (Doi here is a surname, shōten means "retailer", and shōkai means "trading company".) In the early fifties it was based in Osaka
.
Kimio Doi , son of the Mr Doi of Doi Shōten, started a branch in Fukuoka at some time around 1956. In 1959 this became plain Doi .
Doi provided diverse services, such as professional darkroom work. Retail stores were branded "Camera no Doi" ; these were known for the array of used cameras as well as competitive prices of new equipment.
By the 1980s, Doi was as large a presence as Yodobashi
in the Nishi-Shinjuku
camera souk of west-central Tokyo
. Its sales peaked in March 1989. However, it faltered in the 1990s and closed down in 2003. Doi Technical Photo seems to have survived this, even running a photography gallery in Yūrakuchō
, but now (2006) appears to be defunct.
Plaubel Makina
The Plaubel Makina was a series of medium format press cameras. The original Makina was manufactured by Plaubel & Co. in Germany from 1912 through 1953...
67 camera in the late 1970s and early 1980s.
Its roots go back to Doi Shōten , also referred to as Doi Shōkai . This was a Japanese retailer, distributor, or both, that started in 1949. (Doi here is a surname, shōten means "retailer", and shōkai means "trading company".) In the early fifties it was based in Osaka
Osaka
is a city in the Kansai region of Japan's main island of Honshu, a designated city under the Local Autonomy Law, the capital city of Osaka Prefecture and also the biggest part of Keihanshin area, which is represented by three major cities of Japan, Kyoto, Osaka and Kobe...
.
Kimio Doi , son of the Mr Doi of Doi Shōten, started a branch in Fukuoka at some time around 1956. In 1959 this became plain Doi .
Doi provided diverse services, such as professional darkroom work. Retail stores were branded "Camera no Doi" ; these were known for the array of used cameras as well as competitive prices of new equipment.
By the 1980s, Doi was as large a presence as Yodobashi
Yodobashi Camera
Yodobashi Camera Co.,Ltd. is a chain store mainly selling electronic products. Currently, there are 21 stores in Japan. It also maintains two online stores in China; one with a limited selection of products from its Japanese online store through SBI VeriTrans that supports payments by UnionPay,...
in the Nishi-Shinjuku
Nishi-shinjuku
is a skyscraper business district in Shinjuku, Tokyo, Japan. This region was called before.Nishi-Shinjuku was Tokyo's first major foray into building skyscrapers with the first appearing in the 1970s with Keio Plaza Inter-Continental. Kenzo Tange's Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building being the...
camera souk of west-central Tokyo
Tokyo
, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
. Its sales peaked in March 1989. However, it faltered in the 1990s and closed down in 2003. Doi Technical Photo seems to have survived this, even running a photography gallery in Yūrakuchō
Yurakucho
is a neighborhood of Chiyoda, Tokyo, Japan situated in between the Ginza and Hibiya Park, near the neighborhood of Shinbashi. Unlike its tonier neighbor Ginza, Yūrakuchō provides a glimpse of Japanese life from the early postwar period, with its many izakaya and outdoor yakitori restaurants , many...
, but now (2006) appears to be defunct.