Japan has long been an 'insular' market, and Akihabara is a very typical reflection of it.
It is here, The Japanese 'test run' small quantities, and perfect their machines/products before subjecting them to the massive production and markets of the world, particularly the US.
Akihabara is the beginning and the end of the life cycle of many products. For example, I remember a radio as a keychain fob I bought there in 1970 which never made it out of Akihabara, and a 1/2 frame camera design in the 60's which did. I also remember bargaining very hard in the early-mid 1970's to buy one of the very earliest LCD calculators, and getting it for $30, then coming home 6 months later and seeing it advertized in a big ad at Nieman-Marcus for $29.95.
It's an interesting place, but this info on their advanced products is nothing new.
In the U.S., apparently about all you can buy are General Electric, Maytag, and Whirlpool. None of those that I have had or even seen (and my experience is pretty limited here, so take this with a grain of salt) can compare with the Panasonic (Matsushita), Toshiba, Sanyo, National, etc. brands all available in Akihabara. I had a Sanyo washer and dryer, and it was just fantastic, not a single problem in five years.
I have had nothing but problems with G.E. and Maytag appliances in the U.S.; poorly built out of the flimsiest sheet metal, crude internal mechanisms, it's a crying shame compared to a fine Japanese machine. My experience has been that many U.S. washers and dryers have to be replaced every few years. And G.E. products certainly don't sell in Japan; I did find a G.E. appliance dealer location in the backstreets of Shinochanomizu, and I don't remember ever seeing the dealer open. The catalog portion of the website for G.E. Japan Appliances seems to be in disrepair; I can only find mention of a refrigerator in it.
If you think Japanese automobiles are great ( and even the Germans do), then you should try their appliances. They literally sweep the competition.