Compact Impact (CLOSED)

Contrary to popular belief, Japan’s best gift to New York isn’t a Yankees outfielder. It’s Compact Impact, a downtown technology showroom that lets you geek out in style. Home to Japan’s finest high-tech toys, this appointment-only boutique is where well-off gadget connoisseurs come to gawk at the country’s zaniest imports. Tired of your bedside alarm clock? Check out the store’s wooden LED clock ($194), a rudimentary brick-size block with an amusingly incongruous digital display. Ripe with quirky technology, this must-see outpost packs more unique plays than a ball game.