Crowds and Markets

In American English (at least) "crowded bazaar" is almost an idiom.
In Japan, the "shutter-gai" whose crowds have disappeared are a problem, and they are caught in a vicious circle.
A market is a "place" where all interested in buying or selling (or both!) a particular good can see its current price(s).
- Before telecommunications, "place" meant a geographical place, such as a mall, Akihabara, or the Tokyo Stock Exchange.
- Before the Internet, the required telecommunications were an expensive perquisite of specialist brokers.