Artisans in Akihabara

Flickr / Iyo

2k540 Aki-Oka Artisan opened about a year ago according to a couple of articles I read.  It is a set of 48 shops and restaurants that is located right under the raised rail tracks of the Yamanote Line (see the website for a listing).  It is part of an urban renewal project by the rail company and it looks like it is done right.  The entrance to it seems to be down a long, well lit tunnel of thick white support columns for the rail track with shops stretching into the distance.  Just NW of the UDX building, it is called Aki-Oka as it is postioned between Akihabara and Okachimachi stations.

http://www.japantoday.com/category/lifestyle/view/theres-more-to-akihabara-than-nerds-and-maids

Flickr / Iyo

The next time I am here, I'd like to check the place out as the photos of it make it look pretty trendy and it would be a nice change from the world of anime. The artisan shops have many hand crafted items ranging from pottery to wooden replicas of real guns that shoot rubber bands.  The efficient use of space under the train tracks is something I really like about Tokyo.

I have updated my Akihabara map to include this mall below.


View Akihabara Highlights in a larger map