Akihabara - Tokyo Intro: Experience #2 of 55
The list below represents a small fraction of the places to visit here.
- Akiba Culture Zone. The Goodsmile Cafe, and many smaller anime / game stores occupy this six floor building. There are many rental box stores where you can buy second hand goods being sold on consignment in this building.
- Animate store. Any visit to Akiba has a visit to this large anime store and Gamers. They will carry different merchandise. Check to see if they have anime exhibitions running.
- Arcades. There are a few Sega arcades spread out along Chuo Dori. The one closest to the Kanda River, Sega GIGO (orange building exterior) has Gundam Arcade Pods. Visit the arcades to see them thriving in Japan, and to see state of the art arcade games. The Taito HEY (Hirose Entertainment Yard) on Chuo Dori has a great selection of new and old games including bullet hell and fighting games.
- Canned ramen or oden (Japanese stew). This is a fairly unique Akihabara tradition that you can sometimes find in stores, but they are sold in vending machines across the street from Akiba Zone.
- Chuo Dori. The main street running north – south through Akihabara. Walk along Chuo Dori to take in the atmosphere, and see it light up at night with all the buildings. Don’t miss the street running north – south just one block west of it. Akiba Culture Zone, Kotobukiya Store, Mandarake, Yellow Submarine, Kentucky Fried Chicken, etc., are all on this more intimate street full of shops and restaurants. Chuo Dori turns into a pedestrian street on Sunday afternoons.
- Don Quijote. This Akiba department store has a large costume section for cosplaying and the top floor houses the stage for the AKB48 idol group (there is also an AKB48 cafe next to the Gundam Cafe).
- Electric Town Exit. This is the main entrance to Akihabara from Akihabara Station. The street here is full of anime art and stores and the super colorful view here is a very popular photography spot.
- Eorzea Cafe (Final Fantasy Cafe collaboration with Pasela Resorts). You need to make reservations or be lucky to get into this ornate Final Fantasy themed cafe.
- Gamers. An iconic chain of anime stores, and its main store is an Akihabara landmark just outside the Electric Town Exit. The Akihabara store shows up in photos with its multi-storey anime posters decorating the outside of the building. Check to see if they have anime exhibitions.
- Gashapon Hall, Cospa, Cure Maid Cafe. When it is open, you'll see hundreds of gashapon machines inside the cramped space at street level. The oldest and most traditional maid cafe and the Cospa store are above it.
- Go Go Curry. You cannot miss seeing this restaurant chain with its giant gorilla face on Chuo Dori. The curry they serve is really good.
- Gundam Café. The main Gundam themed cafe. Gundam is a giant robot anime franchise that has been running for decades. The interior decor and food are Gundam themed, and the staff wear uniforms from the show. Next door to this cafe is the AKB48 cafe and gift shop.
- Kanda Myojin Shrine. This is a very nice shrine where you can buy charms for IT work, and it was made famous by the Love Live anime which often featured the steps leading up to it. Kanda Shrine is a Shinto shrine that dates back 13 centuries, but it has been rebuilt numerous times due to fire and earthquake. There are three kami (gods more or less) enshrined there. They are Daikokuten, Ebisu, and Taira no Masakado. Daikokuten and Ebisu are both gods of fortune so it is a popular place for people who need a boost for wealth and prosperity. Masakado was a samurai rebel against the Heian government and was elevated to a kami later. The Kanda Festival here is one of three major Shinto fesitivals in Tokyo that is celebrated in mid-May.
- Kotobukiya Store. Another major anime store. The upper floors have many models and figures for sale. There is an exhibit space on the top floor.
- Liberty 7. Multiple floors of second hand toys, figures, and other merchandise.
- Maid Cafes. There are many, many maid cafes here and they sell a culture of cuteness. Waitresses dress up in various maid outfits, greet you as their master, play some short games, have cute interactions with you, and might do a song and dance number. Popular maid cafes include the @home maid cafe, Akiba Zettai Ryoiki, Cure Maid cafe, Maidreamin, Mononopu (for a samurai warring states theme), Tetsudo Little TGV cafe (for a train theme). Speaking Japanese will get you the most out of these cafes as interacting with the maids is a big part of the experience. This is one of those experiences that can be unique, but like any theme restaurant, it isn’t cheap.
- Mandarake Complex. Mandarake specializes in used goods and has a large distinct black building here. You can find used books, vintage toys, models, figures, and other collectibles here. Mandarake is a chain and you can find more of its stores in other parts of Tokyo like Shibuya and Nakano Broadway.
- New Radio Kaikan Building. This new building has ten spacious floors of anime shopping for new and used merchandise. The Kaiyodo Store, AmiAmi (also a big online retailer) is in this building. It replaced the old Radio Kaikan which was a cramped, hot, and amazing place to experience the heart of Akiba culture. The old building was also made famous by having the time machine crash into its roof in Stein’s Gate, but it had to be replaced as it was not earthquake resistant enough.
- Robot Kingdom. Hobby store with real robots and kits.
- Super Potato. A vintage video games store for your Gameboy, Sega, Nintendo, Playstation and more. There is a gaming arcade stocked with old favorites on the 5th floor.
- TAMASHII NATIONS TOKYO is a flagship hobby store opened by Nintendo in April of 2019. It features their high-quality figures and robots that include SHFiguarts and Superalloy series.
- Toranoana. For all of your manga and doujin (self-published manga).
- UDX / Crossfield Building. This large modern building runs along the west side of Akihabara Station. The big TV above the walkway from the station is famous for being shown in many anime series, including Love Live. There is a small Anime information / store here. The main Tokyo Anime Center is now at DNP Plaza in Shinjuku.
- Yellow Submarine. A chain of stores that carry card games and other toys. There is one on the sixth floor of the New Radio Kaikan Building.
- Yodobashi Camera flagship store. Almost all of the stores are on the west side of the rail tracks, but the gigantic Yodobashi store is on the east side. The store’s nine floors sell appliances, cellphones and accessories for them, computers, electronic devices, cameras, and more. An entire floor is dedicated to toys, Gundam models, books, and video games. Also on this floor are several aisles containing hundreds of gashapon (capsule toy) machines. Above this floor are a restaurant floor, golf store, and even a rooftop driving range. There is a Square Enix Cafe near here at street level.
- Special anime or toy exhibitions occur on weekends in particular. These are harder to line up as they are typically only advertised in Japanese media.
- An Anime Otaku Itinerary For Tokyo
- Akihabara Attractions Highlights Guide
- Here is another post about Akihabara I did awhile back.
- A Morning At Kanda Myojin Shrine before visiting Akihabara
- Anime and Games Set in Akihabara 2017 Update
- An Afternoon In Akihabara Part 1
- An Afternoon in Akihabara Part 2
- An Afternoon in Akihabara Part 3
Back to Tokyo Intro - 55 Cool Sights and Experiences for Visitors
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More cup noodle / instant ramen reviews and Japanese pop culture.
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