Akihabara
Seven floors of anime figures in one building, retro game shops in the next, and a street of stalls selling individual electronic components under the railway.
From radio parts to anime
Akihabara started as a post-war black market for radio components, became the electronics district, and from the 1990s turned into the centre of Japanese otaku culture — anime, manga, games and the shops that serve them. Both layers are still here: multi-storey buildings where each floor sells a different category of figure or doujinshi, and, under the railway arches, a warren of stalls selling resistors and switches to people who still build things. It is loud, dense, and much more interesting if you go upward rather than along.
Explore Akihabara on the map
City locations, drawn from our published destination data. Attractions, hotels and restaurants are not mapped yet.
What to look for
The rule here is that the good stuff is on the upper floors.
🎌 Anime and manga
- Multi-floor stores where each level is a different category
- Secondhand floors are usually the most interesting
🕹 Retro games
- Cartridge shops for consoles going back to the 1980s
- Multi-storey arcades, still busy on weekday evenings
🔌 Electronics
- Radio Center under the tracks — component stalls from the 1940s
- Duty-free electronics stores on the main avenue
Getting to Akihabara
On the Yamanote loop, so it is easy from anywhere central.
🚇 By train
- Akihabara station — JR Yamanote, Sobu and Hibiya lines
- Electric Town exit for the shops
🚶 On foot
- 15 minutes from Ueno Park
- 10 minutes from Kanda
When to come
Late in the day, and preferably not on a Sunday.
🕓 Afternoon
- Many specialist shops do not open until 11am or midday
- Evenings are the most atmospheric
🚶 Sunday
- Chuo-dori closes to traffic on Sunday afternoons
- Also the most crowded time of the week
🌧 Weather
- Almost entirely indoor — a strong wet-weather option
Visitor intelligence
A district with a few specific traps for visitors.
🛗 Go up
- Street level is the least interesting part of every building
- Floor directories are usually posted at the lift
⚠️ Touts
- Maid café touts on the main street work on commission
- Agree the price before entering anywhere; cover charges can be steep
🔞 Adult floors
- Many stores have upper floors that are 18+, clearly signed
- Not somewhere to wander with children
📷 Photography
- Prohibited inside most shops and in maid cafés — signs are everywhere
Frequently asked
Plan your journey
Our travel designers turn knowledge and inspiration into a journey crafted entirely around you.
Plan My Journey →