Tokyo/Akihabara



Akihabara (秋葉原), or Akiba in slang, is Tokyo's "Electric Town" on the eastern side of the central Chiyoda ward. The area houses thousands of shops selling every technological gadget you can imagine, from computers to gaming consoles and vacuums to DVDs, at reasonable prices. This area is also known as the "Gamer's Mecca" and has become strongly identified with anime/manga subculture, with the legions of otaku geeks traipsing down on weekends known as Akiba-kei.

Tourist information

 * Akiba-i is a multilingual guide site by the local Town Management Organization.
 * Akiba-i is a multilingual guide site by the local Town Management Organization.

By train
Akihabara is centered on, which is on the JR Yamanote, Keihin-Tohoku, and Chuo-Sobu Local Lines. Take the "Akihabara Electric Town" exit to be dropped into the middle of the action.

Akihabara is also the terminal of the Tsukuba Express Line, which runs to Tsukuba and other stations in Ibaraki and northern Chiba prefectures. (45 minutes to/from Tsukuba via kaisoku)

Getting to Akihabara by subway is also quite easy; travel to Akihabara Station by the Hibiya line (H15), or to (G14) or  (G13; take exit 6 or 5) by the Ginza line. The Toei Shinjuku line is also a 10-minute walk to Akihabara from (S08).

There is no direct connection to the airports, but it's readily reached from Narita Airport with a brief connection on the Yamanote, either from Nippori for the Keisei Skyliner (55 minutes, ¥2550) or from Tokyo via the Narita Express (75 minutes, ¥2940). Taking the often-crowded Keisei limited express (tokkyu) increases travel time to 90 minutes, but lowers the fare to ¥1150. In the evening, Access Tokkyu commuter trains between Narita Airport and Nippori shave 20 minutes off of the overall travel time against a ¥200 additional fare.

You can also use the Keisei limited express from Narita Airport to Funabashi, then walk to the JR Funabashi station and take a Sobu Line local train to Akihabara (90 minutes, ¥1100).

For Haneda Airport, the Yamanote will also take you to Hamamatsucho; transfer there to the airport-bound Tokyo Monorail (40 minutes, ¥620).

See and do


Akihabara is all about shopping. One of its few sights, the Transportation Museum, moved to Saitama as the Railway Museum.


 * Take purikura in one of the dozens of photo sticker booths. Most photobooths can lend you cosplay clothes should you deem them necessary.
 * On Sundays, the main thoroughfare Chūō-dōri is closed to vehicles, and it turns into an unofficial stage for cosplayers (people dressed up as anime characters) and local bands to strut their stuff. Sadly, this is not as populated as it once was following a bizarre 2008 incident where a knife-wielding man stabbed and killed many people at random, but the cosplayers are slowly returning.
 * Akihabara is also perhaps the last stronghold in the world for classic arcade gaming. Although arcades are still everywhere in Japan, and more so in Tokyo, the concentration (and skill of play) is especially high in Akihabara. The huge towers of Sega, Taito, and others can't be missed, but more obscure ones have comparatively more obscure games. Recommended for a nostalgic trip back to the 1980s, and to see the latest gaming crazes and check out the pros.
 * On Sundays, the main thoroughfare Chūō-dōri is closed to vehicles, and it turns into an unofficial stage for cosplayers (people dressed up as anime characters) and local bands to strut their stuff. Sadly, this is not as populated as it once was following a bizarre 2008 incident where a knife-wielding man stabbed and killed many people at random, but the cosplayers are slowly returning.
 * Akihabara is also perhaps the last stronghold in the world for classic arcade gaming. Although arcades are still everywhere in Japan, and more so in Tokyo, the concentration (and skill of play) is especially high in Akihabara. The huge towers of Sega, Taito, and others can't be missed, but more obscure ones have comparatively more obscure games. Recommended for a nostalgic trip back to the 1980s, and to see the latest gaming crazes and check out the pros.

Electronics
Unless you're blind, you can't miss the massive neon-lit storefronts that line the main street, Chūō-dōri (中央通り). Sprawled in every direction are smaller streets with even more electronics stores. Note that the further from the main street you go, the better the prices — but the more you stray, the less foreigner-friendly the shops are. The Internet has taken a big bite out of business though, and some specialist shops, like the legendary two-floor electronic components warren of Radio Store, have shut their doors and moved online. (Its competitors Radio Center and Radio Depart remain open.)

On Sunday afternoons, the main street is blocked to vehicle traffic and the area becomes a bit of a flea market — you can walk freely along the main avenue and many small vendors set up tables on the side streets. You can't miss the street performers; everything from maid-fetish karaoke to Incan music can be heard on a good Sunday.

Though battery-powered electronics are basically the same world-wide, AC-powered electronics designed for the Japanese market use 100 volts, so "native" Japanese electronics may require a step-down transformer outside Japan; even the U.S. standard 110 V is too high for many devices. Also, the majority of these products have no international warranty, and are labeled and documented only in Japanese. Head for the many duty-free shops to find export models, but note that they are priced at a premium.

Larger shops can arrange sales tax exemptions for purchases of over ¥10,000, saving you 5%. Unlike most countries, in Japan the tax is waived immediately, so there is no need to run through complicated reclaiming hoops. However, you will have to show your passport, and you're supposed to clear your purchase through customs at the airport on the way out, although there is zero enforcement of this. Many shops take credit cards, but some may charge you a small percentage added to the transaction. This is not permitted by credit card companies, and some will reimburse the charge if properly reported.

Also keep an eye out for used (中古 chūko) electronics stores, which offer pre-owned computers, MP3 players, smartphones, and other hardware at rock-bottom prices. Street vendors peddle a dizzying array of very specific wares, such as batteries in every shape and size imaginable, old hard-to-find camera lenses, electronic components, and more.



Anime and manga
Some of Akihabara's largest anime-goods stores can be found along Chūō-dōri. Just head for the street from JR Akihabara Station and walk north.

Figurines and models
The first rule is pretty obvious: don't buy what you want as soon as you see it — chances are that another store will have it cheaper, sometimes up to half the price. Unfortunately, it's not as simple as prices getting cheaper the further you go from the station. There is an interesting dynamic where things sometimes get cheaper the further you climb the stairs. Due to a lack of standardization it would seem, you can also find the same item in the same shop for multiple prices. Naturally, be careful as if the price is very low you may have walked into a secondhand or cast-offs store.

Other goods
Besides electronics, Akihabara also has a great number of specialty hobbyist stores, ranging from collectible toys to military and railway fandom.

Eat
There is a large number of good eateries in Akihabara, but not much in the way of haute cuisine. Under the railway tracks around Okachimachi station (JR Yamanote line), on the East side, you will find ramen noodle bars, izakayas and the like.



Drink
Akihabara has many maid cafes, where pretty girls dressed up as French maids serve you drinks and dote on you, some going as far as to spoon-feed you.





Sleep
There are only a few places to sleep in Akihabara. Most visitors camp out elsewhere in the city; Ueno, in particular, offers cheap lodging and is just minutes away.

Go next
Akihabara is within walking distance of the Ochanomizu and Ueno areas. The station also connects to both the Sobu-Chuo and the Yamanote JR Lines.