Akihabara in Tokyo is known by many names; otaku central, geek hub, even electronic town. When it comes to anime, manga, video games, computer peripherals, and other related things, there’s nowhere better to go and get browsing. And did we mention the maid and other themed cafes?
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Must-Try Experiences at Akihabara
A visit to Akihabara is a unique experience! Here are some fun activities to get you started.
1. Akihabara's Go-Karts!
Zoom zoom around Tokyo with Street Kart’s go-kart rental service. There are 2 Street Kart centers in Akihabara, each with their own course and at different prices, so pick which suits you best:
Akihabara 1, Akihabara 2
Note: Costume rentals are temporarily suspended as a measure to prevent the spread of coronavirus infections. You can still buy the costumes however.
2. Visit an Arcade
From rhythm games to fighting games, crane games to purikura, you’ll never run out of fun in Akihabara’s arcades. The biggest arcade in the area is SEGA who has 3 whole buildings within walking distance of each other. Previously there were 4 buildings but Building 2 has since closed down. Make sure to keep track of time as without realizing you may end up spending hours here which is a waste considering all the other things to do!
3. Gacha Gacha with Capsule Machines
Anime fans are weak to capsule machines, or gachapon, where we get a chance to obtain a figurine or keychain of our favourite character. Just walking around the Akihabara area, you will find a variety of gachapons. The best place however, with more than 500 capsule machines, is Gachapon Kaikan. They have a point system where you can exchange points for free rolls as well as a chance to win free rolls if you strike lucky with a capsule that has a sticker on it. Check their website for capsule machines that have a higher rate of winning stickers!
Writer's Pick
Akihabara Shopping
Most of your time spent in Akihabara will probably be on shopping. Our advice is set a budget and keep focused on your favourite series; if not you’ll be overspending, overwhelmed, and overly burdened with shopping bags, but hey, that can be part of the fun when you go home with your haul!
4. Electronics Shopping
Also known as an electronic town, Akihabara has quite a number of electronic shops selling everything from computer parts, mechanical keyboard parts, and other interesting gadgets. The electronics area is home to shopping outlets like Yodobashi Camera, Bic Camera, LAOX, ONODEN, Edion, and more.
5. Otaku Goods
There’s a good reason Akihabara is known as anime central with the largest number of anime and manga goods shops all gathered in one area. From figurines to posters, official photo books to doujinshi, cosplay outfits to small trinkets, Akihabara has so many stores that cater to your every shopping need. Stores you should look out for include:
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Suruga-ya (for second-hand figurines)
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Mandarake (for second-hand stuff including manga and doujinshi)
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Kotobukiya (plushies, figurines, display cases)
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Animegane (anime/game collaboration spectacles)
6. Gamer Goods
Technically this could be classified under Otaku Goods above, but we think it deserves a special mention. Akihabara has plenty of shops that cater to video games, trading card games, and other unique stuff. Some shops to look out for are:
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Super Potato, Retro Game Camp, BEEP (retro old-school games)
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Yellow Submarine (TCG, board games, RPG, second-hand)
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Toreca no Doukutsu (TCG)
Special Cafes
Themed cafes are not a new thing in Japan but in Akihabara there are quite a lot more of them including special anime-themed and cosplay cafes.
7. Gundam Cafe
Gundam Cafe is dedicated to the Gundam series (obviously). From the cafe’s exterior & interior design to its food & drinks, everything is based on the popular mecha show. The entire space can be separated into 4 zones:
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Fortunelatte Cafe: Takeout only. Serves Gundam inspired drinks. Try their fortune latte, after picking your drink, play a mini-game to get a random design printed atop the cover. You can also get an original design clear water bottle.
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Restaurant Area: Surrounded by screens for enjoying Gundam shows whilst you partake in meals that appeared in the anime or character-inspired dishes.
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Goods Shop: Get Gundam Cafe limited edition souvenirs as well as other official goods to remember this trip by. From snacks to fashion goods and dishware, they have it all.
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Zeon's Diner Tokyo: Here, you can enjoy a sumptuous meal while having a go at the battle simulation made possible by the centre table and monitor projection. Your battle stats and Gundam depend on what food you order. You can also have a go at personal training missions.
8. Final Fantasy Eorzea Cafe
A fan of Final Fantasy? Make sure to drop by Eorzea Cafe then. Not just a beautiful cafe in true Eorzean design, Eorzea world map and moogles (delivery moogle too) busying about are part of its charm. Most noteworthy however is the adorable food from Moogle Milk Tea, Giant Beaver Croquettes, Fat Cat Niku-man, Fat Chocobo Pork-man, and more.
9. So Many Maid Cafes
Yes, there are so many maid cafes here that choosing one to enter will be your biggest problem. How many are there? Just searching “Akihabara Maid Cafe” in Google Maps returns 19 results. Most of them are highly rated by plenty of visitors as well. Though most of them are good, some stand out:
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Zettai Ryouiki : Aside from maid uniforms, servers wear cat ears and don thigh-high stockings showcasing their zettai ryouiki (we won’t be explaining this; if you know it you know it).
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@Home Cafe : Great service with interactions with the maids like playing games as well as stage performances.
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Heart of Hearts : Unlike a classic maid cafe, they have more of an idol vibe with an academic concept, lots of performances, and social media activity.
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Star Light Novel, Grand Pirates, Crown Tiara are operated by Akihabara Maid Cafe Toygroup. Each cafe has its own theme; astronomy, pirates, and Alice in Wonderland.
10. Akihabara Nightlife
Akihabara is not a stranger to nightlife. What makes its bars unique is of course, in fitting in with the theme of the area, the clientele of gamers and otaku. Here are some great bars to get drunk and more importantly meet some fellow friends:
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A-Button : A game bar with no games.
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Dear Stage : A live performance bar. Anime songs are frequently performed.
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Tokyo Video Gamers : Retro old-fashioned games in a modern izakaya.
Summary
Anime, manga, and gamer fans alike find solace and a place of belonging in otaku hub Akihabara. Surrounded with all our favourite stuff and meeting people with the same interests makes this place a great playground. We hope this article helps you discover what you want to do in Akihabara for your next trip to Japan.
