logo
ic_menu

Akihabara neighbourhood, Tokyo

Description

Akihabara is Tokyo's "Electronic Town" and one of the centres of modern Japanese pop culture. From a black-market area post-WW2, it slowly graduated to all things electronic but one can also find arcades with slot machines and video games, pachinko parlours, and manga shops. This is the natural environment for otaku, the name given to anime, manga and video games fans.

Access & Transport

The neighbourhood is roughly midway between Tokyo Station and Ueno Station, in central Tokyo. It is served by the Akihabara (H + trains) and Suehirochō (G) stations.

Instructions & Recommendations

The neighbourhood comes into its "best" in the evening, that is when we recommend you visit. For those travelling with children, pay attention to the content of the shops before you enter, there is a large number of adult stores.

Meta review

The neighbourhood is well known internationally and well covered by travel magazines (less so by travel guides). Online reviewers are near unanimous in recommending a visit there to experience first hand the buzz and almost theme park-like atmosphere, including cosplayers on weekends. The sheer number of shops and their size are dizzying, especially for mangas.

Environmental & Social

Concrete, buildings, consumer products, and bright lights: all negative points from environmental and social aspects.

Conclusion

More than the shopping of Shibuya or Ginza and the various temples, Akihabara is a window into the multi-faceted culture of modern Japan. We highly recommend to check it out, even if for a short while; the manga shops, billboard and pachinko parlours are quite a sight.

Key positive

An intense cultural experience

Good shopping place for mangas and electronics

Key negative

Gets tiring quickly

Suitability

Many buildings will not be accessible for wheelchair users. Not really suitable for younger children, say under 14yrs old.

About this Rating

TYPE

Desktop

RESEARCHED IN

August 2024

PROVIDER

Koreval

Included Items
None
Timing
Duration of visit

av. transport time:0h 25m

est. visit time:1h 20m

Sunlight based

Sunrise / early morningNo

MorningNo

Lunch timeOk

AfternoonOk

Sunset / eveningOk

Night – bef. midnightOk

Night – aft. midnightNo

Pricing
Free

We use cookies on this site to enhance your user experience. For a complete overview of all cookies used, please see MORE INFORMATION.