Akihabara, the gaming and anime stores

Akihabara is a niche shopping area, known for its J-pop, anime manga and Otaku culture. It’s basically heaven for people who come to Tokyo for their guilty pleasure of enjoying Japanese teen media. Besides that, Akihabara is also perfect when you are shopping for games, consoles and electronics. And it’s often considered a bastion for arcade gaming. In the evening Akihabara also shines bright with a sea of light, telling you that you have arrived at the right place.

You can reach Akihabara by going to Akihabara station. The main street, also known as Chuo Dori, is on the west side of the station. Chuo Dori and its side streets are where the magic happens. You will find large multi-floored anime department stores here such as Animate and Kotobukiya, which are amazing for fans of this niche.

In this district you will also find plenty of stores with cool gadgets and electronics. Directly next to Akihabara station for example, on the north east side, you will find a 9 floor electronic and gadget store called Yodobashi Akiba, which you will find all the toys and gadgets you will ever need.

For rare items you can also find second hand anime stores, such as the Mandarake Complex, which is pretty much the biggest manga store in the world, with rare magazines, figures and pretty much anything else you will not find elsewhere.

And once you are done with shopping you can always sit down at one of the arcades or maid cafes and enjoy some typically Japanese downtime. Even if you aren’t into the niche Japanese teen culture we at Meet The Cities think a visit to Akihabara is well worth a visit for the visual experience.