Arcade gaming in Akihabara

In Japan arcade gaming is still as popular as ever. And the arcades are bigger than anything you’ve seen before. The Akihabara district in Tokyo is known for it’s many arcades.

As you arrive at Akihabara Station and enter the streets on the west side towards electric town you will come across several multi storey arcades. With a huge seven floor Sega arcade being the first to welcome you. And next to it you will find the professional arcade Hirose Entertainment Yard (HEY). You are now in the main street, Chuo Dori, of the otaku heaven called Akihabara which is dedicated to gaming and anime. As you look through the streets you can’t help but notice that the Japanese have embraced geek culture in all its facets and it’s marvelous.

Both singleplayer and multiplayer games are well represented in the Tokyo arcades. While we were there we have seen large halls filled with mech simulators, shooting games, retro games, racing simulators, bullet hell games, punching games, claw machines, musical drum games, guitar games and everything else you can imagine. Many arcades like Taito station welcome people until midnight and you will find people playing there all evening.

Visiting the arcades in Akihabara is one of the best things to do in Tokyo as the variety of games provide endless hours of fun, especially when you play the multiplayer games with a partner or with your kids. And after you are done you can enjoy the rest of the day in the street with anime stores, cosplay cafes and retro gaming stores.