Akihabara District Is The Electronic Heaven For Nerds & Geeks
Famous for its many electronics, anime and manga shops, Akihabara can fulfill any nerd's dream with its giant multi-story video game arcades or its cute girls at the maid cafe for fun afternoon.
Akihabara, also called Akiba after a former local shrine, is a district in central Tokyo, that is famous for its many electronics shops.
In more recent years, Akihabara has gained recognition as the center of Japan's otaku (diehard fan) culture, and many shops and establishments devoted to anime and manga are now dispersed among the electronic stores in the district.
the main street in akihabara
I visited Akihabara on a raining and grimmy day thus not many people were shopping nor walking the streets.
I did visit a bunch of big arcades throughout Akihabara, my favorite arcade by far was Club SEGA.
one of the many arcades across akihabara
Akihabara gained some fame through being home to one of the first stores devoted to personal robots and robotics.
The character of Akihabara has constantly changed over the decades and continues to do so. In the last decade Akihabara has emerged as a center of Japanese otaku and anime culture, and dozens of stores specializing in anime, manga, retro video games, figurines, card games and other collectibles have filled the spaces between the electronics retailers.
side street in akihabara
In addition to shops, various other animation related establishments have become popular in the area, particularly maid cafes where waitresses dress up and act like maids or anime characters, and manga kissaten ("comics cafes"), a type of internet cafe where customers can read comics and watch DVDs in addition to having access to the internet.
Please note that some of the electronics on sale are only intended for use in Japan due to certain voltages and other technical differences, Japanese language documentation and limited warranties. However, several stores also feature a selection of international models intended for overseas use, and most also offer duty free shopping to foreign tourists on purchases of over 10,000 yen (passport required).
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