Areas at a glance
- Electric Town exit and Chuo-dori: anime, games, arcades and electronics.
- Under the tracks: component stalls, and craft and design shops in the converted arches towards Okachimachi.
- Showa-dori side: the big electronics department store and the Hibiya Line.
- Kanda Myojin and Ochanomizu: the shrine, an Orthodox cathedral and a street of musical-instrument shops.
- Jimbocho: books, prints, coffee shops and curry.
Shopping tips
Secondhand goods are a speciality and are usually in excellent condition; prices for the same figure or game vary from shop to shop, so compare before buying. Check that electronics work on your home voltage and that games and consoles are not region-locked. Many shops offer tax-free sales to visitors with a passport — see the Tokyo travel guide for the changing rules. Capsule toys cost a few hundred yen each, in coins.
Eating and drinking
Akihabara is good for quick, cheap meals: ramen, katsu curry, beef bowls and standing soba. Themed cafés are an experience rather than a meal. For something better, walk to the restaurants around Kanda Station or the curry houses of Jimbocho.
Etiquette and safety
Ask before photographing inside shops; many forbid it. Adult material is sold on clearly marked upper floors — easy to avoid with children. The district is safe; simply decline the leaflets and invitations offered on the street.
Sample plans
Two hours
Radio Kaikan, a retro-game shop, an arcade for crane games and a walk up Chuo-dori to Suehirocho.
Half a day
The two-hour route plus a guided otaku walk or a maid café, and Kanda Myojin before the shops light up at dusk.
One full day
Jimbocho’s bookshops and a curry lunch, a walk via Ochanomizu and Kanda Myojin, then Akihabara from mid-afternoon into the evening.
