Akihabara is a frenetic Tokyo neighborhood where Japanese art, Otaku culture and electronics collide in a melange of sight and sound.
We interrupt our culinary tour of Tokyo for a brief break – an intermezzo if you will. By now, you’ve digested the first two courses of our Japanese epicurean odyssey. So, we want to give you a brief break from the food photos so that you didn’t get too full too quickly.
When eating so much great food while traveling, it is highly beneficial to let some of that awesome Japanese food digest while taking in the sights and sounds. Plus, you can see so much while on foot, both at eye level and by looking up.
Click here to discover our Japanese food favorites.
Tokyo’s Akihabara District
A great place to walk around and absorb the sights and sounds is Tokyo’s Akihabara district. Just two stops from Tokyo Station, Akihabara is a neighborhood known for its electronic superstores. There’s a reason that it’s known as Electric Town, but the neighborhood is so much more.
You could say that Akihabara is the world capital of geek boy culture. The neighborhood provides a one-stop shopping experience where a teenage boy could buy a whole bunch of anime videos and manga comic books along with the audio-visual system to watch them on while fantasizing about the scantily clad maids who inhabit the streetscape.
Otaku Culture
The Otaku culture which encompasses those forms breathes Akihabara with life. There is kitsch everywhere from the multi-story stores like the Mandarake Complex to the storefronts with touts hawking their wares.
Maid Cafes
The neighborhood is known for the maid cafes where you can get some entertainment with your snack. We have mixed views about the maids.
Are they cute and fun OR sexualized and creepy? You decide. Either way, the maids certainly add character to the neighborhood.
Akihabara Hotel Recommendation
Akihabara is a great neighborhood if you’re wondering where to stay in Tokyo. Beyond its shopping and entertainment options, the neighborhood has lots of restaurants and is accessible to multiple metro and train lines.
We stayed at the Dormy Inn Akihabara during our first visit to Japan. This hotel was a perfect spot for us – conveniently located, modern room and a wonderful rooftop onsen with indoor and outdoor hot springs and saunas available all day and night.
As an added bonus, this hotel is less than a block away from 2k540 Aki-Oka Artisan, a fun shopping area under the JR train tracks. It’s a great place to shop for locally made crafts and also to buy earrings.
Hungry For Ramen In Tokyo?
Check out our article about Tokyo’s Ramen Street.
Pin It For Later
About The Authors
Daryl & Mindi Hirsch
Saveur Magazine’s BEST TRAVEL BLOG award winners Daryl and Mindi Hirsch share their culinary travel experiences and recipes on their website 2foodtrippers. Since launching the site in 2012, they’ve traveled to over 40 countries in their quest to bring readers a unique taste of the world.
Original Publication Date: April 26, 2013
SHUTO TSUCHIMOTO
Wednesday 26th of August 2020
Great blog , interesting,inquisitive, informative. As a Japanese I’m glad you like the stay.
One thing you did it wrong is that “Godzilla “ is actually “Red King” imaginative creature from Tsburaya production that created Godzilla incidentally.
I hope you will be back to Japan after this chaotic and crazy COVID-19 mayhem end. Arigatou!
Daryl and Mindi Hirsch
Monday 12th of October 2020
We look forward to our eventual return to Japan and thanks for the clarification!
Kyle
Thursday 3rd of August 2017
The picture labeled 3D manga the thing pictured there is mouse pad with a wrist pillow being the love pillows.
Kisa Johnson
Thursday 22nd of October 2015
I'm so jealous of people who have managed to make it to Japan! I've been wanting to go for 19 years and still haven't... Someday though, I'll go!