From Retro Consoles to Maid Cafés, Discover Your Inner Nerd in Electric Town
🌟 What is Akihabara?
Nicknamed “Electric Town,” Akihabara is Tokyo’s capital of tech, anime, games, and subcultures. It’s the mecca for otaku (hardcore fans), offering everything from retro game consoles and rare figurines to PC parts, doujinshi, maid cafés, and Pokémon card battle arenas.
You don’t just shop in Akihabara—you dive headfirst into another world.
🔭 Why Visit Akihabara?
- 🎮 Retro & Modern Games: From Famicom to PS5 and arcade machines
- 💻 PC Paradise: Build-your-own PC parts, monitors, and high-end gear
- 🧸 Figures, Model Kits & Anime Goods: All your favorite franchises in one street
- 🧁 Maid Cafés & Concept Cafés: Cute, weird, immersive, unforgettable
- 🃏 Trading Card Stores: Especially Pokémon, Yu-Gi-Oh!, and One Piece
- 🧠 Niche Specialty Shops: Military goods, voice actor merch, doujinshi, etc.
📸 Featured Zones
| Zone | Description |
|---|---|
| Chuo-dori Main Street | Lined with Akiba classics: Sofmap, Animate, Mandarake |
| Akihabara Radio Kaikan | 10 floors of figures, electronics, model kits, and cards |
| Electric Town Alleyways | Hidden shops with secondhand games, parts & weird gadgets |
| Don Quijote Akihabara | 7F = Famous @Home Cafe maid café, + cosplay, snacks & gear |
| AKIBAカルチャーズZONE | Idol goods, retro games, TCG, indie creations |
🎮 Must-Visit Hobby & Gaming Stores
1. Super Potato Akihabara
- 🕹️ Retro game heaven: NES, SNES, Mega Drive, Game Boy
- 📸 Vintage game displays & playable arcades upstairs
- 📍 1-11-2 Sotokanda, 3F
2. MANDARAKE Complex
- 📚 8 floors of pre-owned manga, figures, doujinshi, cosplay
- 💡 Great for collectors of rare & niche fandoms
- 📍 3-11-12 Sotokanda
3. Yodobashi Camera Akiba
- 💻 Huge floors for PCs, tablets, headphones, cameras
- 🎮 Whole floor dedicated to video games & trading cards
- 📍 Right next to Akihabara Station (Akihabara Exit)
🧁 Top 3 Maid & Concept Cafés
1. @Home Café
- 👑 Most famous maid café with themed floors & English menus
- 🎀 Cute service, food art, and souvenir photo ops
- 📍 Don Quijote Bldg. 5F–7F
- 🕒 11:00 AM – 10:00 PM
2. Cure Maid Café
- ☕ Elegant Victorian-style café with classical music
- 🎼 Anime collab menus & quiet vibe
- 📍 3-15-5 Sotokanda
- 🕒 11:00 AM – 8:00 PM
3. Magical Spice Laboratory (Mad Scientist Café)
- 🧪 Lab-themed concept where drinks bubble & glow
- 🧫 Mad maid-scientists serve in goggles & lab coats
- 📍 Hidden inside AKIBAカルチャーズZONE
- 🕒 12:00 PM – 9:00 PM
🃏 Pokémon & TCG Shops
1. Yellow Submarine Akihabara
- 🃏 Massive stock of Pokémon, Yu-Gi-Oh!, Magic: The Gathering
- 🎮 Also sells miniatures, dice, and board games
- 📍 Radio Kaikan B1F, B2F
2. Big Magic Akihabara
- 🔥 Competitive-level TCG and rare card showroom
- 🏆 Hosts tournaments & has English-speaking staff
- 📍 Akiba Cultures Zone 4F
3. Surugaya Akihabara
- 💰 Good deals on both used & new cards, sealed boxes
- 👀 Also great for figurines & anime goods
- 📍 Various branches near Chuo-dori
🔁 Sample Plan: “Otaku Adventure Day”
🕐 11:00 AM – 7:00 PM
- 💻 Start at Yodobashi Camera for electronics browsing
- 🕹️ Head to Super Potato for nostalgia overload
- 🧸 Dive into Mandarake for collectible finds
- 🍰 Lunch & magical fun at @Home Café
- 🃏 Hunt rare cards at Yellow Submarine
- 📸 Snap photos near Akihabara Radio Kaikan
- 🎮 Optional: Finish with crane games or a VR arcade
🚉 Access
- Akihabara Station (JR Yamanote, Hibiya, Tsukuba Express lines)
- Electric Town Exit leads directly into the main hobby area
- Most shops are within a 10-minute walking radius
📍 Address & Tourist Info
Main Tourist Center
1-17-6 Sotokanda, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 101-0021
🕒 Open daily: 10:00 AM – 6:00 PM
🌐 Search “Akihabara Tourist Map” for multilingual guide PDFs