Akihabara has been known all over the world as the Electronics center of the world and has been visited by tourists from all over Japan and the World. Of course today the electronics aspect of Akihabara is still in existence but it has come to be known as a place where you can experience Japan’s “Otaku” culture.

There has also been Idols which had their start here and continues to evolve as a district of Tokyo. From the past to the present this district continues to attract masses to its streets, let’s walk Akihabara.

Even advertisements at the strain station you can see signs unique to Akihabara.

Starting off, as soon as you exit from the Akihabara station Showa Street exit you will see the Yodobashi Camera Maruchi Media Akiba building. This department store features a rich assortment of products as well as cafes and restaurants; In addition it has completely changed the image of Electronic stores up to this day. It has become a landmark of Akihabara and is visited by thousands of customers every day. From their 1st floor to their 6th floor there are electronics for sale, allowing customers to find almost anything electronic they need.

Next, on the opposite side of the station, once you leave the Electronic City exit, you will see the “Skyscraper District”, one of the buildings in this district being the UDX building.

This structure was made as a complex type building so it contains restaurants and showrooms, as well as event spaces and clinics.

On the fourth floor of the building is the Tokyo Anime Center facility which mainly holds anime exhibitions as well as anime dubbing expositions, so make sure for those interested in anime that you visit this building.

Comparatively this facility offers the newest information and updates concerning anime, so if you are looking for the latest up to date info make sure to visit this location. At the second floor event space there are also official shops for this store where you can buy souvenirs.

We had lunch at the UDX building at one of its many restaurants. It was just about lunch time and at ever restaurant there were many business men and business woman. There are more than 30 locations where you can eat and drink in this office building!

We had lunch at a Yakitori restaurant and ate “Seared doribari Chicken”.

Those working at the restaurant served us with skill and speed, serving us our Donburi. It makes sense that the restaurant serves with speed being that its place of operation is in an office building.

We also had “Oyako Don” and “Tori Soboro Don”. It was of course delicious!! These dishes definitely fill up its patrons preparing them for their afternoon of work.

As we got down to the event space they were in the middle of a Chidejika (Digital Terrestrial Television” event. The press was there in full force due to the eminent completion of the switch to DTT in japan.

If you leave the station from the Electric City exit you will also arrive at the Akihabara radio meeting hall.

On the fourth floor of this building there is the “Tokyo Hobby Lobby” which is directly operated by Kaiyodo inc, which produces such products as Garage kits, figures, models, and candy. They are currently in the middle of moving the store so when we went it was closed, however it will be reopened on July 1st in the new radio meeting hall #1 building on the 7th floor. There are many Kaiyodo figures on display in the store so you do not have to make a purchase, you can go and simply enjoy viewing their products which range from famous Anime to Disney collections.

If you walk down the street a little bit further, on the opposite side of the street there is the “The Gamers Store”.

There are 16 Gamers shops throughout Japan however the Head Shop is here in Akihabara. They concentrate on Character goods and sell a variety of products such as anime, comics, and games. Realizing that this entire building is concerning anime it is a very large building! There are lots of these types of anime stores in Akihabara. This is why Akiba is called the “Holy Place” by those who are considered “Otaku”.

On the first floor of the building there is a Akihabara Guide. Here you can get a map of Akihabara for free! This map will come in handy when walking around Akiba.

At Akihabara there are girls dressed as maids who often greet you and can help you get around, however the day we went was a holiday. If you don’t know where you are going these maids will politely help you and show you to where you wish to go.

Next let’s take a walk on the Chuo Street. The Chuo Street runs through Shinbashi, Ginza, Nihonbashi, Kanda, and Akihabara, eventually escaping to Ueno and is the main street of the main streets in the heart of Tokyo. On Sunday from Ginza to Akihabara this street is pedestrian heaven.

There are many maid cafes in Akihabara, at these cafes there are waitresses dressed up and acting as maids, with the customers being treated as their master. There are many girls dressed up as cute maids who go out onto the street and distribute leaflets, however you are not allowed to take pictures of them. With such practices as calling their customers “Master” and “Mistress”and having some maids dressed as cats, ending every sentence with “Nyaaan”, these stores emphasize cute. You will be easily drawn in by these cute maids.

Inside these stores there are various fun games you can play with the maids and depending on the store there is a dubbing experience offered in the store. These stores have become a major place of tourism and a great experience.

If you walk down the Chuo Street you will eventually see the “Toranoana A hall and B hall”. It is a fan magazine store. They have CD’s, Games, and anime goods arranged for sale, and the B hall of the store is aimed towards female customers.

Walking just a little bit further down the street you will see a Don Quijote store. On the 8th floor of this building there is the most popular girls group in japan, AKB48’s personal theatre. With the concept of “Being able to go and meet your idle” this project has made this theatre in Akihabara for those idols to appear on stage and prepare for debut throughout japan.

On this day those fans who came to see a concert were lined up outside of the Don Quijote building.

Even now it is not an overstatement to say that AKB48 is the most popular idol group in japan. For those who are visiting Akihabara feel free to directly go to visit this group and cheer them on!

Of course while you are walking you have seen many anime, and anime goods shops lined up on the side of the street, but there are still many electronic shops that we have not covered yet.

Through the completion of large-scale electronic shops there was a period of time where the Electronic City was considered a dangerous place, which is why the decline of the Electronic city is apparent today. However thousands of people continue to visit Akihabara to this day which proves that the Electronic City has not gone out of fashion yet. We saw many electronic store employees talking with costumers and helping them find the electronics they need. Akihabara is not only an ever developing metropolis, it is a district of Tokyo that brings technologically inclined people together and appeals to people of all age.

Next we searched for a creation of Akihabara; the vending machine can of Oden.

Oden being sold out of a vending machine in a can is pretty surprising for us but is apparently the norm in Akihabara. Unfortunately we were unable to find a can of oden but we were able to find cans of ramen and curry risotto.

These noodles and rise are made from Konjac and we were surprised at the texture of the food at first. These cans are great for a cold winter day when you are waiting for an event or out waiting in line to buy anime goods. They also make good souvenirs to bring home.

This is the end of the Akihabara walking guide.

At Akihabara, where on holidays you can see many cosplayers, maids, and tourists, you are able to experience Japan’s Otaku culture at the place where it was born.
Not only anime culture but the evolution and progress of the world’s cutting edge technology can be found here. However the continued growth and evolution is only half of the picture, Akihabara has stayed fairly true to its roots and is a district that has a certain warmth to it. From the birth of new idols, to the creation of new anime, the progress of Akihabara cannot be stopped. We are all looking forward to the new developments that will come out of this unique district of Tokyo.