I’m sure many of you know about Akihabara (秋葉原）especially if you’re someone who loves anime and all things Otaku! But when I went for the first time I found it hard to know where to visit even though I had searched where to go before hand! That’s why we’ve created this handy list that is GUARANTEED to show you the best places to visit in Akihabara 2019 (most are my personal favorite places)! So let’s get into it…

1. Radio Kaikan (ラジオ会館）

Radio Kaikan is located super close to the station so that’s why it is first on our list! Radio Kaikan is a shopping center that is full of ‘Otaku’ shops selling anime merchandise, manga and much more! I’d highly recommend going here if you’re looking for reasonably priced anime merchandise! Although you’ve probably heard of Radio Kaikan due to many websites recommending this place as somewhere to shop for anime merchandise, there’s also another reason why this place is great for otaku that you probably don’t know! That reason is due to the fact that this exact building featured in the anime ‘Steins:Gate’!!

As you can see in the background of this shot, it’s an exact replica of Radio Kaikan!! This is actually the building that the time machine crashed into in season one, so it is a pinnacle building in Steins:Gate!!

So after you’ve recreated some Steins:Gate scenes in front of the building and taken some pictures, its time to go inside! The Building has 10 floors FULL of shops selling souvenirs and otaku goods! Even if you don’t end up buying anything, the shopping center is very fun to walk around and see al the amazing anime goods!
Some shops we recommend checking out include:

• The Akiba – 1F. Sells Japanese souvenirs, many anime themed.

• KBOOKS – 3F. Sells tons of manga and anime goods at a reasonable price.

• Ami ami – 4F. Sells anime figurines and character goods.

Address

1 Chome-15-16 Sotokanda, Chiyoda City, Tokyo 101-0021

Map

YOU MAY ALSO LIKE ▷▷▷▷ SHINING MOON TOKYO: A GUIDE TO TOKYO’S FIRST PERMANENT SAILOR MOON CAFE

2. SEGA Arcade (セガ）

If you go to Akihabara, you HAVE to experience the game centers there! They are amazing and unlike any you have experienced before! The most popular game center there is the ‘SEGA’ game centers. As you can see in the picture above, 3号館 is written next to the SEGA logo. This means ‘3rd building’…that’s right, there is in fact FOUR different SEGA game centers in Akihabara fairly close to one another!

Although there are fairly similar things in every SEGA arcade, you will notice they each have a different focus. For example, some may have more UFO catchers whereas others may have more games to play! I’d recommend going to them all and seeing which you like the best as simply walking around there.

The best thing about Japanese UFO catchers is that they actually work! MANY people win prizes on them everyday and it’s surprisingly easy to win on them. It may take a few tries but if you’re willing to spend the money, you’re sure to win something! I personally have won MANY Gudetama plushies on various Japanese UFO catchers as he’s my favorite Japanese character!

Address

1 Chome-15-9 Sotokanda, Chiyoda City, Tokyo 101-0021

Map

YOU MAY ALSO LIKE ▷▷▷▷ DEATH NOTE IN TOKYO: REAL LIFE LOCATIONS YOU CAN VISIT!

3. @Home Cafe – Maid Cafe (＠ほぉ～むカフェ）

After walking around for a while we’re gonna need some food and drink, and what better place to grab a bite to eat than at a Maid Cafe! A maid cafe is a cafe where the waitresses are all dressed up and act like maids. The girls working there are super cute and will use formal language and call you terms such as ‘master’ in Japanese. The food at maid cafes is always SUPER cute, I never want to eat it because it’s too cute!

The maids have special dances/chants/songs to go with each dish. For example, their pink curry is said to be ‘magical’ and so you need to say a special spell to turn it pink before you can eat it! It’s honestly such a funny experience and one that you can only experience in Japan so why not experience it while you can!

The reason @home cafe is particularly good is because all the maids are SUPER welcoming and helpful. They will also give you a free polaroid shot with your favorite maid! If it’s your birthday, they will sing to you and also give you a free wide polaroid with ALL the maids in the picture! If you’re going to go to any maid cafe I’d recommend going to this one!

Address

1 Chome-11-4 Sotokanda, Chiyoda City, Tokyo 101-0021

Map

YOU MAY ALSO LIKE ▷▷▷▷ MUST GO PLACES IN TOKYO FOR POKEMON LOVERS

4. Gachapon Kaikan (ガチャポン会館）

If you love gachapon machines, this is the place for you! This shop in Akihabara is FULL of gachapon machines! Each with different prizes on offer, from anime goods to hats for your cat! Many animes collaborate with gachapon machines meaning you can get tons of small original goods from gachapon machines for a small price! I’ve seen many different anime prizes on offer here but some include Yu-gi-oh! (nostalgic I know), Naruto, Pretty Cure, Pokemon…and MUCH MORE!

The gachapons in there are constantly changing so make sure you go and check it out for yourself and see what you can find!

Address

3 Chome-15-5 Sotokanda, Chiyoda City, Tokyo 104-0061

Map

YOU MAY ALSO LIKE ▷▷▷▷ AKIHABARA’S REAL LIFE ANIME LOCATIONS

5. Animate (アニメイト）

The next place you must go in Akihabara is Animate!! In my opinion Animate is the best anime and manga shop in Tokyo! It’s full of anime goods (They really have merchandise from every anime) and they’re all a fairly reasonable price! I love strolling around animate every time I go to Akihabara and seeing what new items they have on offer! This is a great place to buy some anime souvenirs for yourself or for your otaku friends back home!

If you could only go to one place in the whole of Akihabara I’d recommend going to Animate!

Address

4 Chome-3-2 Sotokanda, Chiyoda City, Tokyo 101-0021

Map

YOU MAY ALSO LIKE ▷▷▷▷ NARUTO THEME PARK OPENS IN HYOGO (NIJIGEN NO MORI)

6. Kanda Shrine (神田明神）

What better way to finish of the day than going to pray at a beautiful shrine near Akihabara, Kanda Shrine! Kanda Shrine has been featured in tons of anime over the years but a major one is Love Live! Due to this Kanda shrine has embraced this by offering Love Live Omamori and Ema!! Many go here to recreate scenes from the anime and also to get a cute original souvenir from there!

Due to it’s location next to Akihabara it is frequently visited by Otaku, both Japanese a foreigners a like and due to this the shrine also started selling Omamori which are said to protect electronically devices…only in Japan! The shrine is also extremely beautiful and has a lot of history behind it, so even if you’re not an otaku, this is somewhere you HAVE to visit!

Address

2 Chome-16-2 Sotokanda, Chiyoda City, Tokyo 101-0021

Map

YOU MAY ALSO LIKE ▷▷▷▷ 5 PLACES YOU MUST VISIT IN TOKYO IF YOU’RE A LOVE LIVE FAN 2019

Thankyou for checking out our article! We love to hear what you think so make sure you join the discussion and leave a comment down below! ♡

If you enjoyed this post don’t forget to share to let us know that you want more♡

FOR MORE INFO ON JAPAN TRAVEL CHECK OUT OUR SOCIAL MEDIA:
INSTAGRAM
TWITTER
YOUTUBE

Otaku in Tokyo is a travel website dedicated to helping your trip to Japan with tips and information on where to visit. With particular focus on real life anime locations, pop culture and Tokyo’s hidden gems!
♥︎Follow for more♥︎

0