15 best things to do in Akihabara: shops, restaurants, arcades and more (2024)

15 best things to do in Akihabara: shops, restaurants, arcades and more (1)

Photo: Sean Pavone/Dreamstime

Discover the charms of Tokyo's electronic town Akihabara, from electronics stores and geek culture to bars and arcades

Written by Youka Nagase

Former editorial assistant at Time Out Tokyo

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Akihabara is widely known as Tokyo's 'electric town'; it's also the hub of the city's otaku(geek) culture. Many visit this vibrant, energetic neighbourhood to shop at one of its highly specialised, multi-level shopping complexes, whether it's for high-tech electronics and gaming gadgets, or manga and anime merchandise. There are huge arcade centres where you could lose the whole day just playing games and winning prizes from the claw machines.

However, there's much moreto Akihabarathan electronics stores andpop culture.You'll findbeautiful shrines,excellent restaurants and stylishbars that make this neighbourhood worth exploring deeper.Here are the places we recommend for a perfect day out in Akihabara.

RECOMMENDED: 101 best things to do in Tokyo

Namco Akihabara
  • Attractions
  • Arcades and amusements
  • Akihabara
Photo: Kisa Toyoshima

Namco Akihabara has six floors of entertainment for gamers and anime lovers.The first two floors are packed with crane games, where you can get figurines and character toys, some of which are exclusive to Namco.

The third floor, meanwhile, has rhythm arcade games, including eight Taiko no Tatsujin drum machines. Go up to the fourth floor and you’ll be mesmerised by the 800 or so gachapon (capsule toy machines), where you can win fun little trinkets. You can also visit Decks Stadiumon the fifth floor to buy Bandai's collectible trading cards and participate in card game battles.

Don’t forget to check out the basement level as well. Bandai Namco owns the rights to Gundam, so the entire basement is dedicated to Gundam video games. There are 44Mobile Suit Gundam Extreme Vs 2 XBoost games, plus special events held regularly.

Tokyo Video Gamers
  • Akihabara
Photo: Tokyo Video Gamers

Gamers looking for a place to drink inthe neighbourhood should check out thisbar and restaurant under the train tracks near Akihabara Station.This gaming haven has a full bar andcafé menu alongside free-to-play arcade games.

Tokyo Video Gamers is even approved by big name gaming companies like Sega, Bandai and SNK, which have collaborated with the bar to offerspecialcraft beer (¥1,980)inspired by'Ghost in the ShellGear: Stand Alone Complex', 'Kunio-kun', and more.

Gettingin on all the action is simple: just order anythingfrom the menu and you'll be given access to all the video games in the bar. Expect some of your retro favourites such asSpace Invaders, Metal Slug, Rampage and King of Fighters '98.If you're looking for someoneto play alongside, don't be shy – just ask one of the staff members to face off against you for a quick round or two.

Snacks start at ¥500 while drinks in the evening are mostly priced between ¥700 and ¥1,000. These include highballs, beer, sake and classic cocktails.

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Kanda Shrine
  • Things to do
  • Suehirocho
Photo: Nuvisage/Dreamstime

This elegant Shinto shrine was first established nearly 1,300 years ago, and was frequented by shogun Tokugawa Ieyasu in the early 17th century. It's also the home of the Kanda Matsuri, one of Tokyo's biggest traditional festivals. Fittingly, considering its proximity to Akihabara, this shrine sells good luck charms to protect electronics.

Katsusando Vending Machine

15 best things to do in Akihabara: shops, restaurants, arcades and more (9)
15 best things to do in Akihabara: shops, restaurants, arcades and more (10)

Vending machines aren’t limited to just drinks and light snacks. Thisone in Akihabara has deep-fried cutlet sandwiches from Niku no Mansei, a popular steakhouse and meat restaurant located right across the street (1 Kanda Sudacho, Chiyoda). Don’t worry – the sandwiches are replaced daily, meaning you’ll be getting fresh sandwiches made that morning.

There are five different sandwiches in the vending machine. The signature mankatsu sando (¥800) has a deep-fried pork loin cutlet with the restaurant’s specialty sauce between two slices of white bread. There’s also the nimankatsu sando (¥1,150), which has double the amount of meat inside, plus the 'volume' fillet katsu sando (¥1,000), which uses meat that’s thicker than in the standard sando.

Those who want a less fatty cut should go for the fillet katsu sando (¥750), while the hamburg sando (¥800) has a deep-fried black beef patty instead of pork.

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Matsuya Seinikuten
  • Japanese
  • Suehirocho
Photo: Matsuya Seinikuten

One of the best times to visit this restaurant, which specialises in 100 percent Japanese beer burger patties, is during lunch, when you can get a teishoku set meal with a bowl of rice, miso soup, pickles and your choice of onion, steak or ponzu sauce.

The standard set meal comes with a 200g hamburg (¥1,580), but you can also upgrade to a 300g patty (¥2,100) or downgrade to a 100g patty (¥1,000). It’s possible to add sides to your set meal (starting from ¥100), including wasabi sauce, fried garlicand cheddar cheese.

Akihabara Gachapon Kan
  • Shopping
  • Akihabara
秋葉原ガチャポン会館

This popular place for gachapon has been operating in Akihabara for more than ten years. The store has approximately 500 capsule toy machines, mostly stocked with unique toys for grown-ups. The offerings are constantly refreshed with 50 new collectionsreplacing older stock every month.

The store’s popular machines dispense items from the Tamagotchi ring (¥300) and miniature Casio watch ring series (¥400), which are both wearable and adorably tiny. The store owner speaks English, so feel free to ask questions if you’re ever at a loss.

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Mandarake Complex
  • Shopping
  • Akihabara
Photo: Kisa Toyoshima

Mandarake is a must-visit if you’re into Japanese anime, collectible toys, games and the like. Each floor in this eight-storey building is categorised by the type of products, so it’s easy to navigate and find what you’re looking for.

There are plenty of collectible toys from popular Japanese anime and American comics, as well as an impressive lineup of Pokemon and Yu-Gi-Oh cards. Don’t miss the collection of retro games, which include Nintendo’s very first console, the Family Computer (also known as Famicon in Japan). You can also find the Megadrive, Gameboy and other Nintendo classics.

Low-Non Bar
  • Nightlife
  • Late-night bars
  • Akihabara
Photo: Orchard Knight

Low-Non Bar is decked out with all the trimmings of a classic Tokyo cocktail bar: moody lighting, wooden countertops, soft jazz, shelves lined with glittering glassware and attractive bottles of liquor, and a skillful bartender. The only difference is that the cocktails are low- or no-alcohol. But don’t worry, you’ll barely miss it with the selection of inventive drinks.

Low-Non Bar is run by Orchard Knight, which has seven other bars across Tokyo and Karuizawa in Nagano prefecture, such as Cocktail Works Jimbocho. The idea behind this one is to have a healthier lifestyle without missing out on the nightlife. Cocktails are made with a diverse selection of ingredients – shrubs, non-alcoholic spirits, tea, infusions, and seasonal organic produce from farms around Japan.

The signature cocktail is the Low-Non Bar. Served in a highly Instagrammable glass bird, it’s a mix of cranberry juice, berries, grapefruit, red paprika and the botanical drink Shrb Orange & Ginger. Make sure to try the Umami Virgin Mary as well, featuring non-alcoholic gin, fresh tomato, shiitake tea and black truffle salt.

There’s also a selection of food, from bar snacks like olives and dried tomatoes to heartier options like an assortment of sausages.

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  • Shopping
  • Electronics
  • Akihabara
Photo: Kisa Toyoshima

Akihabara wouldn’t be known as Tokyo's ‘electric town’ if it wasn’t for the area’s massive shopping complexes dedicated to electronics. One of the most famous is Yodobashi-Akiba, unmistakable for the colourful advertisements covering the building, which is just outside Akihabara Station.

This nine-storey building stocks all kinds of household electronics including computers, televisions, cameras, kitchen appliances and much more. There are even games, toys, fitness equipment and bicycles on the sixth floor.

Shopping is hungry work, so you'll be pleased to hear that there are restaurants and cafés in the Yodobashi-Akiba building. On the eighth flooris the Yodobashi Akiba Gourmet, an area with more than 20 restaurants serving popular Japanese dishes such as ramen, sushi, tonkatsu, yakiniku and the like, alongside Korean food, steak and craft beer.

Taiko Lab Akihabara
  • Things to do
  • Classes and workshops
  • Harajuku
Photo: Taiko Lab

You can become a taiko drummer within an hour at Taiko Lab in Akihabara. Each person will get their own taiko drum and a pair of bachi wooden sticks for the lesson. Whether you’re a complete beginner or an experienced drummer, the instructor will teach you how to make rhythmical sounds on the taiko, and you’ll even learn how to perform a song. Lessons are open to any age and English lessons can be booked for groups of up to 30 people via the website.

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B-Pump Akihabara
  • Sport and fitness
  • Climbing
  • Ochanomizu
Photo: B-Pump Tokyo

This climbing gym has daily lessons for beginners who'd like to learn more about bouldering or rope climbing, and also features training sessions for first-timers and children. It's a great place to find new climbing buddies – no reservations are required, and all classes are free of charge (except for registration and entrance fees). Just in case you forget, theblacklight-decorated 'Space Wall' will remind you that you're still in Akihabara.

Raku Spa 1010 Kanda
  • Health and beauty
  • Spas
  • Awajicho
Raku Spa Kanda

After a long day exploring Akihabara, this spa is the perfect place to relax. It has three types of baths – a carbonated bath, daily seasonal bath and an ice bath, in addition to a spacious dry sauna.

Make sure you go up to the fourth floor to visit its relaxation lounge with napping pods, hammocks and bean bags, complete with a library stocking over 6,000 novels, comics and magazines you can read freely. There’s also a restaurant and pub serving local grub and craft beer, plus a co-working space.

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2k540 Aki-Oka Artisan
  • Shopping
  • Okachimachi
Photo: 2k540 Aki-Oka Artisan

Also known as ‘Artisan Street’, this unique retail space is set under the entire 2.54km stretch (hence its unusual moniker) of the JR railway tracks between Okachimachi and Akihabara stations. Here you’ll findover 45 shops and cafés, all featuring made-in-Japan items or local craftsmen and artisans selling their wares.

Head to Blue Trick for premium Japanese denim from Okayama, go to Nakazawa Kaban for leather bags, or customise your umbrella from 77 colour options at Tokyo Noble. Better still, some of the stores here offer workshops so you can try a little DIY crafting. Tired of walking? Take a coffee break at Yanaka Coffeeten, where you can nurse a cuppa while stocking up on freshly roasted coffee beans.

Akihabara Animate
  • Shopping
  • Akihabara
Photo: Animate

Anime lovers should make a bee line for this shopping complex that carries officially licensed products of your favourite Japanese characters across 16 floors in two buildings. The first building is dedicated to merchandise from anime like One Piece, Haikyu, Jujutsu Kaisen, Spy x Family and more. You can purchase everything from stationery, figurines and keychains to clothing like T-shirts and hoodies.

The second building focuses on books and magazines. You’ll find a wide range of classic and new comics from leading publishers like Shueisha, known for its Jump Comics line of manga anthologies. If you need a break from exploring, head to Cafe Gratte on the second floor, where you can get an illustration of an anime character printed on your latte.

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Kikanbo
  • Ramen
  • Kanda
Photo: Kinkabo

Kikanbo translates as an 'ogre’s iron club' and this corner-lot ramen-house feels suitably demonic with its black-painted interior, taikodrum music and festival-style devil masks on the walls. The spice heat here can also feel like purgatory if you choose a dish that’s above your threshold. You order through a vending machine, then the staff will ask for your preferred spice level on a scale of five – for two types of spice mix, ‘kara’ and ‘shibi’.

‘Kara’ refers to the chilli heat and ‘shibi’ the numbing spice of sansho pepper mix (the Japanese version of the closely related sichuan pepper). This combination is a classic spice pairing in China's Sichuan province, where the effect on the palate is called ‘ma-la’ (or numbing-hot). The base of the soup is a light brown miso, seafood and meat stock, topped with slices of chashu pork, a handful of bean sprouts and a baby sweetcorn garnish.

Admittedly, Kikanbo is a short walk away from Akihabara proper, but it's worth the trek.

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