Akihabara in Pictures – Tokyo, Japan

Introduction

I love to stroll around the streets and take pictures – not of specific things – but those which give the feel, vibe and ambience of the place.

Akihabara, is a well-known neighborhood in Tokyo, Japan with a direct connection on the rail network. It is known for historically being the center of Japanese consumer electronics like cameras and cellphones, video-games like Nintendo hand-held consoles with 8-bit screens, arcade video-games, and Manga and Anime industry with cosplays.

Here are some pictures.

Bizarre 90s stuff like attractive android assistants
Mangas, Mangas and Mangas
Hoard of comic books
Anime characters as – I don’t know – earphone holders ???
Pachinko machines – slide in a coin and it will randomize the product – generally toys, combs/brushes or pouches with anime characters
DVD store – very nostalgaic
Vending machines are everywhere in Japan. Aside from Pocari Sweat, Ito-En tea in a variety of flavors like Jasmine and Chrysanthemum, I really loved Coffee-Jelly in sweert-milk
Beautiful neighborhood canal with trains running on overpasses
Restaurants underneath train lines.

I finished my day by having a meal at a vaguely “Western” restaurant which turned out to be Spanish-oriented. Spanish restaurants are really popular in Tokyo (maybe because of their paella which is seafood and rice – products available in Japan).

I had ordered a dish called “Potato” just to see what would come of it. It turned out to be a baked-potato in a gratin-dish with creamed-potato puree on top. Potatoes and tomatoes are relatively rarer / imported in Japan and hence the dishes made of them are very top-notch.

For Manga / Comic enthusiasts, I found Akihabara to be too saturated with tourism-oriented things like merchandizes of top 10 well-known mangas only or special print copies or posters. For a more immerse Manga experience, I would recommend the Manga Museum in Kyoto instead.


See Also –

Capsule-Hotel vs. Hostel, Japan – Solo Travel for Introverts

Ukyo Ward, Kyoto, Japan – Solo Travel for Introverts

10 Tranquil places in San Francisco Bay Area for Introverts

7 comments

  1. I’ve been to Akihabara once (last year) but guessed the location immediately from your photos. A lady dressed in an anime costume would have been a dead give away. 😃

  2. This post does nothing but increase my need to visit Japan! Your photos capture such an authentic vibe, it really feels like I’m transported there.

  3. So colourful and interesting – just like everything else I have seen about Tokyo – it might have to go on the bucket list!! šŸ¤—

  4. Thanks for the photos. When I was in Japan and this district many decades ago there were no digital cameras so I never got my own photos. It seems to have changed a bit but basically looks as wild as it did.

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