World by City

Shopping & districts

Akihabara

Akihabara

Akihabara is a neighborhood in the Chiyoda ward of Tokyo, Japan, generally considered to be the area surrounding Akihabara Station. This area is part of the Sotokanda (外神田) and Kanda-Sakumachō districts of Chiyoda. There is an administrative district called Akihabara, located north of Akihabara Electric Town surrounding Akihabara Neribei Park.

Akihabara

Akihabara is Tokyo's electronics and anime district, centered on the streets running north from Akihabara Station. It grew out of a postwar market for radio parts and electrical goods, and today the same blocks are packed with multi-storey electronics retailers, shops selling manga, anime figures, trading cards, and retro video games, and themed maid cafés. It's a place for browsing and shopping rather than sightseeing landmarks — travellers go for the density of specialist stores you won't find elsewhere, whether that's secondhand game cartridges, computer components, or collectible figures.

Getting there

Akihabara Station is a stop on the JR Yamanote and Chūō-Sōbu lines, plus the Hibiya subway line, making it a short ride from most central Tokyo neighbourhoods — typically well under 20 minutes from stations like Tokyo, Shinjuku, or Ueno.

How much time to allow

A couple of hours covers the main Electric Town streets and a few shops; if you want to dig through multi-floor stores or visit a themed café, plan for half a day.

When to go

Weekend afternoons draw the biggest crowds, especially along the pedestrianised main street when it's closed to traffic. Weekday mornings and early afternoons are quieter and easier for browsing shops.

Combine it with

  • Jinbōchō (1.4km) — Tokyo's secondhand bookstore district, a contrasting but complementary browsing stop.
  • Ueno Imperial Grant Park (1.6km) — a green space and museum cluster if you want a break from shopping streets.
  • Nihonbashi (1.9km) — a historic commercial district with a different, older character.
  • The National Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo (1.9km) — for art after the electronics and pop culture shopping.

Sources: open data from Wikipedia and OpenStreetMap · Updated August 5, 2026 · Edited by the World by City editors

Open in Maps Read more on Wikipedia

Tickets & tours

Admission prices and opening hours change often, so we don't list them here. Check what's on sale and at what price below — booking ahead can cut the queue at some places.

Search on GetYourGuide Search on Klook

This place may not appear in the results — some sites are free to enter or sell tickets only at the gate.

Stays near Akihabara

Sorted by distance, walkable ones first. Distances are straight-line.

Map © OpenStreetMap contributors. Lines are straight connections, not actual routes.

Akihabara Nearby stays

Locations and names come from OpenStreetMap. Check prices and availability on the booking sites.

Itineraries including this place

2 nights, 3 days

Tokyo 3-Day Itinerary (2 Nights)

A 3-day route through Tokyo covering Mode Gakuen Cocoon Tower, Tokyo Tower, Akihabara, Ueno Imperial Grant Park and other highlights, grouped so each day stays within a short travel distance.

3 nights, 4 days

Tokyo 4-Day Itinerary (3 Nights)

A 4-day route through Tokyo covering Mode Gakuen Cocoon Tower, Tokyo Tower, Akihabara, Tokyo National Museum and other highlights, grouped so each day stays within a short travel distance.

Good to visit alongside

Jinbōchō

Shopping & districts

Jinbōchō

Kanda-Jinbōchō (神田神保町), commonly known as Jinbōchō or Jimbōchō, is a district of Chiyoda, Tokyo, Japan. Jimbōchō Book Town is known as Tokyo's center of used-book stores and publishing houses, and as a popular antique and curio shopping area.

1.4 km away
Ueno Imperial Grant Park

Parks & gardens

Ueno Imperial Grant Park

Ueno Park is a spacious public park in the Ueno district of Taitō, Tokyo, Japan. The park was established in 1873 on lands formerly belonging to the temple of Kan'ei-ji. Amongst the country's first public parks, it was founded following the Western example as part of the borrowing and assimilation of international practices that characterizes the early Meiji period. The home of a number of major museums, Ueno Park is also celebrated in spring for its cherry blossoms and hanami. In recent times the park and its attractions have drawn over ten million visitors a year, making it Japan's most pop...

1.6 km away
Nihonbashi

Shopping & districts

Nihonbashi

Nihonbashi is a business district of Chūō, Tokyo, Japan, which sprung up around the bridge of the same name that has linked two sides of the Nihonbashi River at this site since the 17th century. The first wooden bridge was completed in 1603. The current bridge, designed by Tsumaki Yorinaka and constructed of stone on a steel frame, dates from 1911. The district covers a large area to the north and east of the bridge, reaching Kanda to the north and the Sumida River to the east. Ōtemachi and Yaesu are to the west and Kyobashi to the south.

1.9 km away
The National Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo

Museums & galleries

The National Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo

The National Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo , also known as MOMAT, is the foremost museum collecting and exhibiting modern Japanese art. The museum, in Chiyoda, Tokyo, Japan, is known for its collection of 20th-century art and includes Western-style and Nihonga artists. It has a branch, the National Crafts Museum, in the city of Kanazawa.

1.9 km away
National Museum of Western Art

Museums & galleries

National Museum of Western Art

The National Museum of Western Art is the premier public art gallery in Japan specializing in art from the Western tradition. The museum is in the Ueno Park in Taitō, central Tokyo. It received 1,162,345 visitors in 2016.

1.9 km away
Marunouchi

Shopping & districts

Marunouchi

Marunouchi (丸の内) is an area in Chiyoda, Tokyo, Japan, located between Tokyo Station and the Imperial Palace. The name, meaning "inside the circle", derives from its location within the palace's outer moat. Marunouchi is the core of Tokyo's central business district as well as one of the main financial centres in Japan. 20 of the Fortune Global 500 companies are headquartered in the area as of 2021, while many other such companies based outside Japan have Asian or Japanese offices there. Together with the neighbouring districts of Yūrakuchō (有楽町) and Ōtemachi (大手町), Marunouchi is part...

2.0 km away