Akihabara and Kanda秋葉原・神田

Suits:

Electronics, anime, retro games

In short:

One stop from Ueno or Tokyo Station; a 2–3 hour visit. Maid-café touts on the main street are pushy but harmless.

Think of central Tokyo as the JR Yamanote loop, about 35 km and an hour end to end. Shinjuku, Shibuya and Ikebukuro sit on its west side; Tokyo Station, Ginza and Ueno on the east; Asakusa is just outside it to the north-east and Odaiba across the bay. A first visit lives on the loop plus Asakusa: pick a bed near a station on your airport's line and keep each day on one side of the loop.

Lines from the Tokyo drinking guide that name this district.

• Craft beer · Japanese and imported craft on tap · until about 23:00–24:00 · ¥900–1,400 (≈ US$7–10) a glassRyōgoku (Popeye), Shibuya, Kanda

Markets and shopping streets from the Tokyo buying guide that name this district.

• Akihabara · Electronics, anime goods, retro games · About 10:00–21:00About 10:00 AM–9:00 PM · haggling: noCheck the voltage and region lock before buying; tax-free counters need the passport.
• Electronics and cameras · Akihabara (Yodobashi, Bic Camera), Shinjuku west exit, Yūrakuchō · About 09:30–22:00About 9:30 AM–10:00 PMBig chains give tax-free at a separate counter; check plugs and region settings.
• Anime, manga, figures · Akihabara, Nakano Broadway, Ikebukuro Otome Road · About 11:00–20:00About 11:00 AM–8:00 PMUsed shops (Mandarake, Surugaya) are cheaper than new; prices are fixed.