Going to Akihabara - Recommendations please

[Stevearcade]

Hi Guys,

I don't post here much but figured you'd be the guys to talk to on this one. I'm off to Japan in August visiting the in-laws. It's the first time I'll have ever been there. I will likely have at least two days if not three in which to visit Akihabara in Tokyo .

So I wondered if anyone here has been and can recommend some good arcades, shops, cafes etc for all things interesting, but primarily video game related .

Thanks in advance,

Steve

[sven666]

bring a big bag so you can stock up on all your future porno needs!

[Korszca]

Bring a camera and take lots for pics for AO porn

[SuperDeadite]

For arcades "Hey" is basically the defacto tourists must visit place. Not the cheapest, but the selection is amazing, and you can't miss the place.

[NASguy]

Akihabara kinda sucks, it's a tourist trap.

I can think of way better places to spend "2-3 days."

To buy videogames, just go to every Book Off you can find, there's one in Shinjuku, one in Akihabara (picked through most days) and an awesome one in Ogikubo, but that's all I can recall, they're all over the place though. For snacks and videogames, go to Nakano Broadway.

For arcades, I prefer Shinjuku for the vibe around there, the Taito station there is excellent for everything (shmups, fighters), and the Club Sega isn't bad either.

If you're into Gundam models and toys, Ikebukuro is a must visit. The Yamada Denki store (IIRC) had an entire **** Gundam floor. The Sunshine City mall is pretty cool, too, but a zoo.

If you're hellbent on going to Akihabara, the giant Yodobashi Camera is worth going through, and the Crepe Shop on the main street is tasty. Don't waste your money buying videogames there, you'll find comparable deals on ebay (in other words, not good). There isn't much else worth seeing there, unless you're into the creepy anime stuff.

You might as well just ask your "in-laws" to show you around, if they're natives.

[brendz]

Best way to spend your yen is Maid foot rubs. After a long day of walking about akiba nothing feels better. You feel like you floating on a cloud afterwords.

[meijin]

Akiba is imo the best place in Tokyo. The rest is crowded and you can't see anything interesting except of people, grey artificial buildings, shopping districts, again people and Tokyo has no interesting cultural places at all...
I went there a quite few times. Go early, so that you start your shopping tour slowly without the mass tourism. They have some good Ramen places there (good for Tokyo standards) and a awesome burger store called "Beckers". They make fresh bread in front of your eyes. It's tasty and a good nerd meal.

The prices are ok in Akiba, not the cheapest YHJ prices, but ok. Go to G-Front, because they have a huge stock of arcade games.
Arcades are ok in Akiba. The "Hey" is good, but 100 Yen a credit is not cheap. I also prefer the arcades in Shinjuku like NASguy already said.

[NASguy]

Akiba is imo the best place in Tokyo. The rest is crowded and you can't see anything interesting except of people, grey artificial buildings, shopping districts, again people and Tokyo has no interesting cultural places at all...
I went there a quite few times. Go early, so that you start your shopping tour slowly without the mass tourism. They have some good Ramen places there (good for Tokyo standards) and a awesome burger store called "Beckers". They make fresh bread in front of your eyes. It's tasty and a good nerd meal.

The prices are ok in Akiba, not the cheapest YHJ prices, but ok. Go to G-Front, because they have a huge stock of arcade games.
Arcades are ok in Akiba. The "Hey" is good, but 100 Yen a credit is not cheap. I also prefer the arcades in Shinjuku like NASguy already said.

I think I came off too harsh about Akiba, I really don't think it's that bad, but repeat visits makes you realize the place just isn't "up to the hype."

I forgot there is a pretty nice shrine in Akihabara, just off the main road (free to visit, of course).

I don't even think I've ever been in HEY, if I did I don't remember it, I'm lazy so I tend to prefer Shinjuku arcades (usually where I stay) or cheapo arcades in the less visited parts of town. There is a sweet Namco arcade in Ogikubo and every game is 50Y, even new stuff.

[Shou]

For visitors, the high concentration of otaku stores in Akiba is much better than anywhere else in Tokyo.

Shinjuku has some good arcades for hardcore players of certain games/genres but most of the game stores are gone. There is only the small Trader, Sofmap and Tora no ana on the west side and very very small Liberty on the east side which has nothing to do with the Liberty chain.

There are actually some very good eats in Akiba, let me know what you're looking for and I can recommend.

As other people have said, pricing in Akiba for premium items will be on the high side but that does not mean deals cannot be had. For arcades, visit Hey, Try Tower, Club Sega New (it's the one closest to Go Go Curry) and Natsuge Museum which is behind the Yodobashi. There are many many other shops in Akiba. I actually can never do a full run through all of the stores I know in 1 day as it just requires too much time and carrying around all of the crap I buy becomes cumbersome.

[matrigs]

well definitely taito hey, super potato (!!), mandarake. besides that i rather tried to stay off the main akiba street and rather skim through the sidestreets as there were a few hidden gems (i really loved a show with cables, fans and cd's with harsh noise near g-front). the mandarake there is huge and has some cool stuff. snatched some cheap figures (ibara, mushihimesama), although i liked the one in shinjuku a little more as it seemed to have a better selection. so if you'll go to shinjuku anyways you can check it out.

besides that, instead od "wasting" 3 days in akiba i would really recommend the nakano broadway. it's getting more and more "the place to be" for otaku's and i have heard opinions from hardcore-akiba-goers who start to prefer it. also, i love just the climate there. you'll end up spending your whole day there but i'm sure you'll not think about having your time wasted. also, in the lower floors there are some nice bars. especially loved those huge steamed meat-buns.

[NASguy]

besides that, instead od "wasting" 3 days in akiba i would really recommend the nakano broadway. it's getting more and more "the place to be" for otaku's and i have heard opinions from hardcore-akiba-goers who start to prefer it. also, i love just the climate there. you'll end up spending your whole day there but i'm sure you'll not think about having your time wasted. also, in the lower floors there are some nice bars. especially loved those huge steamed meat-buns.

Nakano is awesome, I'm always excited about going there. It reminds me of a Japanese dirt mall/flea market. Ginza Cozy Corner cake shop is **** awesome there and there is such a diverse amount of shopping it's insane. I've still never found the damned arcade that's supposed to be on one of the floors there.

[matrigs]

also while being in nakano - nearby the station there is the infamous "beetle shop" where you can buy these huge buggers for pets.

the arcade is on the last floor in the back part of the mall. but i was there 2 years ago so that might have changed. there were just a few cabs with some rather old games also so i didn't really bother.

basically if you want to see some "quirks" i recommend using this list :

http://www.hellodamage.com/top/tokyo-tour-guide/

the list is quite updated and should be accurate. thanks to it i found the used panty store. was kind of a amazing experience.

[RoZioN]

I know that this isn't textbook arcade but beside Trader 2 (my favourite store in akiba, check out the top floor for Dreamcast goodness) and next to KFC there is a pretty nice pachinkoparlor called AION. Played there quite alot, well worth a visit.

[Pyongyang]

I've just come back from a vacation in Japan and am documenting my experience there. It's likely nowhere near as useful as the advice some folk on these forums can give who live there obviously, but I hope it's an interesting and useful read anyway.

Here's Part 1 (more to come).

http://www.pinkbullets.co.uk/blogs/live ... ty-part-1/"

[NASguy]

I've just come back from a vacation in Japan and am documenting my experience there. It's likely nowhere near as useful as the advice some folk on these forums can give who live there obviously, but I hope it's an interesting and useful read anyway.

Here's Part 1 (more to come).

http://www.pinkbullets.co.uk/blogs/live ... ty-part-1/"

Tell me you went into the Gundam Cafe and bought some coffee.

[Pyongyang]

I did go to the Gundam Cafe. It's ok, nothing special. I got some tomato tapas thing and a coke. Overpriced but tasty enough. We just went to say we had been.

[NASguy]

I did go to the Gundam Cafe. It's ok, nothing special. I got some tomato tapas thing and a coke. Overpriced but tasty enough. We just went to say we had been.

lol, I went inside and saw the prices and walked out.

It just looked like a Starbucks and I didn't even see any Gundam/Ray Amuro shaped cookies even.

[Yao]

Hi there,
just want to revive this, cause I'll be in Japan this spring. I've been to Akihabara several times and visited the known places for retro gaming (super potato, Trader 2 etc.) What I couldn't find was a store selling arcade parts and games. I'd appreciate any recommendations here for Tokyo/Osaka/Kyoto. Thanks

[TadCool]

- Eat at Becker's, you won't regret.
- Spend a good time at Taito Hey, you'll miss it.
- Visit Super Potato, feel the overwhelming ambiance.
- Go to Friends, must love the little store.
- Check G-Frong, be ignored.
- Don't forget Mandarake, if you're an otaku you may die .

[Yao]

Thanks! G-Front seems like the store I am looking for. Most of the other places you mentioned, I've been to already. "Hey" is probably my favorite place in hole Japan