Akihabara in One Day for Anime and Games
Electric Town from a late opening to the neon evening: figure floors, retro arcades, gachapon halls and a maid café, plus how to store luggage.
Last updated 2026-09-03 · 1-day self-guided plan
Akihabara
Figures, gachapon, arcades, neon
For fans who want one full, unhurried day in Electric Town rather than a rushed hour between other sights.
1Radio Kaikan & Chuo-dori shops
Most shops open between 10:00 and 11:00, so there is no reason to arrive earlier. Start with the ten floors of Radio Kaikan by the station's Electric Town exit, then work up Chuo-dori through the big figure and trading-card stores; prices are firm, but second-hand floors are where the bargains are.
2 HoursCost: Free to browse- 2
Second-hand floors & Mandarake
Around 13:00 dive into the multi-floor second-hand complexes off the main street. Each floor is a genre; ask at the counter for tax-free purchases over the threshold, and keep receipts together. Lunch in a stand-up soba or a curry counter between shops.
1.5 HoursCost: Free to browse 
3Gachapon halls
Halls with hundreds of capsule-toy machines line the side streets; bring a pocket of 100-yen coins or use the change machines inside. Capsules make the best small souvenirs, and the rarer series sell out by evening.
45 MinutesCost: ¥500–2,000- 4
Retro arcades
Around 16:00 climb into the upper floors of the classic arcades for rhythm games, crane games and rows of restored cabinets from the nineties. Crane games are cheaper to watch than to win; set a budget before the first coin.
1–1.5 HoursCost: ¥500–1,500 
5Maid café & Chuo-dori at night
From about 18:00 the street lights up. A maid café is a themed show with a cover charge and a drink minimum rather than a meal; go for the experience, then eat properly at a ramen or gyudon counter afterwards. The last shops close around 20:00 to 21:00.
1.5 HoursCost: ¥2,000–3,500
Day 1 Estimated Cost
- Food & café¥3,500–5,500
- Transport (IC card)¥200–500
- Games & capsules¥1,000–3,500
Tips
Take the Electric Town exit of JR Akihabara: the Hibiya and Tsukuba Express exits leave you a few blocks off the main street.
Store luggage before you shop: station lockers fill by noon; the lockers in the big electronics stores' basements are the backup.
Eat off-peak: counters around the station are packed 12:00–13:00; 11:30 or after 14:00 means no queue.
Ask before photographing staff or maids; shop interiors are often no-photo, the street at dusk is the shot.