©Lonely Planet Publications Pty Ltd 147

Akihabara & Around | KANDA

Neighbourhood Top Five 1 Experiencing blazing art galleries at 3331 Arts 4 Learning the art of neon, the maid cafes, the Chiyoda (p149). paper folding at the latest electronic gadgets 3 Browsing the cream of Origami Kaikan (p149). and otaku (geek) vibe of Japanese crafts and cuisine 5 Enjoying a moment Akihabara Electric Town at the beneath-train-tracks- of quiet contemplation at (p149). malls 2k540 Aki-Oka Arti- Kanda Myōjin (p149) and 2 Encountering dinosaurs san (p151), Chabara (p152) the nearby cafes Imasa made from old plastic toys and mAAch ecute (p152). (p151) and Amanoya (p150). amid the contemporary

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o SOTO- t £# u KANDA h KANDA- S i #¦ £# Akihabara KANDA- ai-dōr Akihabara ¦# AWAJICHŌ Meid Shin- KANDA- Ochanomizu SUDACHŌ #¦ Jimbōchō Iwamotochō #¦ KANDA- Ogawamachi #¦ Awajichō JIMBŌCHŌ Y #¦ a KANDA- suk ri Kanda uni-dō TACHŌ #¦ CHIYODA-KU IWAMOTO-CHŌ KANDA- N K ih anda-Keis NISHIKICHŌ NIHOMBASHI- o atsu Ch m -dōri HONCHŌ Kitanomaru- ba ūō-dōr shi kōen -gawa Kanda £# Shin- S hu i Nihombashi to #¦ Ex Takebashi pw y N o UCHI- 5 KANDA MUROMACHI Kōkyo Higashi-Gyoen Shin- (Imperial Palace East Garden) nihombashi #¦ For more detail of this area, see Map p290 A 148 Lonely Planet’s Top Tip Explore Akihabara & Around Check electronics prices in Long a hub of ’s electronics trade, Akihabara is to- your home country online day more synonymous with otaku (geeks) and their love before buying big-ticket of anime, manga and J-pop culture. Even if you haven’t items in Akihabara; they the faintest idea of who or what AKB48 or Gundam is, Akih a b may or may not be a good Akiba, as it’s popularly known, is still well worth visit- deal. If you do buy, have ing for its buzzing, quirky atmosphere, shopping malls your passport handy since and the contemporary arts of 3331 Arts Chiyoda. a r travellers spending more Along neon-lined Chūō-dōri, you’re sure to encounter

a than ¥10,001 in a single cosplay (costume play) maids enticing customers into &Around day at selected shops can maid cafes. Electric Town is across the street, and holds get a refund of the con- a dense concentration of electronics shops, comic and sumption tax (8%). For a DVD retailers and figurine sellers. Respite is available list of duty-free shops in the 2k540 Aki-Oka Artisan arcade, with its serene at- offering this service, see mosphere and eclectic, craft-oriented shops.

www.akiba.or.jp. Head south across the Mansei-bashi to discover  mAAch ecute, another sophisticated under-the-tracks shopping and dining complex. A short walk south is 5 Best Places Kanda, a major transport hub that is undergoing to Eat an infrastructure upgrade. Here you’ll find some of Tokyo’s most traditional restaurants as well as come- ¨¨Isegen (p150) as-you-are noodle bars and convivial izakaya (Japa- ¨¨Kanda Yabu Soba (p150) nese pub-eateries) packed with carousing salarymen. ¨¨Botan (p150) West of Akihabara, in the vicinity of Ochanomizu, are an interesting trio of religious buildings: the Shintō shrine For reviews, see p150 A Kanda Myōjin, the Confucian shrine Yushima Seidō, and the Russian Orthodox Nicholai Cathedral. If you want to stretch your legs further, Origami Kaikan has fine displays 6 Best Places on the art of folding paper into exquisite shapes. Paper in to Drink the form of books, magazines and poster art is the raison ¨¨Imasa (p151) d’etre of Jimbōchō, a dream destination for bibliophiles. ¨¨N3331 (p151) ¨¨Cafe Asan (p151) Local Life For reviews, see p151 A ¨ Cosplay Catch anime fans dressed as their favourite characters, particularly along Akihabara’s Chūō-dōri 7 Best Places on Sundays (1pm to 6pm April to September, to 5pm to Shop October to March) when it becomes a pedestrian zone. ¨ Festivals The area bursts with extra creativity during ¨¨2k540 Aki-Oka Trans Arts Tokyo (www.kanda-tat.com), a contemporary Artisan (p151) arts fest held between September and November. ¨¨mAAch ecute (p152) ¨ Video games Go old-school and join enthusiasts ¨¨Mandarake Complex playing Pacman and Street Fighter at Super Potato (p152) Retro-kan. For reviews, see p151 A Getting There & Away ¨ Train The JR Yamanote, Sōbu, and Keihin-Tōhoku lines stop at Akihabara. Ochanomizu on the JR Chūō and Sōbu lines is convenient for other sights. ¨ Subway The line stops near Akihabara, while the line stops at Suehirochō and Kanda. The and Hanzōmon lines stop at Jimbōchō.