Akihabara

#japan Akihabara, also known as Akiba after a former local shrine, is a district in central Tokyo that is famous for its many electronics shops. It has gained recognition as the center of Japan’s otaku (diehard fan) culture. Many shops and establishments devoted to anime and manga are dispersed among the electronic stores in the district. On Sundays, Chuo Dori, the main street through the district, is closed to car traffic from 13:00 to 18:00 (until 17:00 from October through March). Akihabara has seen some redevelopment over the past years, which added some large, modern buildings to the mix of small to medium-sized shops and buildings. Most prominent among them is a huge Yodobashi electronics store just next to the station. In recent decades Akihabara has emerged as a center of Japanese otaku and anime culture, and dozens of stores specializing in anime, manga, retro video games, figurines, card games and other collectibles have filled the spaces between the electronics retailers. In addition to shops, various other animation-related establishments have become popular in the area, particularly maid cafes where waitresses dress up and act like maids or anime characters, and manga cafes (manga kissa), a type of internet cafe where customers can read comics and watch videos in addition to having access to the internet.