Akihabara Electric Town
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Tokyo · 秋葉原

Akihabara Electric Town Guide

Anime, retro games, arcades, electronics and food — and how to read the signs.

Akihabara grew after the Second World War from street stalls selling radio parts into Tokyo’s “Electric Town”. Today electronics shops share the streets with anime and manga stores, retro game shops, arcades and themed cafés, most of them a short walk from the Electric Town exit of JR Akihabara Station.

Neon sign reading アキバ (akiba)

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Learn to read the signs

Most shop signs in Akihabara are written in katakana. Learn hiragana and katakana with free practice, and the signs start to make sense.

Start learning kana
  • ラraー—メmeンn= ramen
  • ゲgeー—ムmu= game
  • カkaー—ドdo= card