Guides to Akihabara & Tokyo
Practical answers to the questions my tour guests ask me most, written and checked by a guide who is in Akihabara every week.
Akihabara7 guides
Is Go!Go!Curry in Akihabara worth eating at? A Straight Answer from an Akihabara Tour Guide
Go!Go!Curry Akihabara: Kanazawa black curry ¥750–¥1,350, 2 min from JR Akihabara, open 09:55–21:55 daily, cash only. Ticket machine photographed Aug 2026.
Akihabara Etiquette: Anime Shops, Maid Cafés, and Secondhand Culture — An Akihabara Tour Guide's Rules of the Floor
No photography inside Akihabara's anime shops, none of staff or maids, and handle secondhand goods gently. A local guide's rules of the floor.
Where can you store luggage in Akihabara? A Straight Answer from a Local Tour Guide
Two options: station coin lockers, or shops you book ahead via ecbo cloak or Bounce. Lockers are cheaper, but the large sizes fill up on weekends.
How Do You Use Book Off in Akihabara If You Can't Read Japanese? A Teacher's Shelf Guide
Yes — you can shop Book Off with zero Japanese, using three things: the twenty shelf labels below, the fact that books are filed by the sound of the…
Where Should You Buy Anime Figures in Akihabara? New vs. Secondhand, Compared by a Local Tour Guide
Buy new figures at official shops like Kotobukiya, and buy most other figures secondhand at Mandarake, Surugaya, or Hobby Off — secondhand stock in…
Is Shōwa Shokudō in Akihabara Worth Eating At? A Straight Answer from an Akihabara Tour Guide
Showa Shokudo Akihabara: the ticket machine has an ENGLISH button. House dish ¥980, served in about 4 minutes, open 07:00–23:00, 3 min from the station.
Is Juke Steak in Akihabara Worth Eating At? A Straight Answer from an Akihabara Tour Guide
Order at Juke Steak by pointing at the all-photo binder menu; no English text seen. It is a basement (B1F) room three minutes from JR Akihabara's Central exit.
Japanese Etiquette14 guides
Japanese Etiquette: A Complete Guide for First-Time Visitors, Written by a Tokyo Teacher and Tour Guide
Ten habits cover Japanese etiquette: quiet trains, shoes off indoors, no tipping, carry your rubbish. A Tokyo teacher explains the idea behind them all.
Anime Pilgrimage in Japan: What Seichi Junrei Actually Means — and How to Do It Without Annoying the People Who Live There
Seichi junrei — literally sacred-site pilgrimage — means visiting the real places an anime was set in. Most of those places are ordinary stations, level…
Japanese Dining Etiquette: Chopsticks, Slurping, and Eating in Public — Explained by a Japanese Teacher in Tokyo
The rules that actually matter are short: do not stand your chopsticks upright in rice and do not pass food from chopsticks to chopsticks, because both…
Why There Is No Tipping in Japan — and What to Do Instead: A Straight Answer from a Tokyo Tour Guide
Do not tip in Japan. It is not customary in restaurants, taxis, hotels, bars or salons, and leaving cash on a table will usually cause confusion or a…
Why Japan Has No Bins, and What to Do With Your Rubbish — From a Guide Who Carries One Every Day
Public bins are genuinely rare in Japan, so plan to carry your rubbish until you reach a convenience store, a station, a vending machine, or your hotel.…
Onsen and Sento Etiquette: The Rules, Step by Step, from a Tokyo Guide Who Uses Them
You bathe naked, you wash and rinse completely at the seated shower stations before you enter the bath, and the bath itself is only for soaking — no…
Photography Etiquette in Japan: Where You Can Shoot, and Where You Really Can't — From a Tour Guide Asked This Every Week
Outdoors is generally fine, ask before shooting a person, and inside shops assume no. A Tokyo guide's rules for streets, temples and anime shops.
Shrine and Temple Etiquette in Japan: How to Visit Without Guessing — A Tokyo Tour Guide's Step-by-Step
Shrines are Shinto and temples are Buddhist. The visible difference in behaviour is that at a shrine you clap, and at a temple you do not. At both, you…
Where You Take Your Shoes Off in Japan, and How to Do It Smoothly — Explained by a Japanese Teacher in Tokyo
Take your shoes off wherever you see a step up, a row of slippers, or a shoe shelf or locker at the entrance. That covers homes, traditional restaurants…
Train and Subway Etiquette in Japan: What Locals Actually Do — From a Guide Who Rides These Lines Every Week
Keep phone calls off and your voice low, take your backpack off your back in a crowded carriage, queue on the painted marks and let people off before you…
Convenience Stores and Shops in Japan: How to Pay and What Staff Are Asking You — Explained by a Japanese Teacher in Tokyo
Put your items and your money on the small tray at the register rather than into the staff member's hands, answer the bag question (plastic bags carry a…
Do I Need Cash in Japan? An Honest Answer From a Tokyo Guide Who Still Carries a Coin Purse
Yes, carry some — but much less than the internet tells you. Cards and phone payments now cover most of a normal day in Tokyo, and the government's own…
Public Toilets in Japan: Where to Find One, and What All Those Buttons Do — From a Tokyo Guide Who Gets Asked This Every Week
Public toilets in Japan are everywhere, free, and usually clean — stations, convenience stores, department stores, parks and shopping centres all have…
What If Nobody Speaks English? How to Get Through Japan Without Japanese — Written by a Tokyo Japanese Teacher
You will be fine, and the reason is not that everyone speaks English. It is that Japan is heavily signposted, staff are trained to help, and most…
More34 guides
Akihabara at Night: What Is Actually Open, and What to Do Instead of Shopping
Akihabara at night is arcades, lit-up Chuo-dori and dinner, not shopping. Arrive by 17:00 if you want the floors. A local anime tour guide's honest evening plan.
Akihabara One-Day Itinerary: A Local Guide's Half-Day and Full-Day Plans (Plus the Ueno and Asakusa Combinations)
Half day: arrive at the Electric Town Exit around 10:30, do two multi-floor anime shops top-down, a real lunch near the station, one secondhand or retro…
Private vs Group Akihabara Tour: Which Should You Book? An Honest Comparison from a Guide Who Runs the Private Kind
Book a private tour if you have a series you care about and want the route built around it; book a group tour if you want the cheapest way to get…
Is There a Tourist Information Center in Akihabara? Where to Get Help, from a Guide Who Works the Street
Yes. Akihabara's tourist information centre is Akiba Info, on the second floor of the UDX building (4-14-1 Sotokanda), open 11:00–17:00 and closed on…
Should You Visit Akihabara, Nakano Broadway, or Ikebukuro? A Tokyo Otaku Guide Compares All Three
All three, if you have the days. If you have one afternoon, Akihabara. It is the broadest, the easiest to reach, and the only one where a first-time…
Akihabara with Kids: A Family Half Day That Actually Works
Akihabara works with children if you manage the floors. Arcades, capsule toys and retro games for any age, adult sections always marked. Stroller route, food, and a half-day plan.
Anime Places to Visit in Tokyo: 9 Real Spots, Sorted by What You Actually Want — from a Guide Who Works in One of Them
Tokyo has three kinds of anime place, and mixing them up is why people come home disappointed. There are shopping districts (Akihabara, Nakano…
Which ATMs in Japan Accept Foreign Cards? The Two That Always Work
Most Japanese bank ATMs reject overseas cards. The two networks that always work, where to find them, what they will and will not do, and how to avoid getting stuck without cash.
The Best Akihabara Anime Tours in 2026, Compared — by a Guide Who Runs One of Them
Book an Akihabara tour on Viator, GetYourGuide, Klook, Airbnb or the operator's own site. The tour is the same; price and cancellation terms differ.…
When Is the Best Time to Visit Akihabara? Hour, Day and Season, from a Guide Who Works the Street Every Week
Late morning on a weekday is the best time to visit Akihabara. Here's what changes by hour, by day of the week and by season, from a guide who works the street every week.
Do Japanese People Really Talk Like Anime Characters? An Honest Answer from a Tokyo Teacher Who Has Watched 1,500+ Series
No. Real Japanese people do not talk like anime characters most of the time, but anime is not fake Japanese either. It is real grammar and real…
Famous Anime Phrases in Japanese: Which Ones You Can Actually Say, and Which Ones Will Make a Room Go Quiet
Famous anime phrases fall into three groups. A small set (itadakimasu, yoroshiku onegaishimasu, sugoi, kawaii) is used by real people every day. A second…
Which Japanese Words Do You Already Know from Anime? 100 Words Sorted by Whether You Can Say Them in Japan, by a Teacher Who's Watched 1,500+ Series
You already know more Japanese than you think. Most anime fans who book a lesson with me arrive with around 100 words they never studied. About 40 of…
How Do You Get to Akihabara, and Which Station Exit Should You Use? Directions from the Guide Who Meets People There Every Week
Take any train to JR Akihabara and leave by the Electric Town Exit; every other exit strands you across the tracks. Narita and Haneda: one change.
How Long Should You Spend in Akihabara? A Straight Answer from a Local Tour Guide
Three to four hours covers Akihabara for most visitors. Here's exactly what fits in 2, 4 and 8 hours — from a guide who runs anime tours here most weeks.
How Do You Find a Japanese Tutor Online? A Teacher's Checklist for Picking One
A teacher's checklist for finding a Japanese tutor online — where they actually are, the six things to check before you book, what a first lesson should look like, and when a tutor is the wrong purchase.
Where Can You Eat Ramen for Under ¥1,000 by Akihabara Station? A Straight Answer from an Akihabara Tour Guide
IFU Akihabara: 19 of 21 ramen bowls under ¥1,100, large noodles free, open 05:00–04:00 daily, 4 min from JR Akihabara. Ticket machine photographed Sept 2026.
Is Akihabara Worth Visiting? An Honest Answer from a Tour Guide Who Works There Every Week
Akihabara is worth half a day if you like anime, manga or games, and one to two hours if you do not. Honest answer from a guide rated 4.96 (171 reviews).
Japan Anime Tour Packages: When a Package Is Worth Buying, and When It Just Costs More
Most anime fans do not need a package. A package buys you logistics — flights, hotels, transfers, a fixed itinerary — and logistics are the easy part of…
eSIM, Pocket Wi-Fi or a SIM Card in Japan? What I Tell Guests Before They Fly
An eSIM covers most visitors. Get pocket Wi-Fi if you are sharing, or a SIM if your phone is locked. Where to pick each up at Narita and Haneda, checked 21 Sept 2026.
Where Can You Practise Japanese Conversation Online? A Teacher's Map of the Options
Where to actually practise speaking Japanese online — exchange partners, tutors, group classes, AI and solo drills — what each one can and cannot fix, and the weekly routine that works.
Is the JR Pass Worth It in 2026? The Prices, the Catch, and a Five-Minute Test
The official 2026 JR Pass prices, the October 2026 increase for passes bought through overseas agencies, the extra ticket you need for Nozomi trains, and a simple test to see if it pays off.
How Do You Learn Japanese Online as a Beginner? A Teacher's Order of Operations
A Japanese teacher's order of operations for absolute beginners learning online — what to do in the first month, when a tutor starts being worth it, and the four beginner habits that waste the most time.
Can You Learn Japanese by Reading Manga? An Honest Answer from an Akihabara Tour Guide Who Teaches Japanese
Yes, manga is among the best reading tools a beginner can pick up, because most shōnen and shōjo titles print furigana over every kanji. But manga alone…
Which Website or App Should You Use to Learn Japanese with Anime? A Teacher's Honest Answer
A teacher's honest answer on the websites, apps and browser extensions for learning Japanese with anime — what each type does, what to check before you trust one, and the free setup that works.
How Do You Use Suica on an iPhone in Japan? The Setup, Start to Finish
Add Suica to Apple Wallet before you land, tap through the gates without unlocking, and top up when you run low — the setup, the traps, and what Android users have to do instead.
How Does Luggage Forwarding in Japan Work? Send the Suitcase, Not Yourself
Send your suitcase ahead instead of dragging it through train stations. How takkyubin works hotel to hotel and to the airport, what to keep with you, and when to book.
Tax-Free Shopping in Japan After November 2026: Pay Full Price, Get It Back at the Airport
From 1 November 2026, Japan stops removing tax at the till. You pay full price, show your purchases at the airport, and get the tax back. What changed and what to do.
Things to Do in Akihabara: What a Local Anime Tour Guide Actually Recommends (for Anime Fans, at Night, and with Kids)
Walk Chuo-dori from the Electric Town Exit, go up the multi-floor anime shops instead of along the street, give one figure floor and one retro game floor…
Tokyo Anime Tour: Which District and Which Tour to Pick (Akihabara, Nakano, Ikebukuro, and the Pilgrimage Spots)
For a first anime tour in Tokyo, pick Akihabara: it is the broadest district, the easiest to reach, and the one with the most tours on sale. Nakano…
What Is Akihabara Famous For? The Honest Answer from Someone Who Guides There Every Week
Akihabara is famous for anime, manga, video games, figures and idol culture, stacked in multi-floor shops along one main street. It was famous for…
What Do You Actually Have to Book Before You Get to Tokyo?
Ghibli Museum tickets go on sale at 10am JST on the 10th for the next month. teamLab has no door sales. What must be booked ahead in Tokyo, and what needs nothing.
What Should You Pack for Japan? A Month-by-Month List Built From the Actual Climate Data
Tokyo's official 30-year climate normals, turned into a packing list for each month — what the numbers actually mean for your bag, plus the four things every month needs regardless of season.
Where Should You Eat in Akihabara? Four Shops, Compared with Photographed Prices
Four Akihabara restaurants compared with photographed prices: curry from ¥750, ramen from ¥790, a steak set from ¥1,100, and a diner open from 07:00.