Must-see shopping in Kōrakuen & Akihabara

  • Y. & Sons

    Kōrakuen & Akihabara

    Bespoke tailor Y. & Sons creates contemporary kimono that are 100% iki (chic and urbane), tied low on the hips (a style typically worn by men) and…

  • 2k540 Aki-Oka Artisan

    Kōrakuen & Akihabara

    This ace arcade under the JR tracks (its name refers to the distance from Tokyo Station) offers an eclectic range of stores selling Japanese-made goods –…

  • Display of fermented foods (soy sauce, miso and amazake) inside Chabara, Akihabara, Kagurazaka & Korakuen.

    Chabara

    Kōrakuen & Akihabara

    This under-the-train-tracks shopping mall focuses on artisan food and drinks from across Japan, including premium sake, soy sauce, sweets, teas and…

  • Street entrance to Baikatei sweet shop, Akihabara, Kagurazaka & Korakuen.

    Baikatei

    Kōrakuen & Akihabara

    See (and sample) humble beans and rice whipped into pastel flowers at this award-winning traditional sweets shop, in business since 1935. There are blue…

  • mAAch ecute

    Kōrakuen & Akihabara

    Mansei-bashi Station was Tokyo's original eastern terminus, completed two years before Tokyo Station in 1912. It closed in 1943 and was reborn at long…

  • Jimbōchō Bookstores

    Kōrakuen & Akihabara

    This fascinating neighbourhood of more than 170 new and secondhand booksellers is proof that the printed word is alive and well in Tokyo. Amid tottering…

  • Yodobashi-Akiba

    Kōrakuen & Akihabara

    This is the monster branch of Yodobashi Camera where many locals shop. It has eight floors of electronics, state-of-the-art camera and audio equipment,…

  • Akihabara Radio Kaikan

    Kōrakuen & Akihabara

    Despite its name, Radio Kaikan has nothing to do with radios and everything to do with Japanese pop culture. It was completely rebuilt in 2014 to include…

  • Mandarake Complex

    Kōrakuen & Akihabara

    This is highly debatable, of course, but Mandarake Complex might just be the most classic Akihabara destination for otaku (geeks): eight storeys are piled…

  • Ohya Shobō

    Kōrakuen & Akihabara

    In business since 1882 (but with an active Twitter account), Ohya Shobō specialises in books, maps and ukiyo-e (woodblock prints) dating back to Japan's…

  • Okuna Karuta-ten

    Kōrakuen & Akihabara

    This shop, established in 1921, is the go-to place for traditional Japanese card games such as hyakunin isshu and hanafuda, which make for unusual…

  • La Kagu

    Kōrakuen & Akihabara

    Starchitect Kengo Kuma designed this slick revamp of an old book warehouse, turning it into a lifestyle boutique stocking a keenly edited range of fashion…

  • Komiyama Shoten

    Kōrakuen & Akihabara

    In business since 1939, this shop stocks an incredible selection of art and photography books, posters and prints with some very famous Japanese and…

  • Kukuli

    Kōrakuen & Akihabara

    One of several shops in Kagurazaka specialising in traditional craftwork. Here it’s hand-dyed textiles (such as scarves and tea towels), many with…

  • La Ronde D'Argile

    Kōrakuen & Akihabara

    A changing selection of homewares made by local artisans fills two floors of this old house turned shop. It has a picture window at the front, with a…

  • Sada

    Kōrakuen & Akihabara

    The ever-changing selection at this compact shop includes clothes and accessories handmade in Tokyo and elsewhere around Japan.

  • Akihabara Radio Center

    Kōrakuen & Akihabara

    Strictly for old-school electronics otaku (geeks), this two-storey warren of several dozen electronics stalls under the elevated railway is the original,…

  • V Stone Robot Center

    Kōrakuen & Akihabara

    Are you on the lookout for a bipedal humanoid robot? V Stone specialises in DIY robot kits (from around ¥80,000, tax free). It also carries a range of…

  • Kaiyōdō Hobby Lobby

    Kōrakuen & Akihabara

    This is a collector's plastic dream – heroic, sexy figurines from all walks of Japanese science fiction. Look for the statues of characters from the anime…

  • K-Books

    Kōrakuen & Akihabara

    There's a selection of over 100,000 titles here including comics, illustrated books, pop-cultural-idol books and cosplay (costume play) titles.

  • Volks Akihabara Hobby Tengoku

    Kōrakuen & Akihabara

    Seven whole floors of anime, J-pop culture and hobby items, including the company's signature dolls.