Akihabara & Iidabashi

Stay

The Akihabara neighborhood, also called Akiba, is the center of the geek culture in Tokyo. It is a Mekka for manga and anime fans from all over the world. You will find warehouses filled with comics, video games, action figures, and manga collectibles here.

Walking around the streets of Akiba and enjoying the craziness is great fun. Sundays are the best time to wander about in Akihabara as the main street is closed off for traffic and is made into a broad walking street.

However, even if you are not interested in Japanese pop culture, this area has a lot of affordable accommodations. Take a walk a few minutes walk away from Akiba Center, and you will find yourself in quiet residential areas such as Asakusabashi. This is one of the best neighborhoods to stay in Tokyo if you prefer a more relaxed, laid-back atmosphere with cozy local cafes and restaurants and fewer tourists. A huge bonus is that the hotel prices here are among the lowest in Tokyo, and the standard is good.

Access to the rest of the city is also excellent via the well-connected Akihabara and Asakusabashi subway stations. Akihabara Station is on the central JR Yamanote Line.

You will also discover that Akihabara is packed with electronic stores and gadgets! It is like entering a futuristic cyber-city packed with electronics!

Popularly nicknamed Electric Town, it started after World War II when this area around Akihabara Station became a black market for radio parts. Today, Akihabara is THE place to head for bargains on new and used electronics.

Things To Do In Akihabara & Iidabashi

• Manga & Action Figures
  Akihabara is the place to shop for manga comics and action figures.
• Electronics & Camera Shopping 
  Take a wander through the eight floors of Yodabashi Electronics Store, one of the largest camera stores in the world. Visit the Akihabara Radio Center, a two-story building packed with everything from connectors, jacks, LEDs, switches, semiconductors, and all other electronic components you need or did not know you needed!
• Ochanomizu Meidai Dori – Guitar Street
  If you like guitars, then you should head to this street as it is packed with guitar shops selling all kinds of guitars from all over the world, both new and used. Guitar heaven! Espen can easily spend an entire day here as he loves guitars. 🙂 And since most of Tokyo’s guitar shops are located on this street, it is easy to compare prices. Ishibashi Music Store is one of the biggest guitar shops on this street.
• Yasukuni-jinja Shrine
  Yasukuni-jinja is a beautiful shrine completed in 1869 in memory of Japan`s war dead (2,5 million souls). The shrine has torii gates made of steel and bronze, which is unusual as torii gates are usually made of wood.
• Museums & Galleries
  There are several museums and art galleries in Akihabara: Yushu-kan (war museum starting from the samurai tradition), National Showa Memorial Museum (World War II museum), National Museum of Modern Art (Meiji-jingu ShrineAT), Crafts Gallery (ceramics, lacquer work, wood carving, textiles, etc.). These museums are all located in Kitanomaru Park.
• Maid Cafe 
  Have a coffee or soda at a maid cafe, which originated in Akihabara. The waitresses dress as French maids and treat the customers as masters. We had to try it out, of course, and it was very strange but fun and a bit embarrassing!
• Jimbocho Neighborhood
  This neighborhood is heaven for us book lovers. Here you will find approximately 160 secondhand bookstores. Although most books are in Japanese, you can find vintage manga, anime, and other collectibles.
• Koishikawa Korakuen Garden
  The Koishikawa Korakuen Garden is a beautiful 17th-century garden that was the property of the Tokugawa clan. Here, you will see landscape architectural elements of both Chinese and Japanese design. The garden has a lovely bridge, the Full-Moon Bridge, which dates back to the early Edo period.
• Tokyo Dome Baseball Stadium
  Tokyo Dome Baseball Stadium is home to Japan’s top baseball team, the Yomiuri Giants. It is located next to the park Koishikawa Korakuen Garden and is an attraction in itself, with a spa (with an upscale Onsen), an amusement park, and a Japanese Baseball Hall of Fame & Museum. Did you know that baseball was imported to Japan by an American teacher in 1872? It started as a hobby and is now a national obsession.
• Kanda Myojin Shrine
  Constructed in 730, the Kanda Myojin Shrine is said to bring luck in business and family and help you find your future man or woman.
• Nicholai-do Cathedral
  The beautiful white Orthodox Nicholai Cathedral was built by St. Nicholai in 1891.

Where To Stay In Akihabara, Asakusabashi & Iidabashi

ICI Hotel Asakusabashi by Relief 
This is a fairly new 3-star hotel. Our room was clean and bright, with all modern comforts and a great layout. All rooms have air conditioning and private bathrooms. The hotel is well located with a great view of Tokyo Tower, and since it is near Asakusabashi Station (a 3-minute walk), you can take a direct train to the airports.

We found the breakfast pretty good, with a selection of different foods. The hotel is pet-friendly, and we loved meeting cute, friendly dogs in the lobby. If you are two people, I recommend you opt for the Standard Twin Room (17 sqm) or Deluxe Twin Room (20 sqm), as the Standard Double Room is only 12 sqm with a pretty narrow bed for two.

Hotel Resol Akihabara
Hotel Resol is a centrally located mid-range hotel next to Akiba / Electric Town. Our room was a superior twin (23 sqm), spacious enough for us and our two large bags.

The rooms are nicely furnished, although Maria found the bed to be a bit too firm for her liking. The room has the usual Tokyo mid-range hotel amenities like a tea kettle, a small flat-screen TV, and a fridge. The bathrooms are quite small but do have a bathtub.

Hotel Resolt Akhihabara’s stand-out feature is definitely its fantastic location. Akihabara Station (on the JR Yamanote Line) is a quick five-minute walk away. Akihabara’s main street is just across the canal, with hundreds of restaurants, shops, and convenience stores. Free coffee is available in the lobby, and you can use the washer/ dryer on the fifth floor 24/7.

The cozy Japanese/ Italian restaurant on the second floor also serves a surprisingly good breakfast.

DDD Hotel
This 3-star hotel, which opened in 2019, offers fantastic value for money. Its interior design is like something out of an interior magazine—very elegant. There is a nice lounge/ cafe, Abno, on the second floor (next to the reception), with top-notch barista espresso coffee and great food. It is a nice place to sit and work. You can easily walk to three subway stations. The staff is super welcoming.

Artist Hotel – BnA STUDIO Akihabara – Apartments
One of the coolest and most artistic hotels in Tokyo! Each room has a unique design and layout, a kitchenette, a private bathroom with a washing machine/ dryer, and some have a balcony. The rooms are spacious (33-56 sqm) and accommodate up to four people.  The hotel is super convenient, close to Akihabara Station and three subway stations, and has a cute restaurant/ bar downstairs.