MAR2027
AnimeJapan 2027
Japan's largest anime industry expo. The 2027 edition relocates from Tokyo to INTEX Osaka, with public days announced for March 27–28, 2027.
- English OK
Akihabara & beyond
Welcome to the otaku side of Japan!
Your compass to otaku Japan
Akihabara shops, maid cafés, TCG tournaments, figure shows and anime films & conventions — verified, beautifully shown, and explained for foreign fans: tax-free, English-OK, photo rules, how to get in.
- Edited in Japan
- Primary sources, cited
- Dated when facts can change
First time? Start here
Marquee events
The big cons worth planning your trip around — verified dates & how foreigners get in.
DEC2026Comic Market 109 (C109) 2026: Dates, Venue & TicketsComic Market 109 (Winter Comiket) runs December 29–31, 2026, at Tokyo Big Sight — a rare 3-day edition after several 2-day Comikets in a row, with East Halls 4–6 still closed for renovation.
Jump Festa 2027: Dates Confirmed — 19–20 December 2026, Makuhari MesseJump Festa 2027 runs 19–20 December 2026 at Makuhari Messe, 9:00–17:00 (last entry 16:30), free to enter — but last edition every visitor from elementary school age up needed a free app-issued ticket, allocated by lottery in autumn. Miss it and you can't get in on the day.Wonder Festival 2027 [Winter]The world's largest garage-kit and figure festival returns to Makuhari Messe for a two-day event — the first in 36 years — officially confirmed for February 13–14, 2027.- English OK
What's on
DATE TBA
Niconico Chokaigi 2027
Niconico Chokaigi 2027 is officially confirmed for April 2027, but exact dates, venue and tickets haven't been announced yet. Here's what Chokaigi is, how its 2026 edition topped the year before (though still short of the pre-pandemic 2019 turnout), and how to catch the official announcement.
Explore by area
Franchise worlds
Love one series? Every official store, café, museum and statue for it — with how to book.
Gundam in Tokyo: Gundam Base, Buying Gunpla & the Unicorn Statue's End
Odaiba's life-size Unicorn Gundam ended its display on 31 August 2026, but The Gundam Base Tokyo on DiverCity 7F is still open. Where to buy gunpla in Tokyo, and the tax-free rules for kits.
Pokémon in Tokyo: every Pokémon Center and Café (2026 guide)
All four Pokémon Centers in Tokyo are open: Mega Tokyo in Ikebukuro reopened on 24 August 2026, joining Tokyo DX, Shibuya and Skytree Town. Official hours, tax-free status by store, and exactly how foreign visitors book the reservation-only Pokémon Café online.
Studio Ghibli in Japan: Ghibli Museum & Park Tickets Guide
Two Ghibli worlds: the intimate Ghibli Museum in Mitaka, Tokyo, and the sprawling Ghibli Park near Nagoya. How foreigners book each — and which one to choose.
Mugiwara Store Tokyo: All 5 One Piece Stores (2026)
Tokyo has five official ONE PIECE Mugiwara Stores. The flagship is on MAGNET by SHIBUYA109 6F at Shibuya Crossing (10:00–21:00, tax-free counter in the building); the others are in Ikebukuro, Odaiba, Tokyo Station and Harajuku. No reservation needed.
- Tax-free
Sanrio Puroland Tickets: Prices, Hours & How to Get There
Sanrio Puroland needs both a date-priced passport (gate Day Passport ¥3,900–¥6,900 for adults, as of 2026-09-25) and a visit reservation. The official e-Passport covers both for ¥100 less, and the park is about 30 minutes from Shinjuku by Keio Line.
Kirby Café Tokyo Reservation Guide 2026: How Booking Works
Kirby Café Tokyo (Solamachi 4F, 10:00–22:00) is still open, but since August 2026 you need a phone-verified account on the official site to book. Walk-ins only if seats are free; the goods shop next door needs no booking.
Anime pilgrimage
The real places behind the scenes — where they are, how to get there, and how to be a good guest.
The 'Your Name' Staircase at Suga Shrine (Yotsuya, Tokyo)
The red-railed stairs where Taki and Mitsuha reunite in the final scene of Your Name. A real, working shrine in a quiet Yotsuya residential neighbourhood — visit respectfully.
The Slam Dunk Railway Crossing at Kamakurakokomae (Kamakura)
The seaside Enoden crossing from the Slam Dunk anime opening, with the ocean and Enoshima beyond — hugely popular, very crowded, and on a live public railway crossing.
Yuru Camp△ Real Locations in Yamanashi (2026): Motosu, Minobu & More
Yuru Camp△ is set around Minobu in southern Yamanashi: visit Lake Motosu's Koan Campsite and the Nakanokura Pass banknote view from episode 1, the closed school behind Motosu High School and the Minobu Line towns. Koan and Fumotoppara (in Shizuoka) are booking-only campsites, and the school grounds open only on event days — checked 2026-10-03.
Detective Conan Town in Hokuei (2026): Museum, Statues and Access
Detective Conan's real-world town is Hokuei, Tottori, Gosho Aoyama's hometown: walk the 1.4 km Conan Street of statues from JR Yura (Conan Station) to the Gosho Aoyama Manga Factory, ¥700 for adults (¥100 off with a passport). Its current building closes on 11 January 2027 ahead of a new museum in spring 2027 — checked 2026-10-03.
The K-On! School — Former Toyosato Elementary (Shiga)
The 1937 Vories-designed school that modelled 'Sakuragaoka High' in K-On! Free to enter, with rooms recreated to match the anime.
Washinomiya Shrine — the Lucky Star Pilgrimage Origin (Saitama)
The ancient Kanto shrine that inspired 'Takanomiya' in Lucky Star and launched Japan's modern anime-pilgrimage boom in 2007. Still a busy, working shrine.
Otaku spots
Doraemon Museum Tickets: How to Book, Prices & Access
The Fujiko·F·Fujio (Doraemon) Museum sells no tickets at the door: buy a date-and-time ticket (¥1,000 adults) on the official e-tix site, which has an English version, where sales open at 10:00 JST on the 5th and 20th of each month. It is closed on Tuesdays and is a 9-minute shuttle ride from Noborito Station.
EVANGELION STORE TOKYO-01 (Ikebukuro PARCO 6F)
EVANGELION STORE TOKYO-01 is the official Evangelion flagship store on 6F of the Ikebukuro PARCO main building, a 1-minute walk from Ikebukuro Station's East Exit, open 11:00–21:00 and tax-free. It moved from P'PARCO 2F in March 2023.
- Tax-free
Pokémon Center TOKYO DX
Pokémon Center TOKYO DX is on 5F of the Nihombashi Takashimaya S.C. East Building, open 10:30–21:00 daily, direct from Nihombashi Station exit B2, tax-free in-store, with the reservation-only Pokémon Cafe TOKYO on the same floor.
- Tax-free
Toranoana Ikebukuro Store B
Toranoana's Ikebukuro Store B is one of the shops that defines Otome Road — a women-oriented 7th-floor doujinshi and BL/otome goods floor near Ikebukuro Station.
Super Potato Nipponbashi (Ota Road Store)
A single-floor retro video game specialty shop on Osaka's Otaroad, billed by the operator as having the largest retro-game selection in western Japan. Open every day, no closures.
Mandarake Nagoya
A four-floor Mandarake branch in Nagoya's Osu shopping district, open every day of the year, buying and selling secondhand manga, toys, doujinshi, idol goods and cosplay.
- Tax-free
- Ships abroad
Guides
Best maid cafés in Akihabara: which one to pick — prices, English and photo rules compared (as of 2026-09-23)
Four Akihabara maid cafés compared on what you actually pay, how long you can stay, English support, photo rules and opening hours: @home cafe (¥850 admission + one drink), Maidreamin (¥880 per hour + order), Cure Maid Café and Cafe Mai:lish (no seat charge posted). All figures from each café's official site, checked 2026-09-23.
AGF 2026 (Animate Girls Festival) in Ikebukuro, Nov 7–8: tickets, face-ID entry and what foreigners need (as of 2026-09-23)
AGF 2026 runs November 7–8, 2026 at Sunshine City, Ikebukuro. Tickets are Fast ¥3,000, General ¥1,800, Afternoon ¥1,000 and Evening ¥800 (tax incl.); the General lottery closes September 24, 23:59 JST. What overseas visitors need for face-ID e-tickets, the passport rule, the no-account Evening ticket and the free stages — checked against official sources.
Where to Buy One Piece Cards in Tokyo: Official Shops (Ikebukuro, Shinjuku, Shibuya), Card Shops and Purchase Limits (as of 2026-09-23)
New One Piece Card Game boosters at Tokyo's three official shops (Ikebukuro, Shinjuku, Shibuya) are lottery-only, with an ID check and one checkout per person per day. Addresses, hours, the 1-box limit, card shops for singles in Akihabara and Ikebukuro, and the Japanese-card region rule, checked 2026-09-23.
Grand Blue pilgrimage in Ito (Kawana): the 5 real spots, 370-yen train and the no-booking izakaya (as of 2026-09-23)
Grand Blue's everyday setting is Kawana in Ito, Shizuoka — an 88 Anime Spots 2026 pick. The five real places from the anime, the 370-yen Izukyu fare from Ito Station, Rakumiya Marugen's hours (no reservations, 32 seats) and where to try-dive, all from official sources with check dates.
Amanchu! pilgrimage in Ito: two wrapping buses, the 2-day pass (1,800 to 2,150 yen) and fares from Ito Station (as of 2026-09-18)
Amanchu! is set in Ito City, Shizuoka. What is still officially verifiable is two Tokai Bus wrapping buses (no fixed timetable) and three named partner companies. The Ito / Izu-Kogen 2-Day pass is 1,800 yen and rises to 2,150 yen for passes sold from 1 October 2026. Station fares and Marine Town's real numbers, each with the date we checked.
One Day of Otaku Osaka: A Den Den Town & Otaroad Itinerary
Osaka's otaku district is a single walkable strip, so one day genuinely covers it. Open early at Joshin and Surugaya (10:00), hit Mandarake and Volks from 12:00, and finish on Otaroad — all between Ebisucho and Namba.