Yellow Submarine Namba Main Store
Hobby & TCG shop at the Namba/Otaroad edge of Den Den Town — trading cards, figures, plastic models, plus an in-store duel space.
The OTAKU COMPASS Desk
Lo último
Maidreamin Osaka Nipponbashi Otaroad
Branch of Japan's biggest maid-café chain on Den Den Town's Otaroad — songs, moe performances and a tourist-friendly maid-café experience.
Surugaya Osaka Nipponbashi Main Store
Big used-hobby chain in Den Den Town — figures, plastic models, retro games, toys and collectibles, open late until 21:00.
Mandarake Grand Chaos
Osaka's flagship Mandarake — a multi-floor treasure house of used manga, vintage toys, figures, doujinshi and collectibles in Den Den Town.
Joshin Super Kids Land Honten (Nipponbashi)
One of Japan's largest hobby superstores — five floors of plastic models, Gundam, RC, model trains and toys in the heart of Den Den Town.
Animate Osaka Nipponbashi
Western Japan's flagship of the biggest anime-goods chain, on Den Den Town's Otaroad — two floors of manga, character merch and game goods.
Hakone — the Real-World 'Tokyo-3' of Evangelion (Kanagawa)
The hot-spring resort that creator Hideaki Anno based Tokyo-3 on. Lake Ashi and Owakudani appear in the series; an easy day trip with periodic Eva collabs.
Numazu & Uchiura — the Love Live! Sunshine!! Hometown (Shizuoka)
The seaside city and Uchiura fishing village that are home to Aqours in Love Live! Sunshine!! Many real spots, plus an ongoing fan-friendly stamp rally.
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.
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.
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.
Anime pilgrimage in Japan: how to visit real-life anime locations (seichi junrei)
Seichi junrei — visiting the real places that inspired your favourite anime. How it works, how to do it respectfully, and six of the most iconic, verified spots from Your Name to Evangelion.
One perfect day in Akihabara: a first-timer's otaku itinerary
A practical hour-by-hour route through Akihabara for your first visit — landmark shops, a maid café, gachapon, a card-shop peek and dinner — all within a 10-minute walk.
How to ship figures & anime goods home from Japan (tax-free, customs, options)
Bought more than fits in your suitcase? Here's how to ship figures and anime goods home safely — the tax-free angle, shipping options, customs in your country, and packing tips.
Otaku glossary: anime & otaku terms every visitor should know
A quick, accurate glossary of the anime, shopping, fandom and event words you'll see all over Japan — so you know your gunpla from your gachapon and your oshi from your itasha.
Ikebukuro Otome Road guide: otaku Tokyo for female fans (animate, BL, 2.5D)
Akihabara's female-focused counterpart: how to explore Ikebukuro's Otome Road — the flagship animate, K-BOOKS for otome/BL goods, Sunshine City, and how to get there.
Nakano Broadway guide: the collector's Akihabara (Mandarake, by floor)
A retro-and-rare alternative to Akihabara: how to explore Nakano Broadway's dozens of Mandarake shops and vintage stores, how to get there, and what makes it different.
Tax-free shopping in Japan: how it works for otaku buys (passport, minimums, rules)
How foreign visitors save Japan's 10% consumption tax on figures, electronics and anime goods — who qualifies, the spend minimums, what the rules are, and the changes to watch.
How to see idols in Akihabara: AKB48 Theater, idol bars & live houses
Akihabara is the home of 'idols you can meet.' Here's how a foreign fan actually sees a show — AKB48 Theater's lottery tickets, idol bars like Dear Stage, and chika-idol live houses.
Where to play card games in Tokyo: Pokémon, Magic, Yu-Gi-Oh & One Piece TCG
How a foreign visitor finds and joins a TCG tournament in Tokyo this week — the best Akihabara shops, how shop events work, the OCG-vs-TCG card trap, and how to sign up despite the language barrier.
Maid café etiquette: a first-timer's guide (photos, charges & rules)
Everything a foreign visitor needs before their first maid café: the charge system, the all-important photo rules, what 'moe moe kyun' means, and how to not make a faux pas.
Akihabara otaku guide: shops, by floor, tax-free & how to get there
A first-timer's map to Akihabara — what each landmark shop sells, which floors to hit, where to play cards, where to meet idols, and the tax-free + cash tips foreign fans need.
Jump Festa 2027
Shueisha's free annual Weekly Shonen Jump mega-event. The 2027 edition (expected Dec 2026) has not yet been officially announced.
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.
Tokyo Game Show 2026
One of the world's biggest gaming expos, marking its 30th anniversary with a record 5-day run, Sept 17–21, 2026 at Makuhari Messe.
Comic Market 108 (C108)
The world's largest doujinshi (self-published comics) fair, held Aug 15–16, 2026 at Tokyo Big Sight — the finale of Comiket's 50th-anniversary year.
Wonder Festival 2026 [Summer]
The world's largest garage-kit and figure festival, held for one day at Makuhari Messe on July 26, 2026. Theme: "Exploration."
Tokyo Character Street
A B1 arcade of official character shops in Tokyo Station's First Avenue — Jump Shop, Pokémon, Ghibli's Donguri, Sanrio and TV-network stores, all in one corridor.
Ghibli Museum, Mitaka
Studio Ghibli's whimsical museum in Mitaka, designed by Hayao Miyazaki. Entry is advance-ticket-only with a fixed date and time slot — and tickets sell out fast.
Pokémon Center SHIBUYA
The Shibuya branch of the official Pokémon Center, on Shibuya PARCO 6F — a darker, 'urban/mysterious' themed store with plush, cards, exclusives and a Mewtwo display.
Nintendo TOKYO
Nintendo's first official store in Japan, on Shibuya PARCO 6F — Mario, Zelda, Splatoon, Animal Crossing and Kirby goods, exclusives and life-size photo spots.
The Gundam Base Tokyo
The official Gunpla flagship in DiverCity Tokyo Plaza, Odaiba — every Gundam model kit, exclusives, builder zones, and the life-size Unicorn Gundam statue outside.
Pokémon Center MEGA TOKYO
The largest Pokémon Center in the Ikebukuro area, in Sunshine City's alpa mall. Temporarily closed — reopening expected around September 2026.
K-BOOKS Ikebukuro Otome-kan
K-BOOKS' Otome-kan on Ikebukuro's Otome Road, specializing in otome-game and BL character goods and doujin items for female fans.
animate Ikebukuro Flagship Store
animate's flagship and one of the world's largest anime shops, anchoring Ikebukuro's Otome Road — multiple floors of anime, manga and character goods.
Mandarake Nakano
Mandarake's original operation inside Nakano Broadway — dozens of genre-specialized shops across the floors selling manga, figures, vintage toys, dolls and rare collectibles.
Nakano Broadway
Iconic 1966 mall in Nakano packed with subculture shops — home to dozens of specialist Mandarake stores plus figures, retro toys, idol goods and dolls.
Hareruya2 Akihabara Tower Store
Whole-building Pokémon TCG specialty store with a 152-seat play space and daily Pokémon tournaments, from the Hareruya group.
Card Rush Akihabara
Multi-TCG store seconds from Akihabara Station with a ~45-seat duel space and strong Pokémon, Yu-Gi-Oh, One Piece and Magic ranges.
BIG MAGIC Akihabara
Large multi-TCG store on the 9th floor of Radio Kaikan, stocking Magic, Pokémon, Yu-Gi-Oh and more, with dueling space and official Pokémon events.
Hareruya Akihabara
Flagship Magic: The Gathering store from Japan's largest MTG chain, with daily tournaments and a large free play space. English-friendly.
Twin Box AKIHABARA
Idol-focused live house in the Box'R AKIBA Building, with a basement live floor and a ground-floor 'GARAGE' space, hosting frequent idol events.
Akihabara Dear Stage
Idol bar and live spot in the DEMPA Building, famous as the birthplace of idol group Dempagumi.inc; staff perform between serving drinks.
Maidreamin (Akihabara Main Store)
Branch of one of Japan's largest maid café chains, with multilingual menus and overseas maids — accessible for first-time foreign visitors.
@home cafe (Akihabara Main Store)
One of Akihabara's best-known maid cafés, across several floors of the Mitsuwa Building, welcoming foreign 'masters' and 'princesses' home.
AKB48 Theater
Home theater of idol group AKB48 on the 8th floor of Don Quijote Akihabara, hosting near-daily live stage shows by the group's teams.
GiGO Akihabara Building 2
GiGO (formerly SEGA) Akihabara arcade focused on crane games, with a collab-cafe stand. Note: the older No.1 building closed in Aug 2025.
Akihabara Gachapon Kaikan
Capsule-toy landmark open since 2002 with around 500 gachapon machines, from anime figures to quirky 'grown-up' designs. Cash only.
Yodobashi Camera Multimedia Akiba
Giant electronics megastore directly at Akihabara Station, with a large toy/hobby floor of figures, models, trading cards and games.
Kotobukiya Akihabara
Flagship of figure/model maker Kotobukiya: five floors of figures, plastic models and original kits, plus the VstoreAKIBA VTuber official shops.
Surugaya Akihabara Main Store
Surugaya's flagship Akihabara store on 'Junk Alley': a large multi-floor secondhand shop for anime goods, figures, games and trading cards.
AmiAmi Akihabara Radio Kaikan Store
Major hobby retailer AmiAmi's physical shop on the 4th floor of Radio Kaikan: figures, character goods, plastic models and trading cards.
animate Akihabara
Flagship Akihabara branch of Japan's largest anime/manga goods chain — a multi-floor main building plus a second building and an ANNEX.
Super Potato Akihabara
Akihabara's landmark retro game store: vintage consoles and software across three floors, topped by a 5F retro arcade.
Mandarake Complex Akihabara
Eight floors of secondhand otaku treasure: vintage figures, doujinshi, retro toys, cosplay and collectibles, each floor with its own theme.
Akihabara Radio Kaikan
Akihabara's landmark hobby tower right by the station: ten floors of figures, anime goods, trading cards, dolls and model kits.