AKIHABARA ANIME TOUR

Right here on this page. Go to Book direct, choose how many of you are coming and pick a date — the slot is yours the moment it goes through. No agency in between: you're booking with me. Online Japanese lessons are booked at animesenseijp.com.

Not at all. The tour is fully in English — I'm a professional Japanese teacher, so I'll translate and explain everything as we go. Want to learn a little first? That's exactly what the online lessons are for.

Absolutely — most guests are visiting Japan for the first time. You don't need to know anime either: plenty of guests come along for a kid or a partner and end up enjoying it. I'll help with everything from train cards to shop etiquette, and there's a free web guide for first-timers to get you ready.

Yes. Many repeat visitors tell me they were taken to floors and shops they had never found, and some come back for a second round. Tell me what you've already seen and we'll go somewhere new.

Shops are the heart of the day, because that's where most guests want to go. Arcades, a shrine visit and a lunch stop can fit in too, and I explain the culture as we go. If you'd rather have more of the story or more breaks, tell me beforehand.

Yes, if you'd like one. It isn't a fixed stop on the route, so tell me beforehand or on the day and I'll fit it in around the shops and arcades you came for. If it isn't your thing, we simply skip it. Not sure what to expect? Here is how Akihabara maid cafés work.

Yes. Official retailers and resale shops sit side by side in Akihabara, and from the street you can't always tell which is which. As we go I'll tell you which shops are which, and what a fair price looks like for the thing in your hand. I can't promise a particular rare item, but you'll know what you're paying for.

Yes — a private walking tour, three to four hours on foot inside Akihabara. The whole district is a few minutes across; what takes time is the floors. We go up the buildings that actually stock your series, not along the street. Half a day is enough for almost everyone, and here is why.

Go alone if you have a shopping list and can read the floor guides. Take the tour if you want the floors matched to your series and would rather not spend the first two hours working out which building is which. I don't hunt rare items for you — I stop you losing the afternoon on the wrong floors. If you'd rather plan it yourself, start with things to do in Akihabara and the one-day itinerary.

Right here — booking direct skips the booking-site fee. The same tour is also listed on Viator, GetYourGuide and Airbnb if you would rather book there. Still choosing between operators? I compared every Akihabara anime tour you can actually book, with where each one is sold.

Never. Every single tour is 100% private — it's only your group and me, so the whole day follows your favourite series, your pace and your questions. That's a promise, whichever site you book on.

Yes. It's private and small, so I tailor the pace and stops for families. Anime is a wonderful thing to share across generations.

Akihabara is wonderfully indoor-friendly — most of the best spots are shops, arcades and buildings, so rain rarely gets in the way. If weather is severe we'll reschedule.

They're 1-on-1 over video call, scheduled at a time that works across time zones. Complete beginners welcome — we start from the very first character and build around the anime and goals you care about.

Inside the cafe Vie de France Dining, on the 1st floor of the BiTO AKIBA building (1-18-19 Sotokanda), right by the Electric Town Exit (電気街口) of JR Akihabara Station, in front of UDX. Careful: there is another Vie de France on the other side of the station — not that one. I'll be waiting inside, and I'll send my contact details after you book.

If you book direct on this site, it's a full refund for cancelling 24 hours or more before the start — inside 24 hours there's no refund, because the day is already reserved for you and turned down for others. If you booked on Airbnb, Viator or GetYourGuide instead, cancellation follows that platform's own policy, so manage it from your booking there.