Guide · Akihabara

Part of: Things to Do in Akihabara: Local Guide's List

Akihabara Electronics Today: What Is Still Worth Buying, Where the Parts Shops Are, and What to Check First

Akihabara is still an electronics district, but not a bargain district. The big chain store, Yodobashi Akiba, connects straight to the station and is convenient rather than cheap. What only Akihabara does is parts: Akizuki Denshi and Radio Kaikan's Wakamatsu Tsūshō sell components by the piece to hobbyists, and the retro shops sell old hardware you will not find elsewhere. I run private anime tours here most weeks, and for guests who are not into anime, this is the Akihabara I show them.

The district's name in Japanese, Denki-gai, means Electric Town, and it earned it: radios after the war, computers in the 1970s and 1980s, anime from the late 1990s. The electronics never left. They moved upstairs and into side streets.

Is Akihabara still good for electronics?

For parts, retro hardware and browsing, yes. For a cheap new camera, laptop or phone, no: the big chains charge the same prices here as in their other Tokyo stores. Akihabara's advantage is range and specialists, not discounts. Plan your electronics time around the shops that only exist here.

This is the honest section, and it matches what I tell guests on my Akihabara anime tour: the "Akihabara is cheap for electronics" story is decades out of date. If you want a mainstream gadget, buy it wherever is convenient, including here. If you want a resistor, a single LED, or a console from 1994, Akihabara is one of the best places in the country.

Where is Yodobashi Akiba, and is it worth it?

Yodobashi Akiba is the huge building on the east side of Akihabara Station, at 1-1 Kanda Hanaokachō, and its site says it connects directly to five lines at the station. It is worth it for range and convenience: a whole building of electronics, plus a restaurant floor on 8F and a golf range and batting centre on 9F.

It is on the opposite side of the tracks from the anime district. If you come out of the Central Gate or the Shōwa-dori Exit, you are next to it; if you came for anime, you are on the wrong side. Getting to Akihabara explains which exit is which.

Where do you buy electronic parts in Akihabara?

Akizuki Denshi Tsūshō at 1-8-3 Sotokanda, five minutes from the Electric Town Exit, is the best-known parts shop: components, modules and kits, sold by the piece. Wakamatsu Tsūshō on the 5th floor of Radio Kaikan says it stocks more than 80,000 items. Both are used by hobbyists and engineers, not tourists, which is the point.

Two practical notes on Akizuki from its own store page:

• The 1st and 2nd floors are separate shops. You have to step outside and use the building's shared entrance to move between them, and you pay on each floor separately.
• It takes cards, transport IC cards and QR payments, so you do not need cash for a bag of parts.

If you are not a maker yourself, these shops are still worth ten minutes. Drawers of components labelled in Japanese, people buying single LEDs, a sense of what Akihabara was before the posters went up. What is Akihabara famous for tells that history.

What should you check before buying electronics in Japan?

Voltage, plugs, language and warranty. Japan runs on 100 V with two-pin plugs, so check that anything you buy says it accepts your home voltage. Check that the menus can be switched to your language, and ask whether the warranty is valid outside Japan. Ask before you pay, not after.

The voltage one matters most. Phone chargers and laptop adapters are usually rated for a wide range, but appliances like hair dryers and rice cookers made for Japan often are not. Look at the label for something like "INPUT 100–240 V" before you pay. If it only says 100 V, it is a Japan-only product.

Can tourists buy electronics tax-free?

At registered tax-free shops, with your passport, if you spend ¥5,000 or more before tax in one shop on one day. From 1 November 2026 you pay full price in the shop and get the tax back after a customs check at the airport, so keep the goods with you rather than in checked baggage until that check is done.

Tax-free shopping in Japan after November 2026 has the step-by-step airport process.

Is Akihabara worth it if you are not into anime?

Yes, for an hour or two of electronics, retro games and arcades. Pair the parts shops, Yodobashi and one arcade, and leave the anime floors to whoever you came with. For a full non-anime plan, the arcades and retro floors are the strongest part of the district.

More on the district for non-fans is in is Akihabara worth visiting and things to do in Akihabara.

Frequently asked questions

Is Akihabara cheaper for electronics? Not for mainstream products. The big chains charge their usual prices. Akihabara is worth it for parts, specialist shops and retro hardware.

What is the biggest electronics store in Akihabara? Yodobashi Akiba, on the east side of the station at 1-1 Kanda Hanaokachō, connected directly to the station.

Where can I buy Arduino or Raspberry Pi parts in Akihabara? Parts shops such as Akizuki Denshi Tsūshō at 1-8-3 Sotokanda and Wakamatsu Tsūshō on the 5th floor of Radio Kaikan sell components and modules. Check their stock for the exact board you want.

Will Japanese electronics work in my country? Only if they accept your voltage and plug. Japan uses 100 V. Look for "100–240 V" on the label, and ask about warranty outside Japan.

Do Akihabara electronics shops take credit cards? The large ones do, and Akizuki Denshi takes cards, transport IC cards and QR payments. Smaller stalls may prefer cash; see cash or card in Japan.

Parts on one side of the street, anime on the other

If you are travelling with an anime fan and would like the day planned for both of you, Adventure in Akihabara with Anime is my private half-day walk, three to four hours, never shared with other guests. The price is on the tour page.

About the author. I am Yuuki, a Japanese teacher and Akihabara anime tour guide based in Tokyo. I run private anime tours here most weeks, rated 4.96★ on Airbnb across 171 reviews. I have watched over 1,500 anime series, which is either a qualification or a warning depending on your point of view.

See the Akihabara anime tour →

Sources: Yodobashi Akiba, Access (1-1 Kanda Hanaokachō; direct connection to five lines at Akihabara Station; 8F restaurant floor, 9F golf shop/range and batting centre); Akizuki Denshi Tsūshō, Akihabara shop (1-8-3 Sotokanda, Nomizu Building 1F; 5 minutes from the Electric Town Exit; payment methods; separate 1F and 2F checkouts reached via the building's shared entrance); Akihabara Radio Kaikan, shop pages for Wakamatsu Tsūshō (5F, "80,000+ items") and Tomoca Pro Shop (2F, professional broadcast and audio equipment), and About Radio Kaikan (1976 Bit-INN and the microcomputer boom). All checked 4 October 2026. Voltage and plug notes are general facts about Japan, not shop claims. Opening hours are deliberately not given.